I Want Hillary's America

I know this seems hard to believe for some people, but I actually prefer Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders. I prefer her as the more pragmatic and electable option, but I also just prefer her experience, ideas, plans, and what she would stand for as President of the United States. It's not even really that I dislike Bernie Sanders. I just think Hillary Clinton is better.

I don't particularly care that she took Wall Street donations or speaking fees (President Obama raised money on Wall Street too, and he turned out fine). I'm not at all bothered that she is taking the less "radical" positions on banks, health care, education, Iran, and other issues. She has a super-PAC? Good, she'll be able to compete, hopefully. She "evolved" on marriage equality? That's fine, so did President Obama and Vice-President Biden, and they ended up good on the issue. Your shots at her for being a "Republican" aren't moving too many people, and are actually pretty laughable next to the actual Republicans.

I want to elect Hillary Clinton as President of the United States, and I say that while acknowledging that her campaign has been frustrating, and that sometimes her answers do leave you wanting more. Politics is not about "feeling good," it's about making lives better, and Hillary is the person better positioned to do so. My reasons why are pretty straight forward-

1. I feel she's better positioned to win- It is damn near impossible to predict the mood of the country in November, let alone how either candidate will fair between now and then. I know this- we're neck deep in some serious foreign policy issues and we're due for an economic slow down after seeing growth for nearly all of President Obama's Presidency. Clinton can be accused of being "too tough" by some on the left, but on the issues of Russia, Syria, Iran, and other major foreign policy issues right now, I think the Secretary of State is more likely to make America feel at ease than Bernie Sanders. On the economy, while some on the left make knit-picky arguments against the Clinton record, the fact is that the 1990s are the gold standard for economic well-being. Her time in the Senate shows her to be a mostly mainstream Democrat on economic issues, which is exactly what I think we need to follow President Obama with. I get that Bernie Sanders polls decently right now, but he's not being attacked right now. Hillary has been attacked already. She is still right there in polls. I trust her image as better to put up against the GOP nominee than Bernie's.
2. Her policy positions are better positioned to become law- Let's be clear here, the Democrats had to jump through all sorts of hoops to enact the President's health care law, the Dodd-Frank bank regulation bill, and the Stimulus, to name a few things, and they ran Congress and the White House then. It's not likely that the Congress will swing wildly left in 2016, so things will be a bit more difficult for the Democratic President in 2017 than it was in 2009. Do you really believe a narrowly divided Congress is going to pass a $15 national minimum wage, Medicare for All, Glass-Steagall, free college for all, or many of the other ideas that Senator Sanders is putting forward? I'd question the wisdom of even wanting to, but if that's your goal, how can you honestly believe "a political revolution" will stare down Congress and make them change their minds. OFA was a pretty formidable group of grassroots volunteers, they didn't change Congress over night like that.
3. I trust her and agree with her on health care- I remember watching Hillary push for health care in the 1990s. I remember her putting forward a plan that is eerily similar to the Affordable Care Act during her 2008 run for the Presidency. I support the current Affordable Care Act, and agree with her now that we should build on that, and make it better, not toss it out and start over. Her position of incremental improvement appeals to me more than Senator Sanders' Medicare for All. It's more practical, and it's what I prefer we do.
4. I feel she's more qualified to run a White House- I think Bernie Sanders has a fine resume- Mayor, Congressman, Senator- but I like Hillary's better. I like that she was Secretary of State. I like that she represented a big state in the U.S. Senate. I like that she's been under the public microscope for more years than I've been alive, and that she's faced down some of the most vicious Republican attacks imagined. I expect the GOP to try and destroy any Democratic President. She expects that too. I think she's ready to face the fire, and run an administration.
5. I trust her more to deal with Putin, Syria, Israel, Iran, etc.- Hillary is often hit for being too hawkish by Democrats, and at times she has been (see Iraq War here). The problems in our world are not softball right now. A conquest-driven Russian President with designs of expanding his nation's influence, a brutal civil war in Syria that has given us the most savage terrorist organization we've seen yet, an Israeli leader who has challenged our friendship in his quest to abandon peace as an objective, and an Iran who is on the cusp of either rejoining the global community or falling back into an adversary's role. These are not small issues. Her work at the State Department, her tough-edged instincts, and her record working on many of the major issues that we've seen the President and her successor (John Kerry) achieve on (Iran nuclear deal, Cuba, Climate Change deals with countries all over the globe) give her a credibility that no candidate in either party has. She can handle the Commander-in-Chief role, and keep our role in the world.
6. I want to elect the first woman President- People like to act as though there is something wrong with wanting to elect the first female President. I don't. I generally despise identity politics and say that we shouldn't give points for electing people from certain groups, but women make up half of our population, but zero Presidents in our history. Do you really think we haven't had qualified, capable women, who could run this country? I tend to think there are plenty. None will have the opportunity to though until we elect one, and Hillary is qualified and right on the issues. I would like to see us push her across the finish line.
7. I agree with her record and position on guns- This has been beaten into the ground already, but there are differences between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on guns, and I agree with her voting record over his. I don't believe gun manufacturers should have immunity when their products are used in shootings. Therefore I support her there. I doubt either would push this kind of legislation as President, but she deserves points for being right.
8. I agree with her position on regulating banks- I would have never repealed Glass-Steagall, if I were President. I consider it one of President Clinton's few failings. With that said, it's gone, and frankly the old piece of legislation doesn't fit today's banking industry very well. I agree with Hillary Clinton that we should build on the successful Dodd-Frank legislation, and try to improve it to fit today's banking industry. Such "establishment" economists as Paul Krugman agree, which should be rather telling. I also don't feel that the Democratic Party should set itself up as a 100% enemy of the banking industry. We need a banking industry in this country, and we should try to work with them as a party, even if we have philosophical differences. We shouldn't support their excesses, but our rhetoric doesn't have to be "destroy them."
9. I trust her to address climate change- I actually trust both candidates on this issue to continue President Obama's advances. Hillary has an excellent record both as a Senator and as Secretary of State, and I think she will work hard to help move America's energy economy forward towards clean energy and renewables, and she will fight to lessen carbon pollution in the short to medium term.
10. I view Bill Clinton as a positive in America- Bill Clinton is not on the ballot, and Hillary should be judged on her own. With that said, I find it amazing the way some people on both the left and the right try to turn him into a negative. President Clinton was the best President in my lifetime. The economy was good, we were at peace, we made advances in education, balancing the budget, creating jobs, and having a functional, effective government. To hear some on the left tell the story, he was as bad as George W. Bush for America. To hear some on the right tell it, he should be flogged for having an affair. Bill Clinton has personal failings, like all of us. He got a couple of things wrong as President too, like any President. He is an absolute national gem though, and represents some of the best years I've seen in my life.
11. I believe she's a better image for our party and our country- I admire that Bernie Sanders has inspired people who weren't going to take part in this process. I admire that he's run a campaign based on ideas. I prefer Hillary Clinton's pragmatism and competency though to his revolution. At a time when the country is a little uneasy about it's direction, and following an incredibly consequential Presidency that saw great change, I'm not sure another revolutionary Democrat is the kind of image the country is looking for. The idea of electing a smart, strong, capable, and battle-tested woman who served in this President's cabinet to be our next leader is appealing to me. I think it's what the world should see in us. I think it's what we should see in us.
12. I support President Obama and think America has done well under him, so we don't need a revolution- I don't think we need to make America Great Again. I'm not at all unhappy with President Obama. I think we live in the greatest country in the world, and we need to stay the course that our excellent President has chartered over the past seven years. I believe his old rival, turned loyal Secretary of State, is the right mix of staying the course, making history, and bringing in a fresh perspective on the world. I think she is the perfect successor to President Obama, be it for four or eight years, and that she would provide continuity and improvement to our nation. Don't get me wrong, there are things we need to change in this country, but you can't do that all over night. I'm not a big believer in the need for a revolution right now. I think we're doing better.

That's why I want Hillary Clinton to be our next President. I think she's the best option. I have my issues with Bernie Sanders, but I like him too. I prefer her. Don't get me wrong, she has her flaws. I do think he's run a better campaign to this point. That aside though, she is the President I want us to have a year from now, and on her own merits I support her.