Hillary Clinton, Just Stop
Approaching midterms, one can say it's been a weird two years for Hillary Clinton, who would be our president right now if it weren't for a combination of the outdated electoral college and those living outside our liberal bubbles. How disliked do you have to be to lose an election to Donald Trump, someone who we know, at this point, was surely not expecting to win the presidency? It's amusing how time changes perspectives and makes all our past selections feel so stupid. One instance? When we zoom out a few years later and gaze at photos of thousands of pussy-hat and pantsuit-clad individuals marching not just against Trump—who don't get me wrong, is a racist, bigoted misogynist—but in favor of Clinton.
Hillary seems to have led a public life of contradictions. She recently declared Christine Blasey Ford's testimony against Brett Kavanaugh—in which Ford details Kavanaugh pinning her to a bed as a teenager and muffling her cries for help—seem credible to Clinton."You have to ask yourself, why would anybody put themselves through this if they did not believe that they had important information to convey to the Senate?" She recently posed at the Atlantic Festival. Good question, Hil! But are you saying this because it's popular opinion or because you believe women? Clinton's track record proves the former—historically contending that her husband's four accusers were lying for their own financial or personal gain. But they're not frivolous complaints, they’re very real. The scandals that have followed Hillary and her refusal to amend them or apologize has always felt like a static, deafening silence. Even now, that she's created such a political impact outside of her husband, she stands by him, robotic and unfettered by his personal crimes, and collective foreign policy fuck ups.
But there is an argument that goes well beyond the fact that just over a week ago she insisted the Lewinsky scandal was not an abuse of power because Lewinsky was an "adult" during the affair. Clinton needs to face it: she’s not the future of politics. And “Clinton Fatigue”—a phrase thrown around for decades to describe how tired people are of the Clinton’s faux progressiveness—is real, and has likely increased since Trump won the 2016 election. The United States is being run by a senile and erratic despot who won’t even listen to moderates but call Kanye West a prophet. A president who has poisoned not just the United States but the world to the “fake news media,” and who lies so often, without a care, and with such confidence, often about nothing at all, that masses believe him. A president who also has a lengthy history of assault equivalent to the Clinton patriarch.
But there is an argument that goes well beyond the fact that just over a week ago she insisted the Lewinsky scandal was not an abuse of power because Lewinsky was an "adult" during the affair. Clinton needs to face it: she’s not the future of politics. And “Clinton Fatigue”—a phrase thrown around for decades to describe how tired people are of the Clinton’s faux progressiveness—is real, and has likely increased since Trump won the 2016 election. The United States is being run by a senile and erratic despot who won’t even listen to moderates but call Kanye West a prophet. A president who has poisoned not just the United States but the world to the “fake news media,” and who lies so often, without a care, and with such confidence, often about nothing at all, that masses believe him. A president who also has a lengthy history of assault equivalent to the Clinton patriarch.
Young people don't want a president who lives like the conservatives they claim to deplore and dab on stages like awkward, ancient substitute teachers. We don't want presidents who commodify feminism and use it as a stepping stone despite having always displayed immense levels of misogyny; the next generation have seen what Trump is capable of—what he’s gotten away with—and want a president whose policies will produce radical and immediate change. We want a true progressive at a time when it's possible something could just wipe us all out in 20 years, whether that something be climate change, nuclear war or solar flares.
If you want approval, you must be willing to listen. And as leftist as your promises are, they must be believable.
Above all, we need a president who's not lacking in conviction. Once you succumb to your moral-blindspot, you're a goner. And, let's be honest, if Clinton runs again (please, please for the love of god, don't do it), her presidential husband would remain in the shadows, helping dictate things, as the Clintons have always worked as a unit, lied as a unit, and protected one another as a unit.
The next generation want leaders like Florida Senator candidate Andrew Gillum, who combats racism and anti-immigration, wants healthcare for all, and demands gun control. Texas Senator candidate Beto O’Rourke, who was relatively unknown until he gained a millennial fandom in past months, because he represents a kind-hearted imperfection we relate to. Is he perfect? No. His mugshots have been released by the Right to sully his image. But his crimes are far from morose. They stem from typical teenage lapses in judgement: One arrest for jumping a fence and another for a DWI. The difference between O’Rourke and the everyday politician is his brutal honesty. He’s up front about his arrests on stage, admitting there is no excuse for his previous poor behaviors but also that he’s taken his second chance to serve his community. His policies on climate change, background checks for gun ownership (which is a huge deal in Texas), and immigration reform resonate with people who are tired of politicians that lack integrity and exude fear, like his competitor Ted Cruz. It’s clear who the stronger candidate is, and his “cool” image isn’t contrived. He knows how to skate and was in a grunge-punk band. There’s proof.Neither Gillum nor O’Rourke are dabbing on stage to impress kids. They’re promising policies that serve as an escape from Trumpism. They give us hope that in 2020, we’ll be given a little more to work with re: candidates. They’re also not prone to making ridiculous statements, like comparing climate change to Nazi Germany.
What young, modern politicians need to learn is that Generation Z is paying closer attention than (in my opinion) previous generations, because they’re living under Late Capitalism. We're living in a nation that never gets the chance to fully recover from a mass shooting before another school is under fire—and who recognize the “Late” in Late Capitalism implies we could be reaching the end of the road. It shouldn’t be Generation Z’s responsibility to fix the mistakes of Boomers, Gen X or millennials, but politicians need to listen to what young people want. After all, they’re the ones who have to deal with the repercussions when we’re all dead. And if our parents didn’t vote with us in mind, the least we could do is give back to the kids who were born into this seemingly fucked world. If you want approval, you must be willing to listen. And as leftist as your promises are, they must be believable. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for.
The next generation want leaders like Florida Senator candidate Andrew Gillum, who combats racism and anti-immigration, wants healthcare for all, and demands gun control. Texas Senator candidate Beto O’Rourke, who was relatively unknown until he gained a millennial fandom in past months, because he represents a kind-hearted imperfection we relate to. Is he perfect? No. His mugshots have been released by the Right to sully his image. But his crimes are far from morose. They stem from typical teenage lapses in judgement: One arrest for jumping a fence and another for a DWI. The difference between O’Rourke and the everyday politician is his brutal honesty. He’s up front about his arrests on stage, admitting there is no excuse for his previous poor behaviors but also that he’s taken his second chance to serve his community. His policies on climate change, background checks for gun ownership (which is a huge deal in Texas), and immigration reform resonate with people who are tired of politicians that lack integrity and exude fear, like his competitor Ted Cruz. It’s clear who the stronger candidate is, and his “cool” image isn’t contrived. He knows how to skate and was in a grunge-punk band. There’s proof.Neither Gillum nor O’Rourke are dabbing on stage to impress kids. They’re promising policies that serve as an escape from Trumpism. They give us hope that in 2020, we’ll be given a little more to work with re: candidates. They’re also not prone to making ridiculous statements, like comparing climate change to Nazi Germany.
What young, modern politicians need to learn is that Generation Z is paying closer attention than (in my opinion) previous generations, because they’re living under Late Capitalism. We're living in a nation that never gets the chance to fully recover from a mass shooting before another school is under fire—and who recognize the “Late” in Late Capitalism implies we could be reaching the end of the road. It shouldn’t be Generation Z’s responsibility to fix the mistakes of Boomers, Gen X or millennials, but politicians need to listen to what young people want. After all, they’re the ones who have to deal with the repercussions when we’re all dead. And if our parents didn’t vote with us in mind, the least we could do is give back to the kids who were born into this seemingly fucked world. If you want approval, you must be willing to listen. And as leftist as your promises are, they must be believable. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for.
Stop Calling Trump's Anti-Transgender Policies a "Distraction"
The Trump administration poses a very real, theocratic threat to transgender protections
There’s reason to believe Clinton is considering running for POTUS again in 2020, as she's currently about to start a 13-city speaking tour with her husband regarding her 2016 loss to Trump. She’s been fucking up for too long and despite her plausible intelligence, refuses to reinvent herself in the public sphere or give herself to an important cause, like other recently failed presidential candidates (John Kerry, Al Gore, etc.). She rarely, if ever, accepts blame or apologizes for her actions. She won't publicly admit why she's such a hated political figure (she cites Clintipathy—an “irrational” hatred of Clinton due to conservative pillorying). And she'd have filled the White House with more affluent, wealthy Democrats, thus not draining the swamp at all but continuing the liberal nightmare of the Clinton '90s.
While I object to critics telling Hillary she should take up knitting (because, well, that is just plainly misogynistic), maybe she could travel back to the wooded area she retreated into following her 2016 loss. She could live off the land, learn how to harvest truffles and non-poisonous plants, perhaps discover something to break the chain of climate change madness in case future politicians let her back in the White House.
When a space is emptied, it allows others to enter. Younger, more progressive others who are petitioning for genuine change. Also, nature is cleansing.
While I object to critics telling Hillary she should take up knitting (because, well, that is just plainly misogynistic), maybe she could travel back to the wooded area she retreated into following her 2016 loss. She could live off the land, learn how to harvest truffles and non-poisonous plants, perhaps discover something to break the chain of climate change madness in case future politicians let her back in the White House.
When a space is emptied, it allows others to enter. Younger, more progressive others who are petitioning for genuine change. Also, nature is cleansing.
