Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady, and junior Senator from New York, is clearly the front-runner for the Democratic Party nomination in 2008. The first woman to be elected in a statewide election in New York, as well as the first former First Lady to be elected to the Senate, Senator Clinton has broken down barriers while taking a prominent role in the Democratic Party. Married to former President Bill Clinton, Senator Clinton has been involved with D.C. politics for the last 15 years, and her influence has recently landed her on Time magazine's Top 100 most powerful people list. Due to her relative low rank on seniority, Senator Clinton does not chair any committees, but she holds influential positions on several, including the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and finally Armed Services. She has used her influence on those committees to push through measures to increase the availability of high-speed Internet for lower income areas, as well as protect many New Yorkers from the nation-wide recession during the first few years of the Bush Administration.
Much like Biden, Senator Clinton has some skeletons in her closet to prohibit her from being the overwhelming favorite. In an age where political in-fighting has reached a high point, and the public as a whole is clamoring for a better approach to politics and government, Senator Clinton is probably the most divisive political figure in the Democratic party. Senator Clinton was not a member of the bipartisan Gang of 14, which was a neutral group made up of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats who reached across party lines to stem the tide of the political bickering. If elected, many centrists and moderates fear that the lack of bipartisanship will inhibit actual work from getting done. Added to this is the baggage that plagued President Clinton during his terms in office, including the Whitewater scandal, the Impeachment process, her famous Right-Wing conspiracy quote, as well as problems that she has accrued during her Senate terms.
Much like her comments push the Right away, her politics have a way of separating herself from the middle. Out of all the candidates, Senator Clinton's main plank is her push for Universal Health Care. During her time as First Lady, she spearheaded the administration's push for Universal Health Care, and while doing much of the same during her time as Senator, will plan an even more comprehensive plan for the upcoming election. On foreign policy, Senator Clinton is for the force reduction in Iraq, and timetables for complete withdrawal. She is an ardent supporter of Israel, while also a supporter of Palestinian rights through a Palestinian government. Much like Biden, Obama and Edwards, she believes a crisis is occurring in Darfur, but unlike the others feels the involvement needs to be lighter.
Economically, she is a true democrat at heart, understanding that the burden of taxing must be bared in order to increase the common good. She has supported or sponsored legislation for debt and deficit reduction, as well as being an ardent supporter for reducing the National Debt. She hopes to roll back some of the more adventurous tax breaks and cuts the President has installed over the course of his terms.
Domestically, she supports the legal right for abortion while being against it principle, believing that the choice lies in the specific woman, not our government. She supports more rehabilitation in our criminal justice system, while stronger gun control laws need to be in existence. She is against gay marriage, but for civil unions that protect gay rights. She is one of the leading voices against violence in video games, and has introduced legislation attempting to limit the sale of violent video games to those over the age of 18.
Yesterday, Senator Clinton gave a speech at the Manchester Institute of Technology detailing her economic plans, the consumer market, global labor and other fiscal matters. A copy of her speech, entitled "Shared Prosperity" can be found on her official website, www.hillaryclinton.com. A link to the speech is here: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/speech/view/?id=1839
Unfortunately, I was unable to find Senator Clinton's current schedule, but as soon as does something, I'll let you all know.
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