It's the last few weeks of October and Americans are anxiously honing in to media outlets in search of more certainty in the presidential campaign. Each party has clearly aligned their priorities, expressed their opinions and sparked notable controversy. From branding an audience as "deplorables" to insinuating aggressive groping of females, our citizens have trailed an infamous race. Nonetheless one of these characters will emerge victorious. However the question that haunts me is not who will win, but to what extent will the competitors go in order to secure the position?
Campaigns are notorious for their ugly nature. Since the beginning of the campaign we have witnessed opponents one by one belittle their rivals and degrade their character. While the antics are often extreme, this Machiavellian method is often great publicity for campaigns. By highlighting their competitor's faults, the delegate forces you to ask yourself not "Why should I vote for..." but rather "Why should I not vote for..."
Teams viciously dig through every aspect of their opponent's backgrounds. They become savage in the race to tear apart one another, blinded by the lust of victory. And yet we, the American people, sit bewildered in the eye of the storm, ravenously digesting propaganda from left and right. We read, we watch, we listen, and then we nominate two righteous candidates whom we bestow upon the honor of advancing in this ruthless race.
It's the last few weeks of October and we as Americans are down to two candidates: Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump. While this piece is not at all meant to address my political views I would like to call attention to a tactic that has been bothering me since the beginning of this race.
Upon her announcement declaring she was to run for president again Hillary Clinton has been mercilessly picked apart by audiences. From her fashion taste to her hair to the mere fact that she is a woman, Clinton has experienced her share of adversity. And while, as I have pointed out, each candidate receives their fair share of time on the scaffold, I feel that some tacts taken by Clinton's competitors have been extremely petty. Let's get this straight: Hillary Clinton is NOT her husband.
Bill Clinton, infamous for his scandal with Monica Lewinsky and being the second president to ever be impeached, has devotedly supported his wife throughout this campaign. And yet I find more often than not that candidates like Donald Trump have been using Bill as Hillary's scarlet letter. From his agreement to sign NAFTA (1994) to his assortment of mistresses Hillary Clinton has been attacked for her husband's wrongdoings. “Hillary Clinton was married to the single greatest abuser of women in the history of politics,” [Trump] added about Mr. Clinton. “Hillary was an enabler, and she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it’s a serious problem for them, and it’s something that I’m considering talking about more in the near future.” (New York Times)
Her decision to stay with her husband throughout his infidelities, and her stoic expressions from this point on have become the target of Clinton criticism. Who wants to elect a woman who does not have the courage to leave her cheating, lying husband? Why should we put somebody in office that has partaken in the digging and degrading of Bill Clinton's mistresses? What women turns on her own gender like that? Clinton was wedged in between a rock and a hard place. And yet this is what makes Hillary Rodham Clinton so powerful.
Hillary Clinton's perseverance and dedication to mend a broken family should not be a target of objectification. If elected Clinton will make her own decisions, not her husband's. She is a strong, independent women who (welcome to the 21st century) has a mind of her own, a right to think and the ability to create change without her male counterpart. Whether this persuades you to vote for Hillary or not I'm not sure, but with November 8th slowly creeping up on us I urge you to look at both candidates for their strong suits and shortcomings. We have deemed ourselves far too progressive of a society to belittle a woman for her husband's deficiencies. It is time to realize that a woman can be a separate entity from the marital sphere, and we as Americans must both acknowledge and praise this advancement women have made in our society.
