My hope with this post is that it will help provide some extra context for my political beliefs, as well as what I look for in political candidates. I will likely speak in relatively general terms, as I believe this is more effective than attempting to discuss specific policies. If we are able to discuss what a government should do, what role it should play in society, and what the goals of a society should be, then I believe we are more able to seek compromises and understand policies and points of view that differ from our own. I will attempt to be as brief as possible. I likely will not site a ton of sources in this post, but I can provide extra clarity and evidence if it is requested.
As I stated, I believe it is best for me to describe my support of Hillary Clinton by examining my beliefs on government and society.
1. I believe government is inherently good.
I believe our government is capable of accomplishing a wide variety of tasks, if it is properly equipped to do so. Government can do more than provide for military defense. It can also provide for other needs of society. “The Government” is not some dark power that controls the will of the people. Rather, it is the entity that ensures the needs of the people are being met. This might be a bit of an idealistic approach, but I believe it is a good ideal to have, especially for those who are seeking office.
2. I believe Capitalism is not capable of providing for the needs of society without government being involved.
The goal of business is to make money. Without some kind of government incentives, I do not see how a company (or series of companies) would be able to properly maintain an educational system. There are many areas in which government organizations provide services that would likely be seen as not worth pursuing for a company (education, social services, national parks, etc). Furthermore, government regulation is essential in ensuring the American labor force is paid adequately (minimum wage, child labor laws, overtime requirements, equal opportunity employment, etc). The same can be said of our pursuits related to social justice, environmentalism and conservation, and a variety of other societal goals. This is not to say that a system of pure Socialism is much better (more on that below).
3. If people of power are inherently corrupt, I would rather be able to vote for the people of power.
If we are to posit that the power of controlling society will either a) be in the hands of elected officials or b) be in the hands of various corporations, I would much rather be able to vote for those in power. While the American consumer may be powerful, I do not believe choosing to conduct business with one company over another will ever have the same weight as being able to vote for candidates and policies with whom you agree. If you disagree with the policies of a company, but they are the only company available and the service is needed, then you are unable to express your views. If you have government regulations at a local, state, or federal level that you disagree with, you have at least some ability to let your voice be heard.
These are at least some of my guiding principles that lead me to support Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Race, as I believe she is the candidate that most matches my viewpoints.
What about her scandals?
Please see point #1. I believe government is inherently good. Speaking specifically about Benghazi and the recent Email scandal, the federal government has conducted their investigations and found her free of any wrongdoing. After 33 hearings on the Benghazi attacks, Congress eventually concluded that while the event was tragic there was not any wrongdoing by the State Department. With the Email scandal, the FBI found that Hillary Clinton did not act with specific intent to disclose information, a key factor in finding her guilty. So, while both situations are pretty terrible, they have both had their fair share of investigations and due process.
So, you hate Republicans, right?
Not at all. I welcome debates on how our country should be run, what the role of government should be, and how we can solve the problems of society. Just as I stated pure capitalism cannot meet the needs of the people, pure socialism/communism does little to encourage choice, freedom, and entrepreneurship. I believe the truth lies somewhere in between, and we must be able to discuss our ideas in a way that facilitates compromise. Too much of our political discourse has been focused on blindly accepting your own party’s nominee/policy as the chosen one sent from the heavens while the other party’s nominee/policy is the anti-Christ sent to earth to bring terror and destruction.
So, you’re ok with Trump?
No. Donald Trump has yet to act in a manner that is fitting to one who wants to become leader of the free world. He has run on a platform of being politically incorrect. He acts in a way that suggests he would rather act out of impulse (shoot first, ask questions never) than work from a point of empathy. As I favor diplomacy over war, I do not see how he can improve American relations abroad. He has constantly made statements that were completely incorrect and argued with anyone who tried to correct him. He even goes so far as denying he ever made some statements, even though there is audio, video, and/or textual proof that such claims were made. He appears to be the embodiment of “say what you think sounds true, not what is actually true”. I personally liked Kasich in the primaries, and even Gary Johnson seems alright, although I disagree with both of these gentlemen on most if not all of their policies.
So, your vote for Hillary Clinton comes without any reservations?
Absolutely not. Under the Obama administration, it was practically a platform of the Republican party to openly oppose anything and everything Obama supported. A recent case had Republicans angry at Obama after they overrode Obama’s veto of a bill. Since Hillary Clinton has had a long history of working within politics, I think her presidency will be marked by more political gridlock than we have seen before. I would have preferred a different candidate that did not have the history Hillary Clinton does with D.C.
I hope my thoughts here have added a bit of clarity to why myself and others like me have supported Hillary Clinton. I may add additional thoughts to this post as I reflect more on this issue. If you have made it this far, I thank you for taking the time to read these ~1200 words. I doubt I have changed anyone’s opinion here, but I hope I have contributed to a political discourse that is in pursuit of the truth.
Image from XKCD 1756: I’m With Her: http://xkcd.com/1756/
Comic published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License.
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