Opinion

Hillary successful, independent

In response to �Clinton an apparition of Progress,� Feb. 21 by Andy Granias:

She was the first-ever student commencement speaker at Wellesley College. She was a pioneer in securing children�s rights at Yale, creating legal standards for identifying and protecting abused children when they had virtually no rights at all. At the Children�s Defense Fund, she pressed educational funding for students with disabilities. At only 26 years old, she was one of three women lawyers of a staff of 42 to the House Judiciary Committee considering the impeachment of President Nixon, one of the most important investigations in Washington�s history.

All before she married Bill Clinton.

She ran a legal aid clinic for the poor, became a law professor and was appointed to the board of the United States Legal Services Corporation by President Jimmy Carter, creating a program that funds legal assistance for the poor.

All before she became first lady of the United States.

As her husband became governor of Arkansas, she fought for improvement in education and continued the battle for children�s rights. She was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. Twice. And as first lady of the United States, she fought for health care for every single American, helped craft the Children�s Health Insurance Plan, insuring seven million vulnerable children and wrote an international best-selling book.

All before she became a United States senator.

As senator she fought for the people of New York and drew support from Democrats and Republicans alike on her way. She fought to expand children�s health insurance, secure a woman�s right to Plan B and gave families of the Sept. 11 attacks care and compensation.

As president she wants to push �class-transcendent� policies to lower taxes for middle income families, strengthen unions, provide universal health care for everyone, increase funding for head start programs and pledge $700 million a year for autism research.

It�s a shame that Mr. Granias has reduced years of dedicated public service and profound achievement to the success of Sen. Clinton�s husband�s years in the White House.

It is about time the public and media recognize everything Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has accomplished in her own right and resist the ignorant, sexist tendency to dismiss over 30 years of her work, progress and popularity as a woman changing the country to �only a residual effect stemming from the widely popular Democratic presidency of her husband.�

Nancy McMurray

UW senior, journalism and English

[email protected]

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13 older comments

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Hillary sucks. Get over it.

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She’s qualified to be President, all right. I just disagree with most of her policy positions.

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Hillary would be even more independent and successful if she divorced Bill. Nah, she had her chance eight years ago.

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It’s not that Hillary hasn’t been successful, it’s that her presidential race is a flawed test of female progress in America because of Bill.

I am a fervent feminist and I very much agreed with Andy’s article yesterday. This country is a long way from being ready for a female president and HIllary would be a flawed measure of progress, which may even hurt the cause.

Mind you, not only has Bill helped her to be viably elected but he has also hurt her cause. It is a shame, and I think that’s what the editor’s point was, regardless of her qualifications.

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1) Why didn’t she run against Bush 4 years ago? Too scared, too weak, too calculating?

2) I don’t think I could vote for Nancy Reagan or Barbara Bush. There should be a clause in our constitution against back-door extra-term presidencies.

3) Except for Obama, why do people wait until they’re damn near geriatric to run for president?

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Job well done. Credit to the writer. Say want you want, but Hilary represents the most polished candidate in the Democratic race. Time will tell if Obama can deliver when facing the questions that Hilary has faced time and time again throughout her career. I think Cindy McCain is much better looking than Nancy or Barbara by the way.

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1) Why didn’t she run against Bush 4 years ago? Too scared, too weak, too calculating?

-No, unlike Obama, she waited until she had enought experience and was qualified.

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About Hillary’s shining debate moment: “For her supporters, moments like those reveal why much of the criticism of her candidacy and personality are simply not true.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN22536300

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“No, unlike Obama, she waited until she had enought experience and was qualified”

Hey, Tiger, all the experience she claims to have came BEFORE her senate career. Honestly, a senate seat does not prepare you well for presidency; McCain, Clinton, and Obama are equally unqualified.

McCain, for example, claims to not no much about the economy… HE’S BEEN VOTING ON BUDGETS SINCE 1983! I know there’s a learning curve, but you think you’d absorb something through your pasty white skull in 25 years.

Thank goodness for qualified cabinet members, which will be a nice CHANGE from our current gaggle of sycophant ideologs.

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Yeah, I’m sure that a Chicago ward heeler will bring in a whole bunch of “qualified cabinet members” - LOL.

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“Yeah, I’m sure that a Chicago ward heeler will bring in a whole bunch of “qualified cabinet members” - LOL.”

He’s able to chose from anyone in America.

You do have faith in America, right? Or are you unpatriotic commie swine?

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Faith in Amerrica, sure.

Faith in Obama, not so much.

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“Clinton is a terrible manager of people. Coming into a campaign she had been planning for, what, two decades, she was so not ready on Day One, or even Day 300. Her White House, if we can glean anything from the campaign, would be a secretive nest of well-fed yes-people, an uncontrollable egomaniac spouse able and willing to bigfoot anyone if he wants to, a phalanx of flunkies who cannot tell the boss when things are wrong, and a drizzle of dreary hacks like Mark Penn.”

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/thedailydish/2008/02/the-clintons-la.html

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