Back in 2008, when Obama was running for the first
time, I had concerns with his lack of experience. He had only entered the
Senate in 2005. It felt like the run was only possible because he had made a
good speech that got people excited.
As all this was happening, I remember someone saying
that nothing can prepare you for the presidency. With very difficult
circumstances, the new president performed well and I started to think maybe it
was true. Maybe it was more temperament than experience.
Eight years later, I have to rethink that again.
With her time in the White House and as Secretary of State, it is hard to
imagine anyone more prepared for the diplomatic aspects of the job than Hillary
Clinton. With her time as senator and her work on drafting a plan for universal
health care (though one that was rejected), she should be well prepared to deal
with Congress. She will have as difficult a Congress as her predecessor, but
has learned a few things about dealing with personal attacks and intransigence.
She gets criticized a lot. Some of it is reasonable,
and a lot of it isn't. I have partially dealt with that, and I think I will
some more next Monday, but today is going to be more about the positives.
I can start that with some criticism. Clinton was recently
criticized for a comment about putting coal companies out of business, because
that would put many people in that industry out of work. She did address later
that there would have to be money invested in that area, and there was a meme
with all of the times she misspoke, but there's a point here.
Coal used for energy is incredibly destructive.
Burning coal causes problems from asthma in children to global warming;
obtaining coal has led to destructive strip mining, poisoned waters, and enormous
underground fires; and coal miners have historically done a very dangerous job
with mine owners egregiously ignoring their safety. There are good reasons to
feel like ending this industry would be a good thing; it would still be scary
for the people losing jobs.
That can be worked with. If you care about people,
you can look at a problem and find solutions. There might be retraining for
younger workers, early retirement for older ones, and ways to have the workers
involved in the process of shutting down the systems. These things can be done,
but you have to be open to the complexities of different interactions where any
action will have repercussions, and some very desirable results can be mixed
with undesirable ones.
I have confidence in Clinton to be able to deal
with this. Some have criticized her overly long answers, but what often gets
repeated about that is that she hates making a promise she can't keep.
Therefore, you may intend to ask a yes/no question, but she will see all the
potential complications and give a measured response.
A politician who avoids making false promises is a
good problem to have, but also I simply like that she does see the different
aspects. Another thing I remember from the political past is a friend of mine
telling me how Bill Clinton was the kind of president who would read the policy
papers rather than having an adviser sum it up for him. It wasn't just that he
was smart, but detail-oriented. (I can't remember if the words "nerd"
or "wonk" were used, but they would have fit.) Observing Hillary now,
I have a better sense of what brought them together as a couple.
Those were things that predisposed me to her in the
first place, but the biggest thing lately has been reports of her referring others
to places where they might be able to get help. The first time I saw it was in
a Buzzfeed article, but I have seen other mentions since then. If at a town
hall or a meet and greet or something like that, someone mentions in passing a
problem that they have, she will try and refer them to someone who can help.
That shows me two things about Clinton: she cares about
individuals, and she has the practical knowledge to back it up. I was so
pleased when I was trying to find the original reference to see that they have
started tracking these incidents in a spreadsheet to make sure that follow up
happens. That's how I would do it. But mainly I appreciate that she does it at
all.
I find Hillary Clinton to be caring and competent.
That's the kind of person that I want to see in the
White House.
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