Decision ?08: Hillary Rodham Clinton

TAYLOR HAIGLER '08

Many Beaver students will soon have their first opportunity to vote, but some may not know much about their choices. Over the next few weeks, we will profile the major candidates, starting with Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Bio
Hillary was born in 1947 in a middle-class, white suburb: Park Ridge, Illinois. She had an ordinary childhood, enjoying sports, slumber parties with her girlfriends and watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. Yet, what does differentiate her from most women of her time is her parents? belief in equality. Her parents treated Hillary no differently than her brothers and told she could do anything she set her mind too. It wasn?t until Hillary wrote to NASA asking how she can prepare herself to one day become an astronaut that she realized how unequal society is: she was informed that a woman could not become an astronaut. Her household was conservative and when she left home to go to school at Wellesley College in the late 1960?s, she realized that it would be a difficult adjustment. Hillary went through a radical political transformation in her new liberal surrounding. After earning her B.A., Hillary went on to study law at Yale University, where she met and fell in love with former President Bill Clinton. After school Hillary worked as an attorney at Rose Law Firm, as a member of the faculty at the University of Arkansas Law School, was a board member of companies like Wal-Mart and Arkansas Children?s Hospital, was the First Lady of Arkansas in 1979 to 1981 and 1983-1993, the First Lady of the United Sates from 1993-2001 and is currently serving her second term as New York Senator.

Primary/Caucus Results
Iowa: 29% (3rd place)
New Hampshire: 39% (1st place)
Michigan: 55% (1st place)*
Nevada: 51% (1st place)

*Note: Michigan previously lost its delegates to the national convention, and Obama and Edwards withdrew their names from the ballot.

Political Views
Health Care: ?When I am President, enacting legislation to provide guaranteed quality, affordable health care will be my top domestic priority. My plan will lower health care costs by modernizing the system, focusing on preventive care, coordinating and streamlining care for chronically ill patients, and getting rid of the hidden cost of providing care to the uninsured. Under my plan, working families will get a tax credit to help pay for their premiums, insurance companies won't be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and people won't lose coverage if they switch or lose their jobs.?

Iraq: ?When I am President, I will end the war in Iraq. I will convene a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my Secretary of Defense, and my National Security Council to draw up a viable plan to bring our troops home starting within the first 60 days of my administration. When I am President, I will withdraw our forces from the sectarian fighting. There will be no American soldiers refereeing a civil war. No more combat patrols in Baghdad.?

Energy: ?I have three big goals: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, the level necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming; to cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from projected levels by 2030; and to transform our carbon-based economy into an efficient green economy, creating at least five million jobs from clean energy over the next decade.?

Gay Marriage: ?I believe gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans, and I believe that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal.?

Poverty: ?When I am President, I will make new investments to reduce poverty and increase opportunity for low-income Americans. To support our children in their earliest years in life, I will invest $10 billion for universal Pre-K. I will invest in mentoring and internship programs to help at-risk middle-school students stay on track for college and job success. I will provide job-training opportunities for young people who have fallen off-track in high-growth industries like renewable energy, health care, construction, and financial services.?

Sources:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/
iTunes Podcast: ABC News Presidential Candidate Profiles