Former first lady and secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has been named the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. If she were to win it would make her the first female in history to win the nomination within the major parties in mainstream politics of the United States.
According to a survey of unpledged super delegates conducted by the Associated Press, Clinton has secured the necessary number of votes to clinch an unprecedented victory. Despite this, the Editorial Board and the American public are extremely divided by her potential victory and what it means.
She won’t officially be named the nominee until the democratic convention in July, but with the number of votes pledged to her, she has won the nomination.
In a speech addressed to her voters to the Brooklyn Navy Yard following the news, Clinton said ”Thanks to you, we’ve reached a milestone — the first time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee for president of the United States.”
Many people get caught up in Clinton’s track record as a politician when discussing her, and this is not one of those editorials. Though Clinton’s politics and experience in Washington make her a divisive candidate, the Editorial Board is celebrating her potential achievement as the first female candidate in history to be nominated for president within the Democratic or Republican Party.
Regardless of politics, Clinton has achieved something great and has already made history for women in mainstream politics.
Some voters might wish a different woman earned this achievement or believe Clinton is a “bad” candidate that doesn’t have much support. However, the truth is there is a reason no other woman in history has earned the presidential nomination within a major party before and there is a reason Clinton did.
None of the other 200 female candidates that have run for the presidency have gotten as many votes as Clinton.
No other female candidate has been able to have a well-financed, well-run campaign for president. Not even the extremely independently wealthy Victoria Woodhull, who started her own newspaper to get her elected and was the first woman to run for president in 1872, had enough money to overcome the hurdles Hillary has overcome to win the nomination.
There are many people who believe Clinton has not won the nomination by the margin that has been repeatedly reported by the media and Clinton is not winning by a large enough margin to render Bernie Sanders irrelevant in the race.
The Editorial Board encourages everyone to look at the number of popular votes Clinton has gained compared to Sanders, where Clinton is also leading by a large margin.
Many people are claiming Clinton is a weak candidate, citing her funding from corporations and Wall Street, support of the Democratic Party, experience and her ease in the public spotlight as negative qualities. We would encourage everyone to name one other major party-nominated presidential candidate that doesn’t have those qualities as well.
People can downplay Clinton’s accomplishment in many different and nuanced ways, but the truth of the matter is her politics and her skill are what got her to this point.
Clinton is a well-liked and deeply supported politician with the majority of the Democratic Party and the vote of the people behind her. There is nothing wrong with a woman playing the game when so many men before her were never criticized for it.
The Editorial Board is by no means endorsing Clinton. We are only celebrating her achievement as the first female presumptive democratic nominee for president. For that, we say well done.
