I greatly admire Hillary Clinton. She has served our country well as a gracious first lady, an effective Senator and as an outstanding Secretary of State. If she is the Democratic candidate for President in 2016 I will enthusiastically give her my vote. In very real terms no one could be more qualified to serve as our President than Secretary Clinton. She is beloved by millions in this country and is undoubtedly the most famous woman in the world.
That said, I truly hope she decides not to run. There are very good reasons why it will be better for our country and for her if she decides to sit this one out.
First, while she may be the most loved woman in this country she is also the most hated. Republican voters will turn out in droves to vote against Mrs. Clinton. And if you have been as disgusted as I have been with the gridlock in Washington, think what will happen if Hillary Clinton wins the Presidency. If there is one thing that will enrage right wing Republican members of Congress more than an uppity black family occupying the White House imagine their reaction to Hillary and Bill returning to it. I’m not sure the United States can survive four or eight more years of the total dysfunction we have experienced since 2008.
Then there is the issue of the passing of leadership from one generation to the next. When we elected President Obama we choose a younger generation than that offered by the Republicans and I think that was a good thing. Obama was not shaped by the traumatic 60s. The violence, racial hatred, political assassinations and the horribly divisive Vietnam war were historic events to him, not the life altering events that Hillary Clinton experienced first hand. Her world is my world and the events we see are seen through the filter of having come of age during the 60s. Our generation had its turn leading this country and quite frankly, given the state of the environment, the disparity in income between the workers and the super rich, the influence of big money in the political system, and the powerful arms industry that encourages world turmoil and perpetual war, we blew it. Maybe given the life shaping events of our times we never had a chance. Whatever the case, it’s time to give the next generation an opportunity to step up.
I also don’t want to experience another episode of Bill on the campaign trail supporting Hillary’s election. President Clinton has become a wonderful elder statesman and, by his own admission, has accomplished much that he could not do as President. He can and often does offer a powerful helping hand to Democratic candidates and his role as Democratic royalty is a great asset to the party. Except when he steps out to support his wife. Anyone who remembers the 2008 race is likely to cringe at the thought of a repeat performance. It wasn’t pretty!
I understand the allure of becoming the first woman President. And I greatly appreciate her lifetime of public service. But like her husband, Hillary is in a unique position to advance causes that can have worldwide impact. Important issues that she will not have the time or the power to pursue while running this country. Her efforts to bring solar cookers to replace open wood fires for the world’s poor in developing countries is only one example of how she can improve women’s lives and health around the globe. In real terms, given political opposition and limits of the office, she can probably have a greater world wide impact as a private but extremely influential citizen than she can as President.
My hope for Hillary Clinton is that she can allow herself to relax, enjoy life, treasure her accomplishments and the place she has earned in history, and go where she can do the most good for mankind. That probably is not 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
