On Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. in Salomon 202, you should attend this semester’s first meeting of Brown Students for Hillary. Why? Because Hillary Clinton is a progressive champion for students, women, children and families. She is an experienced leader who has been breaking barriers for women in politics for decades. She has spent a lifetime being scrutinized but is still fighting for everyday Americans as she campaigns to be our first female president. Her family name may be familiar, but Secretary Clinton deserves to be judged by the merit of her accomplishments as a lawyer, First Lady, senator and Secretary of State, not by the policies of her husband. Students matter in this election; 2008 and 2012 demonstrated the power that our collective voices can have. This is especially true here in Rhode Island, where we can effect great change and influence thousands of votes throughout New England. We know many Brown students are still undecided about who to support in the Democratic primary, so let us try to boost you over that fence: Here’s why we’re Brown Students for Hillary.
Secretary Clinton has always been an advocate for the most vulnerable among us. She began her career volunteering with New Haven Legal Services and went on to found Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families after working with the Children’s Defense Fund and the Carnegie Council on Children. While most college students today are too young to remember her work as First Lady, many in Washington knew her as “the most powerful liberal in the White House.” She worked tirelessly trying to pass universal health care and led the charge to expand State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the health insurance program for children who don’t qualify for Medicaid. She was consistently rated as one of the most liberal senators, even more so than then-Senator Obama. Today, her campaign has put out some of the most ambitious progressive proposals Democrats have seen in years. She plans to produce enough clean renewable energy to power every home in America by 2027, decrease the burden of student debt and increase college affordability, reduce incarceration rates and expand treatment for Americans battling mental illness or substance abuse.
Some have asked about Secretary Clinton’s evolving viewpoints in recent years and months. The Democratic Party has moved steadily leftward over the past 20 years, and Hillary has been there each step of the way, giving voice to the progressive Americans she meets every day on the campaign trail. There is value in a candidate who wants to use the opinions of those she leads to continue to learn, even as she approaches 50 years in public service. Raised in a conservative, Midwestern family, she grew up as a member of the Republican Party but switched her registration to the Democratic Party during the civil rights movement and helped organize student walkouts in 1968 while student government president at Wellesley College. The United States needs a president who will hear many points of view and make informed policy decisions, not an ideologue unwilling to change her perspective with the times.
Not only would it be historic for the United States to elect our first female president, but studies have also shown that women leaders are perceived to be less aggressive and reactionary and are more ethical, diplomatic and willing to work toward compromise. Hillary Clinton visited 112 countries as Secretary of State, paving the way for diplomatic relations and engaging in candid conversation with leaders across the globe, including in Myanmar, Pakistan and both Israel and the West Bank. After four years as our nation’s top diplomatic official, no candidate from any party can match her level of foreign policy experience.
Clinton is a progressive fighter with the experience and drive to win the White House in 2016 and the agenda and determination to get things done once she’s there— but she needs your help. We’ve talked to many fellow students who are excited to vote for Hillary in the general election but are leaning toward other candidates in the primary. We see that these students are ready to make Hillary our next President but have concerns that haven’t yet been addressed by her campaign. So let’s talk about them. There’s no downside to productive debate in a democracy. That said, the earlier our student movements unify behind a candidate, the more impactful we will be in shaping their policies.
These are just some of our reasons for supporting Hillary, but this movement is only as strong as the students who join it. Candidates are working hard to engage with students through social media and personalized stump speeches, but if we stop voting in high numbers, they’ll stop caring. We need to make sure our priorities are constantly on the minds of the people running this country, particularly as we enter the workforce, become engaged global citizens and strive to leave our world a better place than we found it. Rhode Island may be small, but we’ve got the advantages of a strong Democratic base, a passionate and political campus, many other colleges to work with and easy proximity to New Hampshire (and Brooklyn!). This election will come down to knocking on doors, calling voters and showing our strength in numbers. Come help us build a strong coalition for Hillary at Brown — we need all the (wo)manpower we can get.
Brown Students for Hillary can be reached at brownstudentsforhillary@gmail.com.
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