Category: Hillary Clinton

The general public seemed to be very surprised when Obama became a president of the USA. However, people got used to the changes and accepted him. Today, his second term is running out, and new candidates are willing to be elected. They represent the Democratic, Republican and third parties, some are even independent candidates. The list of individuals who want to get such a position is extremely long, and it seems to be questionable if people know them all. Here are the overviews of the candidates who came from different parties.

Being a political campaign adviser, I support Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (Presidency para. 2). Clinton is a candidate from New York who works in the Democratic Party and is known to the general public not only as a great politician but also as Bill Clintons wife. Her website meets Internet users with a pop-up window that encourages them to get involved and support her. Regardless of the individuals reaction (chip in or close the window), one is thanked for being a part of this.

There is no need to spend lots of time looking for the issues Clinton wants to discuss, as they are put into the separate section. It is emphasized that Hillary has a particular vision for the USA, and she will do her best to implement new policies that will help her to enhance the state of the country. The number of issues pointed out on the website is already great, and it exceeds 25 issues, but it is stated that with the course of time there will be even more of them:

Health

• Alzheimers disease. Clinton states that she is able to help people with Alzheimers and even make it curable by 2025.
• Health care. Healthcare services will become affordable for everyone.
• Social Security and Medicare. Enhance peoples condition.
• Substance use disorder and addiction. Make treatment available.

Economy

• Campaign finance reform. Democracy presupposes equality, and people from all social layers should have an opportunity to benefit from it.
• Climate change and energy. Hillary believes that the USA can become a clean energy superpower at the closest time.
• Economy. The workers will have better incomes.
• Wall Street and corporate America. Tackle risks and control the breach of the law.

Education and Labor

• Campus sexual assault. People condemn campus sexual assaults, but it is critical to stop them to have a better future.
• College. The New College Compact will make education available to the wider population.
• Early childhood education. All children will have a chance to receive an education.
• K12 education. Better education for children.
• Labor. Hillary will protect and support workers and their families.
• Paid leave. Provide paid family and medical leave for workers.
• Small business. Better financing and targeted tax relief.
• Workforce and skills. Make training available and enhance student aid.

Country

• Criminal justice reform. Clinton will cope with mass incarceration and enhance the opportunity to re-enter society.
• Disability rights. All Americans regardless of their condition will have better opportunities.
• Gun violence prevention. Hillary will implement changes to keep guns away from criminals and mentally ill individuals.
• Immigration reform. There will be equal citizenship for different people.
• Infrastructure. Infrastructure will be improved with the help of investments.
• LGBT equality. There will be no sexual discrimination.
• National security. Keep the USA strong and safe.
• Racial justice. There will be no racial discrimination.
• Rural communities. More investment and enhanced production.
• Veterans, the armed forces, and their families. Veterans will be supported.
• Voting rights. Expansion of voting rights.
• Womens rights and opportunities. Women will be defended and will receive decent payment (Hillary for America para. 29).

In this way, being a presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton focuses on international, domestic, economic and social issues, which proves that she is ready to implement changes in different spheres that require improvement (On the Issues para. 1).

The Experian Simmons PolicalPersonas Segmentation Report

Being a representative of the Democratic Party, Clinton is likely to attract people who support it. According to the Experian Simmons PolicalPersonas Segmentation Report (Experian Simmons 2), all US adults who have a right to vote can be classified into PoliticalPersonas segments on the basis of their beliefs. There are eight segments that can be gathered in three main groups of voters who support the views of Republicans (3 segments), Democrats (3 segments) and Independent (2 segments). There are also unregistered voters who do not belong to the parties and equal to 25 percent of all people (2 segments).

Perian (para. 12) believes that the Super Democrats is the segment that includes individuals who are likely to be loyal voters for Democrats, including Hillary Clinton. They represent 13 percent of all voters, which proves them to be one of two massive groups. Left-Out (9 percent) and Conservative (12 percent) Democrats are also expected to vote for her. Even though their number does not seem to be rather influential, together they compile 32 percent of all citizens with the right to vote, which is the greatest number, even bigger than the number of Republicans who are their opponents.

The Super Democrats population includes both male and female individuals of different races and nationalities, who have higher education and are employed. Their average age is 46 years. Left-Out Democrats represent a similar population but only with the maximum of the college education. They are mainly 44 years old and are not all employed. Conservative Democrats are females of different nationalities who are usually retired. Their average age is 54 years. These voters are concerned about the environment, health care, international relations, education, and the economy (Experian Simmons 4).

Hillary Clinton pays her attention to such problems, but it will be more advantageous if the information about abortion abolition and environmental protection were added to her website. The candidate already mentioned that she wants to improve the situation with climate change, which proves that she is ready to discuss other environmental problems. Thus, the promise to implement programs for control of abortion is likely to have the strongest appeal to these segments because they all consider this issue to be critical.

The candidate has an opportunity to be supported not only by the representatives of the general public who are concerned with the way of life the youth have but also by the religious people who usually tend to believe that they should not be involved in politics as God gives them the path they should follow. Moreover, different religions have similar views on abortion, which is likely to reduce possible issues among the population. Of course, such an issue can be discussed in relation to health care, but even people who disregard it are likely to support the abolition of abortion.

Being seen as the opposition, Republicans are not likely to vote for Clinton as they tend to support their own candidates. The timeline of US presidents (Timeline para. 3) prove this fact. For a long time already, the representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties are winning the elections. In this way, another segment might be swayed to vote for Hillary Clinton. It is the independent voter segment that consists of the On the Fence Liberals and Green Traditionals.

On the Fence Liberals are mainly male individuals who represent white populations. They graduated from colleges or other higher education establishments and are employed. Their average age is 43 years. As a rule, they do not feel extremely concerned about political issues discussed by the candidates. Still, their views on such things as abortion seem to be close to the views of Democrats. When politicians start speaking about health care, the economy, education, and international relations, they tend to be on the fence as they are not sure which side to accept and what will be better for them (Experian Simmons 6).

In this way, Clinton receives an opportunity to appeal to the Liberals and make them support her. She needs to make her statements well-grounded and detailed so that they become influential enough to change the position of this segment. Taking into consideration the fact that the ideas of Democrats are close to the Liberals, Clinton can emphasize that she is willing to give people more opportunities but leave the right to take advantage of them or not to the general public. It is also critical to provide some proof in this perspective, such as a number of unemployed individuals and expected improvement so that the claim does not look unfounded.

There is also an opportunity to appeal to the Green Traditionals who are mainly white males and females with higher educations but unemployed or retired. They are mainly 49 years old. Even though their views are closer to the Republicans than to the Democrats, Clinton can influence their opinion and make them support her. Their ideas are rather conservative so the abolition of abortion is likely to be supported by them, and the fact that it is not yet considered as the key issue by other politics can work in her favor. Moreover, the Green Traditionals are highly concerned about environmental pollution, so the emphasis on the implementation of the new recycling programs is likely to appeal to them.

Hillary Clinton is likely to become the next president of the USA, which can be proved by several factors. First of all, she is a well-known person who knows what to expect and how to appeal to the general public. Being the First Lady several years ago, she received a great experience and got acquainted with the voters. Many people who supported her husband and his views are likely to vote for her. Except for that, Hillary is a representative of the Democratic Party.

The fact that Obama also belonged to it and was re-elected proves that its ideas appeal to the public. The segment of voters who are likely to support Democrats comprises 32 percent of voters, which is the greatest result (the Republicans are only 25 percent). Thus, if they support her as well as a part of independent voters, Clinton is sure to win this race. The results of the survey show that Hillary got 1,001 votes for today while the highest number of Republican votes is only 285 (US Election 2016 para. 10).

Clinton also has a better election program and website, which can be seen when comparing her with other candidates. For example, with Dr. Ben Carson (Presidency para. 5). This candidate represents the Republican Party from the state of Florida. He is a well-known doctor and writer who was even honored by President Bush. Carsons view on the key issues is considered to be of the first perspective as the link to it is put on the main page. A range of the problems taken into consideration by Carson is not as extended as Clintons. The candidate discusses only some issues mentioned by Hillary:

• Cybersecurity. Carson will encourage the public to educate themselves about online dangers and ways to secure them.
• Defeating the Islamic State. He will implement new strategies to reduce the threat of terrorism from Islamic State.
• Defense & foreign policy. The military will be rearmed, and the National Security enhanced.
• Education. The federal bureaucracy will be reduced, and more children will receive a decent education.
• Energy. New energy policies will be created.
• Federal spending. Spending will be allocated according to US priorities.
• Government reform. The bureaucracy will be controlled so that the government will serve the public.
• Health care. Access to the healthcare services of good quality will be enhanced.
• Immigration. The orders will be secured, and the immigration system will be restored.
• Investigate CAIR. Control over the relations with the US Muslim group and reduction of the terrorist threat.
• Pro-life. Improvement of the childrens lives.
• Tax reform. Make a tax system less complex so that people receive an opportunity to innovate.
• Veterans. Make sure that veterans gain what they deserve (Ben on the Issues para. 2).

Bob Whitaker (Presidency para. 12). This representative of the American Freedom Party came from South Carolina. He is one of the third-party candidates, which makes him less influential than other politicians. Whitaker is focused on the limited amount of problems faced by the USA and is sure that his main duty is to support the Constitution. His website does not provide an opportunity to look at the range of main issues discussed by the candidate and the way he treats them in the way previously discussed websites did. Still, the problem that is of the first priority is put on the main page so that every person can reach it easily. Three most critical issues can be pointed out when looking closely at the information posted on the website:

• Diversity. White genocide is the key problem seen by Whitaker. He believes that people tend to emphasize the necessity of diversity more than it is really needed. Diversity presupposes that there are too many white individuals in the US, which is a wrong view in his opinion.
• Liberty and prosperity. Whitaker will withdraw all American forces from foreign soil so that they will protect only the USA (BOB para. 8). Being an independent nation, the USA should not make other nations accept their notions and should demand sovereignty.
• The peoples funds. The tax system will be reconsidered so that people receive means to do what they want.

Thus, it can be seen that other candidates do not have such detailed and well-grounded programs. They do not consider as many issues as Hillary Clinton and do not promise to discuss other problems that are not mentioned yet. They do not have such experience in the political sphere and are likely to have fewer votes being not so close to the general public.

Works Cited

Ben on the Issues 2016. Web.

BOB. The platform, 2016. Web.

Experian Simmons. Simmons Consumer Segmentations: PoliticalPersonals, 2011. Web.

Hillary for America. Issues, 2016. Web.

On the Issues 2015. Web.

Perian. Top News and Media Websites for Key Voter Segments. 2012. Web.

Presidency of 2016. Web.

Timeline: Guide to U.S. Presidents 2016. Web.

US Election 2016: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Rack Up More Wins. 2016. Web.

Big Roles

The 2016 U.S presidential race was hotly contested with Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump pitting against each other. The two presidential contenders poked into each other’s character without any hesitations. The video “Role Models” by Hillary Clinton details an advertisement, which presents some of President Trump’s comments on the campaign trail during the previous presidential elections. In the ad, President Trump’s remarks are violent, racist, and divisive. The video also presents images of young children watching President Trump’s negative comments. Against this backdrop, this paper seeks to analyze the ethos, pathos, and logos used in one of Hillary Clinton’s campaign advertisements for the presidential elections.

Ethos is one of the rhetorical appeals, which is heavily used in the commercial. The main argument presented in the ad is that the American voting population should not vote for a candidate who is not a good role model to the country’s children. President Trump says, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists” (0:21). For this reason, the message contained in the ad urges individuals to reject the candidature of President Trump because he is a bad role model to the current generation of American Children as he prescribes to principles and values, which are violent and racist. As well as making comments about disabled people and trying to imitate them as if it was something to laugh at, “You got to see this guy, Aghh, I don’t know what I said. Aghh, I don’t remember!” (0:32). It shows how President Trump can be taken seriously and the fact he is trying to imitate the faces of the disabled person, makes him a person that does not respect the others.

As such, the author of the ad uses ethos in the form of Hilary Clinton to support the argument that Americans should vote for a candidate who is a good role model for children. The advertisement presents Hilary Clinton who appears to be sharing the same argument that is depicted in the ad because she calls upon individuals to make voting choices, which will be appropriate for their children and grandchildren, “Our children and grandchildren will look back at this time at the choices we are about to make” (0:41).

In addition, the author of the ad uses pathos to support and enhance the persuasiveness of the claim. The reference to children presented in the ad is one that touches on the emotions of the target audience, especially at the point where Clinton says that “we need to make sure they can be proud of us” (0:53). Every parent desire to make his or her child happy. Therefore, the reference to children and grandchildren is an aspect that hits the emotions of the target audience and endears them to the main claim of the ad. Besides, the use of visual images depicting children sitting in their bedrooms and living rooms watching television while Trump speaks “ and you can tell them to go f*** themselves” (0:09). All these negative comments are making the parents feel angry and disappointed towards President Trump. Typically, children are considered innocent, and there is a universal need to protect them. In the ad, children are seemed helpless, in terms of having good role models, and are likely to embrace negative characters if they are continuously exposed to bad role models like President Trump, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters” (0:14). The slow tone music in the background reinforces the convincing power of the ad making the audience feel that they should vote for Hillary because our children need a better future and a better leader that knows how to behave around any type of people.

Moreover, the advertisement employs logos to support and heighten the persuasiveness of the claim. To this end, the commercial’s visual images offer that the American children are continually watching the comments made by public personalities. The ad goes further to ask what kind of example the American public is going to set for children who are always watching what public figures say (0:37). The presentation of this reasoned argument touches on the intellect of individuals and causes them to agree with the advertisement’s argument. The short speech of Hillary Clinton has a great element of logic, which touches on the intellect of the target audience, particularly on the importance of making voting decisions, which will provide good role models to children. Clinton says, “our children and grandchildren will look back at this time and the choices we are about to make, the goals we will strive for, the principles we will live by, and we need to make sure they can be proud of us” (0:41). In this reasoned argument, Clinton observes that the children and grandchildren of today’s generation will judge them based on the goals and principles, which they will leave by.

In conclusion, the advertisement employs appropriate use of rhetorical appeals to support the claim and elevate its persuasiveness. The author of the commercial questions the kind of values and examples, that Americans will offer to their children, particularly in reference to their voting decision in the presidential elections. The ad ends with Hillary Clinton urging people to make appropriate voting choices, which will make their young and youth or future generations appreciate their voting decisions. The use of ethos in the form of Hillary Clinton, who supports the claim, is one aspect that substantially heightens the advertisement’s convincing power. Besides, the reference to children is increasingly emotional to the target audience and causes them to agree with the central claim of the ad. Notably, the advertisement primarily employs rhetorical appeals to support its argument and enhance its persuasiveness.

Work Cited

1. “Role Models Hillary Clinton.” Youtube, uploaded by Hillary Clinton, 14 July 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrX3Ql31URA.

People always are eager to share their development expertise, to participate in and contribute to continual improvement, to work intensely towards the attainment of their common objectives. Some of them follow those they can trust and believe in that they will be led towards a timely fruition. Others try to promote a trusting relationship, to take into account changes needed for the future, to have the ability to reach higher success. Such people who lead towards impacting everyone at their surroundings in a positive manner are leaders.

In my humble opinion, Hillary Clinton can be introduced as a person who could become a successful leader. Her words “ I wanted people, particularly young women and men, to have some sense of what it is like to break through barriers” inspired me to improve the skills I need to become as strong leader as she is ( time.com). To inspire and influence others, a leader must have many skills and abilities.

My reason for writing is to show confidence/sense of purpose, sociability, resilience (understand yourself, control immediate response and make a plan, embrace change, be courageous) and accountability as leadership skills. In my estimation, the best leader to have accomplished this is Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947 to her father, Hugh Rodham and her mother, Dorothy Rodham. She was grown up in Park Ridge. Hugh Rodham was a Firefighter and a retired Navy officer. Dorothy taught Sunday school at the Methodist Church.

Hillary attended Wellesley College, where she was active in student politics and elected senior class president. She graduated from Yale University, law degree, where she met Bill Clinton. After University she went on to enroll at Yale Child Study Center. Hillary completed one post graduate year of study taken courses on children and medicine.

Hillary worked at various jobs: in 1971 on U.S. Senator Walter Mondale’s sub- committee on migrant workers, in 1972 in the western states for the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern. After she became a member of the presidential impeachment inquiry staff.

She married to Bill Clinton in 1975. Their daughter, Chelsea Victoria, was born on February 27, 1980. During Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign (1992), she emerged into notice as a dynamic partner of her husband and the first lady when her husband was selected by vote as president from 1993 to 2001.

From 2001 to 2009 Hillary was a U.S. senator. During that period, in November 2006, Hillary was the first woman selected to the U.S. Senate from New York. Later she accepted the nomination of secretary of State. During her term ( 2009-2013) she tried to keep women’s rights as a main point of the U.S.A

In 2016 Hillary was a presidential candidate from the Democratic Party. She actively supported a programme which was focused on tax increase on the wealthy, an increase to the minimum emolument and immigration reform. However, she was defeated in her bid for the presidency, Hillary proved herself as a leader who sticks to her principles and carries on a stubborn fight for social justice.

Regarding the point , I mentioned above , about leadership skills I’d like to focus on those that Hillary Clinton demonstrates.

Being confident and having sense of purpose, Hillary believes that she should always stand up for herself. “My mother, who had had to make her own in life, believed that she should do everything she could do give us, a good start in life and protect us and prepare us”.( bartleby.com/Hillary- Clinton)

Nobody will follow if they cannot believe in. Hillary feels confident in her leader’s abilities. She is always ready to promote trusting relationship and take responsibility for any failures.

John C Maxwell (2011) stated,” A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”

It takes a big amount of courage to stand up what is right. Considering all her campaigns we can see that she never stops learning and fighting. She knows how to turn her ideas into real life.

As the wealthiest Americans paid a lower tax than middle class families, Hillary decided to cope with this issue through running a project. Hillary’s project “A fair tax system” means that economy works for everyone. She wants her government to enforce laws for all people, for all citizens are equal under the law. She suggests to stop millionaires to find a loophole in the law. Hillary believes that her success will reward her efforts.

Similar project “An economy for everyone” is based on building an economy that will work for everyone, to help working Americans. Hillary has a special plan to meet these challenges.

1. A 100-days jobs plan. To make a big investment in good-paying jobs, technology, clean energy, and small businesses
2. Make debt-free colleges; to give a chance to students to cope with their student loans, and provide relief from debt.
3. Change the rules in order to companies share profits with workers; to raise workers’ salaries, to stop paying taxes if employees work overseas.
4. Make corporations, Wall Street (reform of the financial industry and its regulation) pay their fair share; she requires excess fare on wealthiest Americans. Hillary supports the Buffett Rule. She believes it is wrong that rich people pay less in federal taxes than the middle class. Hence, Hillary voices her protest.
5. The challenges families face in the 21st century; Hillary tries to convince the government to rise costs of child care and housing.

According to her project “Autism spectrum disorder “(ASD), it is necessary to develop essential conditions for children and adults with autism in order to make their life worth living, for their families can’t afford the cost of treatment and services. In this case Hillary introduced “Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act (EPIAA). She also cosponsored legislation that gave a chance to get hundreds of millions of dollars that were spent on people with autism.

Another global problem that must be solved is Climate Change. Hillary fights for cutting carbon pollution and expanding clean energy. She realizes difficulties of this project yet she is not going to stop to fight for it.

People can be proud of her determination, how she does her best to help people and make their life good. Sometimes it is unbelievable to go against power that breaks your plans nevertheless you should hope against hope as Hillary does. One more fact I’d like to mention about her sense of purpose is her battle against Barack Obama in 2008. Although, she lost that didn’t stop her. Moreover, she determined to join the new administration. Here is what she said: this loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it. It is , it is worth it. ( January 2017, from her concession speech)

From my point of view, being confident and having sense of purpose can help people to be a good leader.

Moreover, Hillary is a good communicator. Gaining the character of a good communicator is not easy. The way people choose to communicate with audience should be clear, simple and effective. This is her another skill – sociability.

Hillary can demonstrate her vision and strategy to achieve the goal. Words have the power to motivate people. Hillary Clinton is a mother and good friend for her children, grandmother for her grandchildren, advocate for women, former First Lady (but she looked at everything hopefully), two term US Senator, Secretary of State, first female presidential candidate of a major political party.

In all these positions she has inspired millions of people. They still believe in her leadership power and support her positive vision for their country. Even, when she lost against Barack Obama, the day after her defeat for the presidency, she had a grace in her concession speech, filled with hope.

Therefore, she has so many followers. She doesn’t aspire after glory or to honours. Hillary created The Hillaryland community on a volunteer basis to connect this community who has worked with her. The goal of community is to make it the home for people who would like to come and share their not only difficulties but also their experience. Hillary is a good listener and communicator, she can bring together people of different age and level. People believe in her ability to pave the way for those who come behind her, for she doesn’t think how she may have been seen, she focuses more on her message, how she can apply that to the future. Being able to stand in front of the nation and the world demonstrates not only Hillary’s self- confidence but also her various interactions with public people and politicians. She meets with people on a daily basis to build relationships that can help to succeed in her goals. “ Sociability is a leader’s inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships.” ( Northouse, 2016, p.26)

She is a real people person, a person who enjoys or is particularly good at interacting with others.

The next point of Hillary’s leadership skills is her resilience ( understand yourself, control immediate response and make a plan, embrace change, be courageous). Some people are not able to realize how people can not understand themselves. It is a great power to understand not what you said but your attitudes, strengths and weaknesses. This ability helped her to cope with major issues to gain her points. As Secretary of State Hillary faced with global problems. One of them is climate change. According to her campaign “Climate and energy policies” Hillary suggested to diminish greenhouse gas emissions up to 30 percent “ from 2005 levels by 2025. In this case there should be investments in green infrastructure. Another point was to develop coal communities, support low- income households and communities of colour. She visited Appalachian coal country planning to enliven coal communities.

She also helped families. Hillary said,” When I became Secretary of State, Mom was just about to turn 90. She had been living with us in Washington for the past few years, ever since being alone in her apartment overlooking the zoo on Connecticut Av. became too much. Like so many Americans of my generation, I felt both blessed to have these extra years with an aging parent and very responsible for making sure she was comfortable and well cared for. Mom gave me so much

unconditional love and support when I was growing up in Park Ridge IL; now it was my turn to support her. Of course I never would have let her hear me describe it that way. Dorothy Rodham was a fiercely independent woman. She couldn’t bear the thought of being a burden to anyone.” ( Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, Vogue Magazine, May 31, 2014)

Hillary cofounded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, which purpose was to improve the lives of Arkansas kids and families.

Making decision and control immediate response are crucial parts of her resilience ability.

Hillary can embrace any changes happened around her career. Bringing all her campaigns to life she understood that not all of them can be completely implemented. She lost the industrial Midwest to D. Trump. Big industrial cities grew into small towns. For instance, the steel mills of Ohio to the auto parts factories of Michigan and Wisconsin. And Midwest accounted for 29 percent of the country’s manufacturing employment. The middle class of workers didn’t want to be brought under control of big cities from Midwest , they hoped to be supported against that globalization. However, the Clinton team campaigned there was too late. She lost but she could find out the reasons and tried to do her best to fix the situation at least for the next campaign of presidential nominee.

She said, ”Why did I run for president? Because I thought I’d be good at the job. It was a chance to do the most good I would ever be able to do. I am not running, but I am going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe. I want to be sure that people understand I am going to keep speaking out. I am not going anywhere.”

Hillary never hesitates to admit errors were made. She maintained her self-control and self- discipline. She voted for the war in Iraq but then regretted being one of them who were for resolution. Each family who had lost a son or daughter got a letter from her where she apologise for making mistake , she was entirely to blamed herself for sending their children to war that was cause of their death. She said, ““I think that the decision to go to war in Iraq was a mistake I thought I had acted in good faith and made the best decision I could with the information I had. And I wasn’t alone in getting it wrong. But I still got it wrong.. There was no guarantee that we were right,’ Clinton said. ‘We were making what we thought of as a very careful calculation of the odds … There was no clear line where, if you do what we say this is what will follow.’ ( Scott Beauchamp, SEP 8, 2016 )

My vote would be for Hillary Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born on October 26 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. She was raised in a suburb of the city called Park bridge by her mother and father. Hugh Rodham, Hillary’s father, was a successful business owner of a small textile business. Her mother, Dorothy Howell, was a homemaker. Dorothy gave birth to two more babies after Hillary, Hugh, and Tony. Hillary had parents that supported her independence and even her father who usually was a traditionalist wanted her to succeed and did not want his daughter to be held back because of her gender. She was taught self-reliance and her mother always told her to stand up for herself. In my opinion, being taught self-reliance is one of the best ways to open all opportunities later in life. To not rely on anything och anyone makes you unstoppable.

Growing up, Hillary was a top student in her class, participated in sports, and was a girl scout where she earned several badges. In high school, she ran for class president but lost to a boy and was told she was stupid to even think that a girl could become class president. She was also inspired to become an astronaut but was told that girls were not accepted into the program. She graduated high school in the top five percent of her class. Already at age 13, she was helping politically at the 1960 U.S. presidential election where she found evidence of fraud, and at the next presidential election, she volunteered to campaign for the republican candidate Barry Goldwater after she was introduced by her high school teacher. To start her political journey at age 13 is very brave of her. Generally, at age 13 you are looked at as a pretty incompetent being but the people around Hillary saw her potential and helped her to start her career.

Hillary went to Wellesley College after graduating high school. She chose to major in political science and also here, she was a top student. She was very politically engaged in the republican party for a while but after some time, her political view changed and she left the republican party for good in 1968. Hillary graduated with a bachelor of arts degree with departmental honors in political science. Right after she graduated from Wellesley College, she enrolled at Yale Law School. At Yale, Hillary was very engaged in early childhood development studies and at one point, she was giving free legal advice to the poor. Her passion for family law grew and especially issues that affected children. During her time at Yale, she started showing interest in health care. To be as driven as Hillary is very impressive and I think anyone would be inspired by her. Already in her college years, many people thought that she might become something big.

In 1971, she started dating another student at Yale, Bill Clinton, and already that summer they moved in together. They started campaigning together and she stayed one extra year at Yale to be with him. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the school.

Hillary began a postgraduate study on children and medicine at Yale Child Study Center where she focused on the “children’s rights movement” where the stated that children should not be seen as incompetent up to legal age and that they are “powerful” individuals despite what society says. As she was doing this, Hillary was a staff attorney at Edelman’s Children’s defense fund and was later given a position as a member of the impeachment inquiry staff in Washington D.C.

Even though Hillary was together with Bill while they studied at Yale, she declined his offer when he proposed to her and they took separate paths after their graduation in 1973. Hillary stayed as a member of the impeachment inquiry staff and after her assignment helped to President Nixon’s resignation, she chose to move to Arkansas. Bill had moved to Arkansas when the couple went separate paths and when Hillary moved to him, she worked as a teacher at the University of Arkansas school of law after the couple got married in 1975, she became a partner at a law firm. I think it was the right thing for her to do, to decline his offer to marry and pursue her career. She told that she did not want to tie her future to his. Even though she decides to follow her heart later and move to Arkansas she started by doing what she wanted as an independent woman.

In 1978, Hillary’s husband was elected to be governor of Arkansas while she pursued her career, she kept her law practice as she was engaged in programs that helped children in need. In 1983, Hillary was named the Arkansas woman of the year and in 1984, when their only daughter, Chelsea Victoria was 4, she was named the young mother of the year.

Hillary was serving as Bill’s chief advisor as he was running for president in 1992 and she played a very important role by giving speeches and greeting voters. While the couple was campaigning she received a lot of criticism since she had far more experience and higher education than any other first lady. Her husband often said that they would get “two for the price of one” as he referred to his wife’s high competence and the high role Hillary would have in the administration. When Bill was elected president of the United States in 1993, he made Hillary head of the Task Force on National Health Care and she set up an office in the West Wing. This was in addition to the usual first lady officer in the East Wing. This was an unprecedented move that had never been done before. She was also the first to have a postgraduate degree and a professional career. She received criticism from people who thought it was inappropriate for a first lady to play a big role in the policy of public matters. In 1999, she launched her candidacy for the U.S senate seat in New York. She was sworn into office in 2001 and senate Clinton kept pushing for health care reform and she also kept her advocate for children. After 9/11, Hillary took a leading role in investigations of health issues of the 9/11 first responders. In 2006 she was reelected during her second term.

In 2008, Hillary ran for president and later lost and Barack Obama was elected as the president of the United States. However, Obama proposed that Hillary would serve as secretary of state and Hillary accepted. She was very successful in improving relations with U.S foreign countries and Hillary had this position until she resigned in 2013.

At the beginning of 2015, information that stated that Hillary had used a private email to send classified information came out. Although the FBI started an investigation into the matter, Hillary announced that she was going to run for the U.S presidential election race in 2016 and became right after a favorite and won the Democratic nomination. Hillary advocated a traditional democratic agenda based on notably tax increases for the wealthy, an increase to the minimum wage, and immigration reform. She also advocated for stricter Wall Street regulations and she highlighted her experience as a senate and her work with U.S foreign countries relations. In addition to those matters, she wanted to establish universal preschool and make college more affordable.

In July 2016, she was formally nominated which made her the first woman to be nominated for president by a major U.S party. As she campaigned, the FBI finished the investigation where it showed that some classified material had been sent and received, no charges were pressed but this made it harder to win over voters. She looked forward to moving past the scandal and did not let it stop her in her way to trying to win the presidential election.

Her republican opponent was Donald Trump. A businessman who had outside status and his political incorrectness helped him to win previously underappreciated voters to secure his nomination. He wanted Hillary imprisoned for the email scandal. Hillary then countered by questioning Trump’s temperament and his inexperience in politics, also his business dealings and tax returns that Trump refused to share even though it has been code for previous presidents. Trump’s way of talking about women was Hillary’s biggest issue. He had (and has) a very degrading view of women and was accused of several cases of sexual assault.

On November 8, 2016, Hillary was defeated by Trump in the U.S presidential election because the electoral college was 227 to 304. She won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million. Two years after she lost, she wrote: “The book of gypsy women: favorite stories of courage and resilience” together with her daughter Chelsea.

In my opinion, Hillary Clinton is one of the world’s most influential women and one of the women who has accomplished the most things in her life. The fact that she went to two colleges and has a postgraduate degree is very impressive. I am from Sweden and her way of not letting her gender stop her is something that is very common in my country. She made her own decisions throughout her life and she kept fighting. Independence is a word I think of when I hear Hillary Clinton. In my opinion, it was very brave to do all these things and to be as independent as she has been and still is. The email scandal was an unfortunate incident and I think that, without that, Hillary would have won the election and would have been a wonderful president.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was known as a lawyer, political assistant, first lady, senator… the list of Hillary’s status did not saturate yet; the most controversial political figure in the USA added a new chapter in her political career, with high hopes, appeared vim, and bravery she nominated herself in 2016 for one of the notorious presidential campaigns in this century. The democratic figure was fighting side by side with powerful figures to gain this position. ‘Hillary Clinton became the first woman to capture the presidential nomination of one of the country’s major political parties ( Cozick and Healy, 2016, para, 01)

Mrs. Clinton’s presidential nomination was highly expected by Americans. Hillary proclaimed her presidential election on April 12, 2015. Chozick (2015, para, 02) mentioned that “I’m running for president,” she said with a smile near the end of a two-minute video released just after 3 p.m.’ in the same article Chozick mentioned that Hillary Clinton “Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion,” Mrs. Clinton said. “So I’m hitting the road to earn your vote — because it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join me on this journey.”

Hillary Clinton’s campaign was marked by many chants and slogans, to influence the high number of supporters and collect the votes of the overwhelming majority. Hillary and her assistants compile enthusiastic mottos to impress American societies. The most frequent ones were ‘Hillary For America’, ‘Forward Together, ‘Fighting for us, ‘I’m With Her, ‘Stronger Together, ‘When they go low, we go high, and ‘Love Trumps Hate (List of U.S. presidential campaign slogans, n.d. , para. 3.5)

In addition to the zealous slogans raised by Hillary, to heat the ring she added many promises that suit the hugeness of her presidential campaign. Americans were drooled by those words given by the prospective female president. Hillary Clinton’s program was noticed by 10 notable pledges, Carrol ( 2016) cited them as followed:

• For families making less than $125,000 a year, we will eliminate tuition for in-state students at public colleges.
• Pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship that keeps families together.
• Stand up to Republican-led attacks on this landmark (health care) law—and build on its success to bring the promise of affordable health care to more people and make a ‘public option possible.
• We will do everything we can to overturn Citizens United.
• Fighting for equal pay.
• I will not raise middle-class taxes.
• Say no to attacks on working families and no to bad trade deals and unfair trade practices, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• We’re going to increase the federal minimum wage.
• As president, Hillary will expand background checks to more gun sales.
• Clinton would increase federal infrastructure funding by $275 billion over a five-year period.

The intensity of the rivalry was really high in this presidential campaign; Republicans, Democrats, and free candidates were fighting face to face to gain the chair. In addition to Hillary, a stubborn competitor appeared in the arena. Donald J. Trump a Real estate mogul, this rich persona was the bitter enemy of Hillary.

Hillary Rodham lusted mightily for the presidency, all her focus was on the presidency chair. the former first lady acquired infinite support from many renowned figures in all fields. Hereafter all the exertions, results were not for the advowson of her, this harsh political war ended with the victory of Donald Trump and his investiture on the head of the USA authority; electoral vote were 279 for tump and 228 for Hillary, although that Hillary won the popular vote by 47,7% in comparison to 47,5% for Trump (‘How Donald Trump won the election’, 2016). regardless of the simple proportion in the popular vote between the two the electoral vote made a massive difference in the results and it turned the tables for the benefit of Trump.

Hillary had a high availability to smash these elections, with her presidential program, active hustings, and a strong platform of supporters. Although, all the efforts Hillary lost the position and repines spread here and there; this loss was translated into many causes in addition to Hillary’s bad name and the usage of her list of emails and her correlation with many scandalous mishaps, hearsays were audible that Donald Trump bought elections by his wealth and clout.

The issue revolving around gender equality and the study of rhetoric used in speeches are both widely discussed, involving many debates and theories as to how rhetoric is used especially when addressing an audience. Aristotle details this ‘art of persuasion’ and is heavily credited with developing the foundation of the system that was written on persuasion – He is seen still as ‘one of the greatest thinkers in politics, psychology and ethics’. For my investigation, secondary sources of research from various websites will be used in order to heighten the analysis of the chosen speeches – looking also at the wider implications in order to aid the judgment as to what makes a speech successful or unsuccessful.

My analysis will specifically look into the rhetoric and language used by women in discussing gender equality. In order to explore this, I have devised three research questions:

1. What specific rhetorical devices are used throughout each speech?
2. What can we say about the devices and language used?
3. Do the different speeches use rhetoric in a similar or different way?

Aim

‘Investigate the rhetoric used by women in discussing gender equality

In my investigation, I aim to explore how rhetoric is used in speeches in order to highlight the speaker’s argument and beliefs, and the impact of using rhetoric, especially on the audience. I will also look into how gender and power may influence the language they use in order to investigate the similarities within the speeches – using theories in order to develop my investigation and to see whether the speeches adhere to them.

Methodology

For my investigation, I have analyzed two different speeches – the first speech by Emma Watson and the second by Hillary Clinton. I chose to explore these speeches as each has a prime topic of gender equality and can evidently be seen to use rhetorical devices in similar and contrasting ways. To begin with, the first speech by Emma Watson was made on September 20, 2014, at the launch of the HeForShe campaign. This speech was transcribed by the United Nations Women’s website, and so can be seen as a reliable source of data. The second speech was ‘Women’s Rights are Humans Rights’ by Hillary Clinton, delivered on the 5th of September, 1995 in Beijing, China. This speech was transcribed by The Atlantic – an American magazine – under the politics section, the article targeting an audience interested in politics. Clinton’s speech is significant as it was made in 1995 whilst Watson’s speech was made in 2014, meaning I could analyze any clear differences in the speeches made as a result of time and progress – language adapting and evolving over the time period. As well as this, Clinton’s speech is referenced in Watson’s speech, demonstrating how these women influence one another and share common beliefs. Fundamentally, these speeches will provide me with strong data to deconstruct in order to analyze the rhetoric used by women in discussing gender equality.

Analysis

Lexis and use of words

When looking at the thesis of Watson’s speech, she conveys the important message that stereotypical gender roles preserve gender inequality and in turn prevent equality from being achieved. In order to get this message across to the audience, she uses the modes of persuasion pathos, logos, and ethos – developing a relationship with the audience. Pathos is used in the speech in order to engage the audience at an emotional level, using this early in her speech when stating ‘I need your help’ – appealing to the sense of decency in her audience. Logos is evident when she expresses her concern that the word ‘feminism’ has become a negative word associated with male hatred, contrasting the common understanding of the word with the political and ideological definition. As well as this, Ethos is also seen when drawing on her own personal experiences, placing herself in a position of trust. Furthermore, allusions are also used in Watson’s speech – referring to the speech by Hillary Clinton about women’s rights. This is effective as Watson is, and so referring to the American politician develops her connection with the American audience.

On the other hand, the speech by Hillary Clinton has the key message that women around the world deserve to be given equal rights, and a voice, and to be acknowledged for their contribution to society: demonstrating this message, similar to speech one, through the use of pathos, logos and ethos. Pathos is used when she appeals to feelings so that the audience responds to her argument on an emotional level, using a range of negative emotions women experience such as powerlessness and fear. This can be seen as to link to Robin Lakoff’s Deficit model (1975), which explains how women’s language is weaker than men’s: Clinton reflects these feelings of weakness through her speech – further demonstrating the impact of those who share a similar perspective to Lakoff. Logos is seen when Clinton refers to statistics – for example when she presents women to be discriminated against statistics about their situation. As well as this, Ethos is used when Clinton positions herself as trustworthy, discussing how ‘Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked persistently on issues relating to women and children and families.’ Also similar to the first speech, allusions are seen frequently in the speech in order to further the rhetorical appeal of the speech, referencing the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Grammar and Syntax

In Watson’s speech, repetition is seen frequently in the speech in order to emphasize her ideas and message to the audience. Anaphora is used when she discusses how ‘When at 14 I started being sexualized by certain elements of the press.’ Here, Watson clearly addresses stereotypes by using anecdotes in order to reflect on how she has experienced them. Furthermore, rhetorical questions are also seen frequently in the speech in order to directly address the audience and to have them think of an answer their themselves – Watson asks ‘Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?’.

Alternatively, in Clinton’s speech, repetition is also used along with enumeration in order to provide structure to the speech whilst making it memorable. This can be seen by ‘Yet much of the work we do is not valued – not by economists, not by historians, not by popular culture, not by government leaders.’, presenting the techniques combined. Declarations are also used throughout the text when Clinton addresses the audience: this is seen when she says ‘Let me be clear’ and at the end of the text when she says ‘The time is now. We must move beyond rhetoric.’ The declarations, along with the collective pronoun ‘we’ can once again be seen to present Clinton engaging with the audience whilst placing herself as trustworthy and knowledgeable. This can be linked to Deborah Tannen’s difference theory (1990) which demonstrates how men and women use language for different purposes. Clinton presents herself using language to build a relationship with the audience, linking to the difference between information vs. feelings – ‘feelings’ being evident by Clinton using language to share common feelings and to build a relationship with the audience.

Pragmatics

Emma Watson’s speech was delivered at the launch of the UN Women HeForShe campaign – with her background as a declared feminist and her appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador making her a credible sender in the context of the speech. Her prestigious position can be seen to suggest Watson is considered trustworthy by many, evidently building ethos by this being established at the start of the speech. Watson uses metaphorical language to further this, using two main types of metaphors: those that describe ‘gender stereotypes’ and those that describe ‘feminism.’ Her inconsistent use of the ‘fight’ metaphor develops this – she is hesitant to use ‘feminism’ to describe gender equality due to its stigma and instead replaces it with phrases such as ‘he for she’.

Furthermore, Clinton’s speech was delivered at the United Nations Fourth World Conference. At the time of the speech, Clinton had been the First Lady for two years since her husband, Democrat Bill Clinton, became the US President – this being alluded to when she mentions traveling around the world and meeting women. Her use of Ethos throughout the speech positions her as knowledgeable on the topic, building a connection with the audience through this. Clinton can be seen to also use metaphorical language, creating imagery regarding the lives of women – this often being seen by the use of extensive enumerations: the contributions women make in every aspect of life: in the home, on the job, in the community, as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, learners, workers, citizens, and leaders.’. This can be seen to appeal to women who feel overlooked and underappreciated, emphasizing the importance and value of women.

Discourse structure

Watson begins her ‘HeForShe Speech’ by announcing the launch of the campaign and asking for the audience’s help to end gender inequality: ‘I am reaching out to you because I need your help. We want to end gender inequality – and to do that we need everyone to be involved.’ She also begins by disassociating the word ‘feminism’ from ‘men-hating’, positioning herself in line with the audience by recognizing the stigma. She further advances on how her experiences led her to become a feminist – ‘I started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight I was confused at being called ‘bossy,’, presenting her own experience of gender inequality. At the end of the speech, Watson closes by again referencing the ‘HeForShe’ movement, presenting a cyclical structure in order to reflect the cyclical nature of the problem if change doesn’t happen. The final simple sentence ‘Thank you.’ ends by addressing the audience, reinforcing how she is positioned with the audience throughout the speech.

On the other hand, Clinton’s speech opens by referring to the conference as a celebration: ‘It is also a coming together, much the way women come together every day in every country.’ Ethos is used early in her speech in order to establish credibility and builds on this throughout the speech, emphasizing her experience of fighting for change and positioning herself as knowledgeable. At the end of the speech, a declarative is used in order to highlight the message of the speech – ‘The time is now.’ This ends the speech in a formal and serious tone, as used throughout, emphasizing the serious nature of the topic. Anaphora is also used, Clinton highlighting how ‘We must move beyond rhetoric. We must move beyond recognition of problems to working together, to have the common efforts to build that common ground we hope to see.’ – the declarative ‘We must’ further how important it is for change to occur now.

Conclusion

To conclude, my investigation reflects there are evident similarities within the speeches made by women in discussing gender equality. Through analyzed data and support from theorists, it is clear that the women who made the speeches came from a similar nature and shared a similar perspective – this being reflected by the similar methods of rhetoric used. When looking at the research questions posed at the beginning of the investigation, have clearly supported my analysis and have led to my conclusion that speeches made by women in discussing gender equality, especially when sharing a common perspective, share similar rhetorical devices in order to achieve similar goals. When looking at the rhetorical devices used throughout each speech, they can be seen to have used many of the same techniques, such as repetition and the use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Although different techniques were also used in each speech, these were used to achieve a similar effect and so further the similarities within the speeches. Furthermore, when looking from a theoretical approach, it can be established that both Robin Lakoff’s theory and Deborah Tannen’s theory can be applied to both of the speeches. Lakoff’s theory can be applied due to her deficit model (1975) establishing how women are socialized into behaving like ladies – these suppressive emotions are reflected in both of the speeches in order to address stereotypes and emphasize the reality of society at the time. As well as this, Tannen’s theory can be applied due to her difference theory (1990) demonstrating how there are differences in men’s and women’s language but neither is better: the ‘women’s’ purposes of language being evident in both of the speeches. However, it can also be seen that both also use elements of the ‘men’s’ purposes, such as by adhering to both sides of the difference ‘orders vs proposals’, and so the validity of Tannen’s theory can be questioned. In order to further strengthen my investigation, more speeches on gender equality would be analyzed from a wider range of female politicians in order to gain more data – comparing the similarities and differences within all of the speeches, as well as the intended effect of the devices in order to reach a composed conclusion. As well as this, a wider range of theorists could be applied in order to further develop the purposes of the rhetoric used.

Introduction

Hillary Clinton is one of the potential candidates for the 2016 American presidential elections. Clinton plans to formulate new policies that can transform the country’s education policy. Obama’s government implemented new changes in the education sector. However, many people believe that “such policy changes have been controversial” (Hillary Clinton on Education, 205, para. 4). Hillary Clinton is “a Democratic reformer who wants to increase performance and accountability in every American school” (West, 2014, p. 4). Clinton’s objectives are by the famous Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). This essay gives a detailed analysis of the policy changes proposed by Clinton.

Proposed Educational Policy

Many Democratic Reformers such as Hillary Clinton want to improve the American education system. She plans to implement specific measures to get the best outcomes. Some of these measures include “better data collection methods, school choice policies, and high academic standards” (Bernstein, 2008, p. 43). She also plans “to protect the rights of every teacher” (West, 2014, p. 5). She “also plans to link teacher pay to student performance” (Allen & Parnes, 2015, p. 28). Clinton also plans to improve the quality of early childhood education. The “proposed policy borrows a lot from the No Child Left Behind Act” (Clinton, 2015, p. 32).

The new policy will ensure the government increases its investments in childhood education. The policy will also support more teachers to provide quality education (West, 2014). The candidate also plans to improve the funding of different American schools (Clinton, 2015). The other complimentary strategy seeks to offer better pay to American teachers.

Making Predictions

The above policy does not seek to transform the common standards embraced in the country’s educational sector. However, the policy will improve the quality of education availed to every American learner. The current “education system seeks to increase access to charter schools” (Allen & Parnes, 2015, p. 42). This reformation policy will ensure every child gets quality education. Experts believe that Hillary Clinton will “support merit pay for teachers based on their scores” (Williams, 2015, p. 4). She will also support charter schools in the country.

Hillary Clinton also plans “to focus on education without bringing in politics” (Williams, 2015, p. 4). She also plans to empower more children from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Clinton, a universal pre-kindergarten will be essential towards supporting the educational needs of every student (Hillary Clinton on Education, 2015). The policy will also support more teachers. This practice will ensure such teachers improve their skills.

Diminishing Negative Implications

This discussion shows how Hillary Clinton plans to address various problems affecting the American education system. Early education will be a major focus for this presidential aspirant. The decision to reward teachers for their excellence will encourage them to support the needs of more learners (Williams, 2015). Such efforts will address most of the challenges affecting the country’s education sector. New subjects such as arts should be supported to empower more learners (“Hillary Clinton”, 2008). Such subjects have been lacking in the country’s education system (Williams, 2015). These practices will transform the nature of the country’s educational system.

Enhancing Positive Implications

The above proposal has the potential to present positive implications. For instance, the new policy will “support new investments in early childhood education” (Williams, 2015, p. 5). This approach will “change the outcomes of many individuals in their lives” (Kelin, 2015, p. 6). Teachers will also be encouraged to implement new practices that can produce the best outcomes. Teachers will acquire new skills and competencies. Such skills will make it easier for them to empower their learners. New evaluation systems will be introduced for different teachers. Such systems will ensure every teacher focuses on the best educational outcomes. The issue of funding will also be taken seriously. Equitable funding will eventually improve the quality of American education.

Considering my Philosophies on Education

My philosophy on education is founded on the No Child Left Behind Act. The philosophy supports the provision of quality resources. Historical theories support the use of quality educational resources. Such resources can support the educational needs of more children. That being the case, Hillary Clinton’s policy on education will support the needs of many learners. She proposes new practices that can equip schools with more funds. This strategy will ensure more schools provide quality education to their learners. Social theories support the provision of quality education to different populations. Clinton’s focus on “early-childhood education will also produce positive outcomes” (West, 2014, p. 5). Early-childhood education “creates the required background for fulfillment in life” (Kelin, 2015, p. 6). Different educational theories can address various challenges in every learning stage. Social theories also support the changing needs of learners with diverse educational needs (Kelin, 2015). The above theories have the potential to empower more learners.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the agreeable fact is that different federal issues will affect the country’s education system. Leaders should promote the best policies to support the educational needs of more learners. Parents, educationists, politicians, and teachers should work together to develop new policies (West, 2014). Such policies will produce the best results. This approach will deliver quality education to every learner.

Reference List

Allen, J., & Parnes, A. (2015). HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton. New York, NY: Broadway Books.

Bernstein, C. (2008). A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. New York, NY: Vintage.

Clinton, H. (2015). Hard Times. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Hillary Clinton on Education. (2015). Web.

Hillary Clinton: The Education Candidate. (2008). VC Echoes, 10(4), 1-16.

Kelin, A. (2015). Hillary Clinton and Education: What’s Her Record? What Will She Campaign On? Web.

West, D. (2014). How Hillary Clinton can Become America’s First Female President. Web.

Williams, C. (2015). In 2016, Democrats Have Good Reason to Run Against Obama’s Education Record. Web.

Introduction

Hillary Clinton, née Rodham, is a Democratic candidate for president in the 2016 presidential race. Exploring her perception of the relationship between politics and religion proves to be rather interesting, considering her religious background. It is a well-known fact that Hillary Clinton is a Methodist Christian, following her family’s tradition. She grew up in Chicago and spent a lot of time at the First United Methodist Church, participating in various activities. It should be noted that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, used to stress the importance of experience and the practical application of religious principles, rather than mere contemplation of theory. These ideas seemed to have served as a foundation for Mrs. Clinton’s system of values. She was deeply influenced by the Methodist viewpoint, according to which it is crucial to work towards making the world a better place (Stebenne par. 4).

Faith as an Inspiration

In order to gain an understanding of Mrs. Clinton’s perception of faith, it is necessary to analyze her public statements and interviews on the matter. At an event in Iowa, she was asked to elaborate on the subject of Christianity and her political beliefs. Mrs. Clinton admitted to being inspired by her faith throughout her life, with the Bible guiding her along the way, including in political activities (Chozick par. 2). She expressed genuine concern regarding Christian beliefs is often used to convey radical judgments, as it is ultimately love which is the center of Christian faith. Hillary emphasized the need for each person to grow in the moral sense of the word, examining our treatment of others and making sure that we make every effort to treat everyone kindly, even those who are not so kind to us.

Importance of Humility

In a speech delivered on September 9, 2016, Mrs. Clinton stressed the importance of humility in politics (Halper par. 2). She pointed out that this is a quality that is rarely displayed by politicians. This should not be the case, according to Hillary. As Mrs. Clinton’s system of beliefs was shaped under the influence of the Methodist Church, it is necessary to explore the concept of humility through the teachings of the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley.

According to Lee-Koo, Wesley understood humility as self-knowledge, or a type of self-appraisal (189). It is a quality that allows seeing one’s character in a clear way, evaluating oneself objectively, refraining from pride, and self-righteousness. Self-knowledge, coupled with free will, is what brings a person to embrace one’s faith, and leads one to justification (Lee-Koo 192). This profound self-knowledge is intertwined with one’s repentance, with the plea to be forgiven. Knowing oneself entails accepting one’s sins and wrongdoings.

Wesley’s thoughts are echoed in many public statements made by Hillary Clinton. She often emphasizes that nobody leads a life without making mistakes and that she is no exception to that rule (Halper par. 3). Indeed, the proper degree of humility is necessary for everyone to grow, develop throughout their life, and contribute to society. As Mrs. Clinton points out, it is crucial to be able to admit one’s mistakes, as well as to take responsibility for them, accept them, and be grateful for a lesson learned due to these mistakes.

‘Social Gospel’

The practical dimension of Christianity was further elaborated in Mrs. Clinton’s public speech on September 9, 2016. While addressing her audience, Clinton claimed that as president, she would make every effort to work towards “translating love into action” (Halper par. 6). She expressed the need to join efforts to care for those who need our help. The social aspect of Clinton’s campaign was noticed a while ago. It was the influence of the Methodist Church that led her to “embrace her faith in action” (Sullivan par. 4). According to Gjelten, Clinton’s political views are tied to the ‘Social Gospel’ of Methodists to such an extent that it is difficult at times to see the difference (par. 14).

Thus, it is possible to interpret Mrs. Clinton’s statements on religion and politics. The relationship between these two dimensions has always been rather close. However, due to the absence of humility, they seemed to have been attuned only in theory. Clinton did not emphasize this fact by chance. Indeed, near the end of her speech, she demonstrated a critical attitude towards her own words. She remarked that the religious people and their families might be tired of hearing the politicians appeal to their spirituality during the presidential race in order to secure their support. This display of compassion, understanding, and humility demonstrates Clinton’s ability not only to air her opinion but also to act on it. A practical approach to religious matters means that this candidate has solid moral guidance on a political level, provided the principles Mrs. Clinton subscribes to are upheld consistently throughout her career.

Religion and Politics

Hillary Clinton is reported to have said that there is a pressing need to combine our moral values with our spiritual side and make the world a better place while being guided by God (“Hillary Clinton Is Now The Most Religious Candidate” par. 19). She admitted that the principles of the Methodist Church have always provided her with guidance and that it is necessary for us to follow the Christian ideas in our work towards building a better society. The need to reinforce the family bond was emphasized, as well as the need to improve the school system so that all children are provided with an equal opportunity to develop their full potential. Equality is a principle Hillary Clinton firmly stands by, even when it comes to homosexual marriages (“Hillary Clinton Is Now The Most Religious Candidate” par. 26).

In her book, “It Takes a Village”, devoted to children and parenting experience, Clinton stresses the importance of churches and other religious places of worship. According to Clinton, religious institutions facilitate the process of social adjustment (160). They help children acquire the skills necessary for living in society and help them understand the duties and responsibilities of each member.

“It Takes a Village” is a deeply personal work by Hillary Clinton, with reflections on her upbringing and on her childhood perception of the Methodist Church her family attended. To Clinton’s mind, the religious institution helps children develop ethical values, a system of social standards, and a general idea of right and wrong. It also helps them learn how to confront the difficulties they could face in the world (163). She says that her church mentors taught her the importance of contributing to society and of equal treatment of all its members, regardless of their religious beliefs, values, or political views.

Clinton relates the ability to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves to our capacity to face difficult social problems and to successfully resolve them. By expressing such a viewpoint, Mrs. Clinton implies that crucial Christian values, namely, humility and compassion, are to become the benchmarks of our social approach (Clinton 164). Since the social problems of American society encompass a broad range of issues, from unemployment and health care, immigrant rights, to education and gender equality, the foundation of any method or resolving these problems is to be built upon these Christian ideas. A compassionate and humble politician is a person who understands the difficulties experienced by the people and seeks to improve the situation even at the expense of one’s own interests. This is the precise meaning conveyed by Clinton in her statement about the lack of humility in politics. In the Methodist tradition, self-knowledge, i.e. humility opens one’s eyes to God, to “evidence of things not seen” (Lee-Koo 194). To Wesley’s mind, it meant restoring the ability to see. In one of his sermons, Wesley elaborates on his understanding of God’s image in moral and political aspects. Since humankind has the possibility to be in charge of other species, it must have been created as a political reflection of God. This moral aspect is present in the absolute moral law, provided by God and inherent in each human being (Lee-Koo 51).

The influence of the Methodist Church and, more specifically, the influence that John Wesley’s sermons had on the formation of Hillary Clinton’s political beliefs, is considerable. The ‘Social Gospel’ of the Methodists led this presidential candidate to adopt the political agenda for the race of 2016. The principles she claims to uphold are directly related to the Methodist Christian Church’s values and beliefs.

Critical View

Although her outlook on the relationship between religion and politics is not without merit, it should be noted that certain commentators, not to mention her opponents, have criticized Clinton’s approach to religion in the political context. DeSanctis argues that Hillary Clinton’s statements about the protection of freedom of religion are barely credible (par. 3). She insists that Clinton’s perception of religious freedom is ambiguous at the very least. According to Walker, by supporting the Federal Equality Act and advancing the gay rights, she promotes a document that puts the fundamental principle of religious liberty in danger (par. 6). Walker claims that under this act, it will be impossible for anyone to appeal to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in the case of a violation of the right to religious freedom (par. 6).

The commentator argues that gender and sexual orientation cannot be clearly manifested and that they are therefore likely to be understood in equivocal ways (par. 7). From this point of view, Hillary Clinton’s support of the Federal Equality Act can be seen as conflicting with the principles she claims to uphold. According to Walker, the legislation in question stipulates that any person or organization disagreeing with the proposed interpretation of mentioned categories can be subject to a penalty (par. 9). Moreover, DeSanctis criticizes Clinton’s statements on the government having no right to impose a religious belief on citizens (par. 10). She argues that the possibility of punishing certain categories of citizens for their religious beliefs is omitted, thereby thoroughly casting into doubt Clinton’s commitment to the protection of religious liberty. From this point of view, Clinton’s stance is appealing only in comparison with the outrageous statements made by Trump regarding the ban on Muslims, among other dubious assertions.

Overall, Hillary Clinton’s perception of religion and her political agenda are subject to widespread criticism. Discrepancies identified by the mentioned commentators are rather reasonable. However, despite the fact that Mrs. Clinton’s statements and actions may be seen at times as lacking in consistency, it is undeniable that the Methodist Church exerts a great influence on her policies and general worldview.

Contradictory Approach

Despite the fact that certain critics question her commitment to the religious liberty principle, Mrs. Clinton is reported to have admitted that she was not certain whether being Christian was the only right path to salvation (Farley par. 10). The contradictions regarding her religious beliefs and political views stem from the eagerness to combine two seemingly opposed attitudes: remaining liberal at heart while maintaining certain degree of conservatism and realism of mind (Du Mez par. 20). The Methodist Church can be seen as a source of her moral mission and her resulting reluctance to compromise. Du Mez perceives Clinton’s political attitude as an attempt to bring the values of the right and left together and to advocate for a politics of humility and compassion (par. 30).

The inconsistencies that have been found in Mrs. Clinton’s statements regarding religion are directly related to her attempt of reaching a compromise between right and left, between humility and determination, and between religion and politics. She is reported to have commented on Trump’s attitude towards immigration policy regarding Muslims. Clinton indicated that taking a radical stance, i.e. banning Muslims from entering the US would be an ineffective approach, let alone an approach antagonizing the extremists. Clinton has explained that Trump’s attitude is the exact position they want the US to take. Adopting such a viewpoint would lead to improving the position of the ISIS, as in such a case American policy would directly banish all Muslims, prompting an increasing number of moderate believers to take arms. Thus, Clinton has stated that we should not “go after” (Halper par. 2) the Muslim religion.

Mrs. Clinton has indicated that there are many law-abiding Islam followers in the country, who would rather avoid the conflict. They constitute the vast majority of the Muslim community in the US. Clinton has specified that Trump’s rhetoric must not absorb us, as the challenge we currently face has to be met with all the necessary instruments at our disposal. She emphasized that her opponent’s attitude is unacceptable and ineffective regarding the prevention of terrorism. The only way to meet this challenge is to keep true to our values (Halper par. 6). One could see these statements as a simple opposition of Trump’s beliefs. However, they also indicate that Mrs. Clinton’s political stance is backed by her religious beliefs in a moderate manner since the statement discussed above directly relates to the notion of humility and compassion, which should be present in politics.

Conclusion

When asked what book had had the biggest influence on her personality, Mrs. Clinton said that the Bible remained the biggest influence on her way of thinking (“Hillary Rodham Clinton” par. 10). She is inspired by ideas of humility and compassion, and her attitude displays a willingness to approach socio-political problems through the prism of her religious beliefs. Whether she remains dedicated to this stance, and whether it will yield positive results, remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Clinton’s political agenda is attuned with the social dimension of her religion.

While in her effort to combine religion and politics Mrs. Clinton may have to compromise one side or the other, her chosen approach might result in a positive outcome. Based on the public addresses and speeches she has delivered, her perception of the relationship between religion and politics largely correlates with the overall ethical aspect of politics. Humility and compassion, often mentioned by her, are the most important Christian qualities that politicians should possess. The Christian Methodist Church, which had a major influence on Clinton’s formative years, is traditionally provides its members with a moral mission: to work on improving the world and the lives of those around you. This social aspect is what links religion to politics in Clinton’s view. However, both these areas have their own instruments of change. According to Mrs. Clinton, they should complement each other. Moreover, religion should provide ethical and moral guidelines for a politician to follow, while the social issues should remain the highest priority.

In many interviews, Hillary Clinton has admitted that she supports the idea of drawing a clear line between the church and state. Nevertheless, religion plays an extremely important role in her worldview, as well as in her political stance. Combining religion and politics is a rather difficult task. It requires a high level of commitment, as well as the ability to compromise and to accept the fact that the desired result may be hardly attainable. All the same, Clinton’s extensive experience in the political arena, as well as her deeply religious background, might prove to be an efficient combination of reason and spirituality.

Works Cited

Chozick, Amy. Hillary Clinton Gets Personal on Christ and Her Faith. 2016. Web.

Clinton, Hillary Rodham. It Takes a Village. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print.

DeSanctis, Alexandra. Hillary Clinton Is No Champion Of Religious Freedom. 2016. Web.

Du Mez, Kristin. Can Hillary Clinton’s Faith Help Her Lead a Fractured Nation? 2016. Web.

Farley, Robert. We Know Plenty About Clinton’s Religion. 2016. Web.

Gjelten, Tom. Clinton, Kaine Driven By Their Faith in the ‘Social Gospel’. 2016. Web.

Halper, Daniel. Hillary Clinton Talks about God. 2016. Web.

Halper, Evan. Hillary Clinton Warns That Going After ‘an Entire Religion’ Would Boost Islamic State. 2016. Web.

Hillary Clinton Is Now The Most Religious Candidate Running For President. Here’s Why This Matters 2016. Web.

Hillary Rodham Clinton: By the Book. 2014. Web.

Lee-Koo, SunAe 2011, “Humility as a Key Component of John Wesley’s Understanding of a Christian’s Spiritual Development”. PhD thesis, The Catholic University of America, 2011. Digital Collections University Libraries. Web.

Stebenne, David. Hillary Clinton’s Religious Background and the 2016 Presidential Election. 2016. Web.

Sullivan, Amy. Do All the Good. The Methodist Saying that Became a Clinton Campaign Slogan. 2016. Web.

Walker, Andrew T. Hillary Clinton’s Speech Shows the Vulnerability of Religious Liberty. 2015. Web.

Introduction

The 2008 US presidential election is one of the most memorable historical moments. This event enters in the book of history for various reasons. First, it is the first election in the history of the United States, where a black American president was elected (Burden, 35). Secondly, it is the only election in the history of the United States that saw a woman appear in the presidential ballot paper after Sarah Palin was nominated for the vice-president position. Finally, Hillary Clinton garnered more votes than any other candidate in the history of primary nominations (Dunne, 355). However, there is more to this presidential election than just the history it made. Nevertheless, this discussion focuses on the main factors behind the defeat of Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Analysis

According to Finlay, the main factors behind the defeat of these presidential candidates are sexism and misogyny. These vices were portrayed by the media and politicians during the election season (Finlay, 42). Sexism and misogyny have played a greater role in shaping the destiny of the American woman. This explains why Hillary Clinton, a presidential candidate who has been named the most admired woman in the US for sixteen consecutive years, could not win the elections (Burden, 50). However, sexism and misogyny operated in a hidden manner that has been difficult to unearth.

The USA media has displayed gender bias in addressing political issues (Dunne, 360). Worse still, the coverage of election issues during campaigns is selectively done (Birnbaum, 345). It is observed that the ratio of media coverage in matters of politics, foreign policy, and the economy is 4:1 for men and women respectively (Finlay, 55). This is displayed both in print and on the airwaves, a clear indication that the male gender is given wide coverage by the media.

Further studies show that in the political action committees (super PACs), which are the main engines that run elections in the US, women’s contribution accounts for only 20% of the total contribution (Finlay, 49). These committees are established to generate funds for candidates, as well as plan on how the funds will be utilized to conduct the campaigns (Birnbaum, 351). Since super PACs have a greater influence on the officials to be elected, women are left without much influence on the choice of the leader to be elected (90).

A further study shows that female candidates in any elective post obtain 75% coverage on their physical appearance, with only 25% coverage on their ideologies and main campaign issues (112). On the other hand, the same study indicates that male candidates get 68% more coverage on their policies and platform ideologies than their female counterparts. The situation is worsened by the direct verbal attack on women by politicians, advertisers, and comedians (67).

This is a clear indication that the US media has a gender bias, an aspect that played a greater role in making Hillary Clinton and John McCain defeated in media coverage. This gave President Obama an upper hand, allowing him to win the 2008 presidential elections (Burden, 46).

Conclusion

Nevertheless, the 2012 presidential elections are likely to be different. This is because; women have become enlightened over the last four years. Therefore, they are now bold enough to fight for equality in media coverage, through exposing such vices (110). Thus, in the 2012 elections, women will elect leaders based on their ability to deliver, and not based on the candidate’s picture that will be painted by the media (130).

Works Cited

Birnbaum, Norman. “The Presidential Election of 2008.” The Political Quarterly 79.3 (2008): 344-353. Print.

Burden, Barry. The Nominations: In the elections of 2008. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010. 34-55. Print.

Dunne, Michael. “Black and White Unite? The Clinton-Obama Campaigns in Historical Perspective.”The Political Quarterly 60.2 (2008): 354-365. Print.

Finlay, Anita. Dirty Words on Clean Skin: Sexism and Sabotage: a Hillary Supporter’s Rude Awakening. United States: Golden Middleway Books, 2012. 41-131. Print.

Interview Analysis

In the interview given by the presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to the Washington Post, the nominee for president and the magazine’s journalist Jim Tankersley discussed possible and planned economic policies and changes that Hillary Clinton would implement if she had become the president of the USA. In the interview, precise attention was given to the labor market, the taxation of the wealthiest, international trade, globalization, as well as education and skills’ connection to an economic boost. This paper aims to address some of the statements made by Hillary Clinton to critically evaluate the accuracy of her thoughts and suggestions from an economic point of view.

Taxation of the Wealthiest

Discussing the taxation of the wealthiest and how the gap between the wealthiest Americans and the Americans from the working class has increased, Hillary Clinton suggests that the former need to pay their “fair share” and stresses the importance of the Buffet Rule. The Buffet Rule was proposed as a solution to the unfairness of the tax distribution: while workers with median income consistently pay their taxes, the wealthiest Americans have more advantages to avoid the taxes or even pay less than an average worker (The National Economic Council 5). Therefore, Clinton assumes that a 30% tax on the wealthiest Americans could help the minimum, low, and median-wage workers and provide the budget with more revenues that could be spent on the infrastructure change that Clinton suggests. According to Mankiw, taxing the richest citizens might indeed help to narrow the gap because the living conditions of the poor would be improved, while the wealthiest citizens would live in a society with a lower level of poverty (230).

International Trade

When the interviewer and the presidential candidate discussed the international trade and its possible impacts on the USA, Clinton approached the problem from the opposing sides. On the one hand, she points out, trade deals would be possible if they are capable of raising wages and enhancing the national security of the country (Tankersley par. 20). On the other hand, shutting borders for other countries is unreasonable because the USA needs to understand how to sell its products to the world, how to compete and win, and not choose isolationism (Tankersley par. 21). The issue of international trade and its impact on the country is complicated. It can increase the variety of goods, realize economies of scale (low-cost products produced in large quantities), avoid monopoly, and meet new ideas provided from foreign markets (Mankiw 188).

However, as Clinton points out, the government’s responsibility is to support employment that might be influenced by international trade and ensure that national security would not come to harm as well. The domestic industries should not be too dependent on foreign trade as in case of any major conflict or other complexities, the country will not be able to produce all the needed products by its own means (Mankiw 190). Nevertheless, such an approach might be advantageous to corporations as they can “exaggerate their role in national defense to obtain protection from foreign competition” (Mankiw 190). Therefore, international trade can be both profitable and dangerous to domestic manufacturers.

Another argument that Clinton uses is the unfair competition argument. She states that China’s unfair game and cheating has had an adverse impact on the USA, but does not provide a detailed explanation. As China is “the largest economy in the world”, it is possible to assume that the low-costing goods exported by China are providing benefits for American consumers by reducing the products’ price but harms producers that cannot compete with the set prices (Observatory of Economic Complexity). Nevertheless, point out Mankiw, the gains of the consumers would exceed the losses of the manufacturers (191). Therefore, such a policy can potentially benefit the country that could purchase goods at a subsidized price (Mankiw 191).

Globalization and CAFTA

In the interview, Clinton admits that globalization, as well as business and government leaders, have had an impact on the unemployment rates and the disappearing jobs. Globalization, according to Clinton, has “replaced or undermined the future for many jobs”; that is why people experience anxiety and even anger as technologies advance, and more workers fear to lose their jobs (Tankersley par. 30). Clinton also reminds that she had strongly opposed CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) (Tankersley par. 22). Therefore, Clinton’s approach to free trade is quite complicated and depends on the context. Free trade, however, can be profitable both to the high-wage and to the low-wage countries (e.g. the USA compared to Costa Rica, El Salvador, etc.) as it increases the wages in the third-world countries but brings benefits to the first-world countries in the form of cheaper products and services. However, such trades also influence American employees, as some of them might experience wage cuts or even lose their jobs (Mankiw 192).

This rhetoric, as Clinton points out, was often used by another presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who stressed that the immigrants were the reason why many Americans lost their jobs (Tankersley par. 41). Such statements can be both perceived as exaggeration and partial truth as free trade with third-world countries is indeed capable of reducing the wages of most Americans (Mankiw 192). The free trade is nevertheless able to benefit some Americans, i.e. highly educated and skilled. Citizens with “less formal education either see their jobs shipped overseas or find their wages driven down by the ripple effect” (Mankiw 193). That is why Clinton points out that the government needs to focus on education and development of skills; according to her, this approach can improve the productivity of the American economy (Tankersley par. 42). Thus, globalization per se is not necessarily harmful, but it still can bring challenges to the labor market resulting in unemployment of the workers who had been replaced with those working for a lower wage.

Education, Renewable Energy Jobs, and Supply and Demand

Clinton stresses the importance of higher education and presumes that the government should encourage it in order to create more jobs, provide new inventions, and even manufacture these inventions in the future (Tankersley par. 41). This is generally true, as higher education can lead to more educated population and create informed voters who will possibly choose a better government; a society with a bigger percentage of educated members tends to have lower crime rates; the development of technology is also boosted by citizens with higher education (Mankiw 207).

Understanding of the climate change and its impact is also more common among citizens with higher education. To overcome the threats of the climate change, renewable energy jobs are proposed by Clinton as a solution (Tankersley par. 35). However, the labor market is governed by supply and demand; it is reasonable to “[hire] workers up to the point where the value of the marginal product of labor equals the wage” (Mankiw 396). While the renewable energy market is actively developed in Europe, it remains unclear whether this labor market is profitable in the USA (Lehr, Lutz, and Edler 2370). Renewable energy policies also suffer from conflicting pressures of policymakers (Stokes 491). Therefore, policies that concern renewable energy, as well as positions and jobs linked to it, need to be evaluated to understand their potential profitability.

Works Cited

Lehr, Ulrike, Christian Lutz, and Dietmar Edler. “Green Jobs? Economic Impacts of Renewable Energy in Germany.” Energy Policy, vol. 47, no. 2, 2012, pp. 2370-2377.

Mankiw, N. G. Principles of Microeconomics. Cengage Learning, 2015.

Observatory of Economic Complexity. China, 2014, Web.

Stokes, Leah C. “The Politics of Renewable Energy Policies: The Case of Feed-In Tariffs in Ontario, Canada.” Energy Policy, vol. 56, no. 3, 2013, pp. 490-500.

Tankersley, Jim. “A Transcript of Hillary Clinton’s Interview with the Washington Post on Economic Policy.” The Washington Post, 2016, Web.

The National Economic Council. “The Buffett Rule: A Basic Principle of Tax Fairness.” The White House, Web.