In stark contrast to that of the Republican party, the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination has been focused on the major issues plaguing our country, such as economic reform, education and rights of minorities.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have proved themselves apt candidates for the Democratic nomination, something that came as a surprise to many political analysts. Both Clinton and Sanders lean far to the left on a majority of issues, causing their debates to focus less on their stance, and more how they choose to fix what they both see as the major problems facing the nation.
Clinton has held the highest office of any candidate in either party. As Secretary of State, she excelled in implementing President Barack Obama’s policy ideas and gained crucial experience in foreign policy. Sanders has held 16 years in the House of Representatives and almost 10 years in the Senate. Through this time he has remained true to his ideas, but such ideas are often too idealistic and will likely not be supported by a Republican Congress, causing more deadlock as we have seen throughout the Obama administration.
Because of his push for radically liberal ideas such as tuition-free public colleges and universities and a Medicare-for-all system, many bright-eyed, eager college students have gotten fired up in support of Sanders. Generally speaking though, this support is misguided. Clinton holds many of the same beliefs as Sanders, yet her policy goals lend themselves to reachability, as they are broken down into smaller parts that make them more workable and give them a chance of passing in a government dominated by Republicans.
With all of this and more considered, The Pendulum proudly and confidently endorses Clinton for the Democratic nomination ahead of the North Carolina primary.
While Sanders has spoken much about providing free tuition for public colleges and universities, Clinton is more reasonable in her approach. A college education is a privilege that all of us at Elon are lucky enough to have, and we should be fighting to ensure all people can have this same privilege.
In the New College Compact, Clinton breaks down her plans to give grants to states promising to work with public institutions to cut costs and increase innovations. She also promises to cut tuition costs completely for community colleges and to work toward cutting interest rates on student loans.
In addition, Clinton has always been an advocate for the rights of minorities, causing her to gain large support from black and Latino voters. She has also proven herself a champion for women’s rights, specifically reproductive rights, which has been of great debate in our country during the last few years. She has been a part of this fight for decades, and does not only recognize the need for a woman’s autonomy over her body, but also promises to fight tirelessly for these rights. She plans to reform the Hyde Amendment, ensure equal pay for all women and fight for paid family leave and child care.
Our generation needs to concern itself with the issues of the future, such as entrepreneurship, global warming and college loans. Clinton is striving to make change in these areas, setting goals for her presidency that are tangible and promising. In each area of political debate, she has a strategic and well-thought-out plan that does not shy away from her ideals.
If Democrats want any chance of beating the Republican nominee, they must support Clinton in the upcoming primary elections. She has been supporting the rights of college students like us for decades and has the political insight and drive necessary to execute policies effectively.