These Five Women Would Each Be A Better President Than Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton could become our nation’s 46th President. But is she the best choice for the job? In the race for the Democratic nomination, both Clinton and Sanders supporters have lobbed accusations of sexism at one another. Clinton supporters, however, have been the most vocal and even Hillary’s prominent surrogates have suggested female Sanders supporters are traitors to their gender. Indeed, Ilyse Hogue, NARAL’s president went so far as to say that Clinton’s gender was the main reason her organization endorsed her for president.
But are we truly “ready for Hillary?” Is it her turn? Does the United States owe her the presidency? Five women exist in this country who are either ready, or have the potential to become president in the future. Each and every one of them would make a better president than Hillary Clinton.
Elizabeth Warren
This goes without saying. She has long been critical of Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street ties and has been a well-known and respected law professor and a consumer protection advocate.
In 2008, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appointed her to chair the five-member Congressional Oversight Panel which released reports on bank foreclosures, small business lending, and how the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) impacted the economy. In 2010, she advocated for, and was appointed to, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau established by the Dodd-Frank bill.
In 2012, she ran for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts and won. Warren is still in her first term as an elected official, but her long history of consumer and financial advocacy for common Americans makes her a better choice for president than Hillary Clinton.
Tulsi Gabbard
Born in American Samoa in 1981, Gabbard’s family moved to Hawaii when she was a young child. In 2002, Gabbard became the youngest person to win a seat on the Hawaiian state legislature, and also the youngest woman to win a state office in the nation. She was 21. She served two tours to Iraq, receiving several medals for her service. She currently holds the rank of Major in the U.S. Army.
A staunch progressive, she has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013 and was vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee until February 28, when she resigned her position to endorse Bernie Sanders for president.
She opposes the TPP, supports reinstating Glass-Steagall (which was repealed by President Bill Clinton in 1999), and understands the importance of personal freedom. She supports LGBT rights, full funding for Medicare and Social Security and is pro-choice.
Despite her youth, Gabbard’s political and military experience makes her a much better choice for president than Hillary Clinton. And she could realistically become Bernie Sanders’ running mate. She will be 35-years-old on April 12.
Tammy Duckworth
Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1968 to a Thai mother and an American father. She grew up around the world before settling in Hawaii and then Illinois. She can trace her U.S. ancestry on her father’s side back to the Revolutionary war. Her father was a WWII veteran. If the GOP were to attempt any kind of birther nonsense, her paternal family history would be enough to silence them.
As a young woman, she joined the Army, and in 1992, became a helicopter pilot because it was one of the few combat positions open to women. In 2004, the helicopter she was piloting was hit with rocket-propelled grenade fire. She lost both legs, the right one at the hip, and the left below the knee.
Since 2006, Duckworth has been active in public service, most having to do with veterans’ affairs. She has been a visible advocate for veterans with disabilities and is critical the Bush Administration concerning the Iraq war. She is critical of defense spending, and in 2006 called for an audit of the $437 bill spent overseas on military and foreign aid.
Duckworth is also pro-choice. She believes abortion and end-of-life decisions are private matters that should not be regulated. She currently represents Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. She retired from the Army in 2014.
Duckworth’s experience as a female combat veteran provides her a unique advantage if she were to run for president.
Learn more about Tammy.
Nina Turner
An intelligent and inspirational speaker, Turner rose up from a disadvantaged childhood to become one of Ohio’s most visible advocates for the marginalized. She is of Bernie Sanders’ most enthusiastic supporters. She previously supported Hillary Clinton for president. After obtaining her Master’s Degree with Cleveland State University in 1997, she started her career working for state Senator Rhine McLin.
She has been on the Cleveland City Council and won a seat on the Ohio State Assembly. She became known as an advocate for school children at the state and federal level. She sought to change Ohio’s rape custody laws that allowed custody and visitation to rapists. And in 2012, Turner gained notoriety for introducing legislation that would require a man to seek psychological counseling and an affidavit from a known sexual partner before a man could be prescribed sexual dysfunction medication. It was widely considered a protest bill after the state’s efforts to limit women’s reproductive rights.
Despite her short career in politics, her record of championing the rights of children and women could springboard her into more prominent public service, possibly even president someday. With Hillary Clinton’s long and convoluted political history, it’s refreshing to see someone as dedicated to her beliefs as Turner.
Tammy Baldwin
Although Baldwin has publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, she ought to be running instead. She graduated as valedictorian in high school, earned a B.A. degree from Smith College, and received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1989. She began her political career at the local level as a member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors.
In 1992, she ran for Wisconsin’s state assembly and won and served in state office until 1999, when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s 2nd District. Since 2013, she has served as a United States Senator.
Baldwin supports same-sex marriage and was one of the first openly lesbian legislators in the country. She has long supported a single-payer health care system, believes in equal rights for women, has championed minority rights, and opposed the Iraq war. Her policies more closely align with Sanders despite her support for Clinton. Baldwin could make either current Democratic candidate for president a strong running mate.
End Note
No one owes it to Hillary Clinton to elect her president. Her constant scandals, questionable ethics, and intertwining of corporate interests, not to mention the current FBI investigation regarding her private email server, render her one of the most unpalatable candidates for president in recent history. There are better options out there. Let’s not elect a president with such an unsavory past simply because she’s a woman.
A later story will highlight grassroots candidates and the Green Party’s presidential candidate Jill Stein.
[Featured Photo: Tammy Baldwin (L), Elizabether Warren, (R). Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty]
