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August 22, 2016

Hillary Clinton—An Easy Decision

Leon Burzynski

The political conventions are finally over and the search for endorsements is underway. The Alliance for Retired Americans and the AFL-CIO made the easy and correct decision to endorse Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election.

The nomination of Hillary Clinton is, as stated by Becky Pringle (NEA), “historic, powerful, and emotional.” However, it should not have come as a surprise. This is her second shot at the nomination and she has qualifications second to none.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumpka, speaking at the Democratic Convention, said it plainly: “If you look at it dispassionately, there hasn’t been anyone who has better qualifications to run for president in a number of decades.”

It is no secret that Clinton has challenges. The trust issue is trotted out regularly by those opposing her. Many reporters trace the opposition to her attempt at Universal Health coverage during the early Bill Clinton presidency. Republicans, believing a good propaganda issue should never die, have continued to use the “trust issue” every time they refer to Hillary Clinton.

The historical nature of Clinton’s candidacy based on her gender cannot be overlooked. Our government has been a male-dominated institution since its inception. To be frank, it still is. Women did not have the right to vote until the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the

U.S. Constitution in 1920. Sexist comments cited during the present campaign indicate there are still many who think women belong in the kitchen, not in public life. The “glass ceiling” has not disappeared.

Those opposing Clinton love to point to the times her name has been connected to so-called “scandals.” Keep in mind that one definition is that it is “an accusation or accusations that receive wide exposure.” The result is more relative to the intent of those who create them. Think Benghazi, Whitewater, and the White House Christmas card list as examples.

“If you look at it dispassionately, there hasn’t been anyone who has better qualifications to run for president in a number of decades.” Richard Trumpka, Pres. AFL-CIO

Republicans spent 10 days and 140 hours investigating the Christmas card list. The Senate Benghazi investigation costs millions after several other Congressional committees has already spent millions and found no basis that Secretary Clinton committed any wrongdoing. (Full Disclosure: One of my sons is employed by the State Department and had Hillary Clinton at the top of his chain of command.)

Hillary Clinton is the epitome of what crashing the glass ceiling means. She has served as secretary of state, a U.S. Senator, and a “first lady” of the United States and of Arkansas. She has worked as a law professor and attorney. She has also been a volunteer activist for social justice issues. She ran legal clinics for representing disenfranchised people and co-founded one of Arkansas’s first child advocacy groups.

Especially noteworthy has been Hillary Clinton’s efforts on Women’s rights. Her speech in Beijing at the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women was groundbreaking as she declared “human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights.”

There are some who question Clinton’s ability to receive $200,000 for a speech. These are folks who are unaware of the well established business of speaking and appearance fees. The agency representing Clinton, All American Speakers, has 135 people who have a minimum fee of $200,000 (including Larry the Cable Guy). Dropping to

$100,000, the number of speakers available is over 500. Jeb Bush made millions in speaking fees and it did not raise an eyebrow. Perhaps it was because she was a Clinton that folks suddenly found it to be an issue.

Clinton sought the nomination for president in 2008, the year Barack Obama took the country by storm. She accepted the loss and worked tirelessly to elect President Obama.

When asked by the President to serve as secretary of state, she accepted and worked to restore America’s reputation in the world.

Her efforts to bring a coalition to- gether and impose tough sanctions on Iran set the stage for Secretary Kerry’s success in the nuclear weapons agreement.

She continued to champion women’s rights, opportunities for women and girls, and young people throughout the world.

As a mother, Hillary Clinton has been a role model for her daughter, Chelsea. She is proud to be a grandmother to Charlotte and waiting for her grandson, Aidan.