Hillary Clinton wins New Hampshire.
And I breathed a sigh of relief. Also, a sigh of belief.
I have known that I wanted to vote for Hillary before I really knew it. Despite all the people who have talked around me about how grating she can be, how they frowned on the idea of abdicating her seat for New York in the US Senate, and all the nay-saying about her ability to really compete in the ’08 election, I have known all along that I wanted to vote for her. New Hampshire doesn’t change that, but it does strengthen my expectation that she will be on the ballot in California so that I can vote for her.
Here’s why. I may not align 100% with her on issues, but I want a woman in the White House. I think she stands head and shoulders above all the other Democratic candidates in political experience and in fundamental practical knowledge of how Washington operates. Anything she doesn’t know right now, she will learn, and she has Bill to teach her. (Sorry, some may think that sounds like I’m giving her a pass for her husband’s expertise, but I think every new officeholder, no matter the office, has a learning curve. Hers will just be steeper.) For better or worse, she HAS made changes already. Finally, she’s a mother.
I took an online political quiz the other day and found that I align with Obama and Edwards more than with Hillary. On paper, anyway. However, I do not believe that most people vote issues, when it’s down to the wire. Election ’04 was about feeling safe, not any number of intellectual issues on the table. Election ’08 won’t be such a one-issue election. But I can say with certainty that the differences between the Democratic candidates on issues are negligible, and that being so, I want a woman in the White House who’s politically able, who has raised a child in this country, and who isn’t the white male status quo.
I’ve had a lot on my mind since Sami was born on September 11, ’06. It’s interesting that she was born on such a polarizing date. I witnessed the Twin Towers collapsing in person, and I moved out of New York City just a few months after that. That experience, and everything I saw that day, will be with me for the rest of my life. But so will my daughter. I want to protect her the way any mother wants to protect her baby. But her birthday every year reminds me of things I want to protect her from – things I cannot personally control. I’m lucky to have something to celebrate on 9/11 that takes the place of all the national weeping and tragedy, but that doesn’t mean I ever forget what happened. So I want a leader who understands not just national defense, but the primal need to protect one’s child. Only one candidate this year has that.
Yes, I’m waxing a little melodramatic here. Also: Yes, I’m a voting stereotype this election. Being a mom has more or less eaten up the time and brain power I might have used for scrutinizing all the candidates with a magnifying glass and fine toothed comb, comparing the nuances of their generally similar spiels. Frankly, I don’t have the time or energy for that right now. I’m voting for the only candidate I can identify with, because I’ve never had one before, and because I do believe she’s best for the job.
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