Hillary Clinton

More Than Just a Symbol: Millennial women resent being told to vote for Clinton because she’s a woman. That’s why they should look at her career fighting for women.

snippet from: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/more-than-just-a-symbol/476490/

....It’s not just that she’s a woman; it’s that she has fought for women her whole career.

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For decades, Clinton has prioritized bills and policies promoting reproductive rights, equal pay, and family leave—far more so than Sanders. This is not to say that Sanders has not supported such legislation or practices. The key difference is that, for him, they simply haven’t been as much of a priority.

This very distinction is the reasoning that Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America offered when they endorsed Clinton as the Democratic candidate earlier this year—while still acknowledging that both she and Sanders have held strong positions and voting records on abortion rights. As noted by Kaylie Hanson, the NARAL Pro-Choice America national communications director: “His voting record is sufficient, but it doesn’t make him a champion for women. That champion is Hillary.” And while this perspective may seem like a matter of opinion—especially from organizations that Clinton has long had close ties to—it’s further evidenced by the way each candidate has run their campaigns and addressed the issues. A January Time article describes the Clinton campaign as making reproductive rights the centerpiece of her policy plans, while Sanders has been criticized by the president of Emily’s List, Stephanie Schriock, for neglecting to “mention anything about abortion, contraception, or reproductive care anywhere in his entire health plan.”

A similar dynamic is apparent on the issue of equal pay. While she was a senator, Clinton spearheaded the development of the Paycheck Fairness Act (introducing three versions of it during her time in Congress), and she was also part of the original set of cosponsors of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, both of which are aimed at achieving equal pay for women in the workplace. Again, Sanders backed both bills, but he was not part of the group of lawmakers that developed them or the one leading the charge. He and Clinton share extremely consistent voting records on equal pay, yet her approach to the problem has been significantly more proactive. While he has often helped provide invaluable support to the cause, she’s the one who has put the issue front and center.
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