Affair Handbook

No matter how this 2016 election turns out, it has been historic from the beginning. Not only are these political campaigns the most heavily-influenced and reliant on social media than ever before, the very politicians involved themselves will make the future presidency unique in some aspect. With the last two democratic frontrunners, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton would be the first Jewish president or first female president, respectively. Ted Cruz representing the Republican ballot would have been the first Hispanic president and Donald Trump would be the first well, Donald Trump president. However, at this point in May, it looks like the final candidates to go onto the final election will be Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump unless Bernie Sanders comes back with a plot twist so wild to make M. Night Shyamalan faint.


 

Hillary Clinton Is Scandalous

Many people who are more politically-savvy than half of Congress believe that Hillary Clinton is the only candidate with the platform and experience to make a suitable President of the United States, but is this really the best choice considering her many scandals in the past year. Throughout her entire political campaign, it seems she has had a fresh scandal almost every month. By now it is common knowledge that she recently leaked emails containing confidential information, likely due to her misunderstanding of modern flaws in internet security and the fact that every middle schooler knows how to hack confidential information these days. There are also many alleged claims that her campaign staff was paying for votes during the Iowa caucus, committing election fraud in Arizona by switching registered Democrat voters to “unaffiliated,” and being responsible for the mysterious disappearance of thousands of Democrat votes from Bernie Sanders’ home district in Brooklyn.
 
All of these allegations, though unproven, seem to dog her every step Hillary takes this year, to say nothing of the fact that every other politician in the country seems to blindly back her to the point where you can’t help but acknowledge that they are clearly benefitting from the bargain as well. Every suspicious circumstance that gathers Hillary votes is causing many registered Democrats to switch their loyalties to (I can’t believe I’m actually typing these words right now) presidential candidate Donald Trump. But clearly she is the more qualified of the two to be the leader of the free world and her victory as first female POTUS will strike resonance with sex and gender equality movements worldwide, so maybe the ends justify the means. So then why do so many of us have a bad taste in our mouth when we imagine her being the much-needed voice for feminism in American politics?
 

Hillary Clinton Success Has Come At A Price

In the end, any success is only an echo of the path taken to achieve it. Becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company by stabbing backs to climb the ladder will absolutely tarnish the reputation of everyone involved; it will be a hollow victory. And yet, with Hillary Clinton’s email scandal and even any slight truth in these awful election fraud allegations, a hollow victory is exactly what her nomination now represents for Americans who have been long fed-up with the corrupt electoral process. America desperately needs a female President. Until Barack Obama was elected, the Office only ever held stuffy, rich, old white men who only represented their demographic. The fact that women are still paid less than men and that many Americans still believe women should not obtain leadership roles in any capacity is absolutely absurd and the rest of the world laughs at the United States for it. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, is widely recognized as one of the best political leaders of her country, and anyone who knows her can clearly see that her femininity has only positive impact on how well she leads her country.
 

A Win By Hillary Is NOT A Win For Feminism

Women deserve these victories in a country that seems to be backsliding into the 1950s. If Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election, however, then this striking blow for feminism will be won by a government felon and political villain. If there is even the smallest shred of truth in every scandal that seems to be thrown at her political campaign, then she is teaching women that it’s okay to claw your way to the top, by cheating and foul play, in order to achieve your goals. The world has learned, however, that the path to equality is as important as the outcome. Gandhi’s policy of nonviolence during the Indian independence movement made the movement heroic rather than rebellious. Rosa Parks’ tacit disobedience in the face of racism sparked the civil rights movement and a path toward African American equality. What example will Hillary Clinton set in the movement of equality for women in America?