I've met this woman 3 times. They were your quick handshake and hello type of meetings. Not the sort of meeting that would allow me to say I know Senator Clinton.
But when I looked in her eyes and held her hand, my rather substantial gut said this is a woman I can trust. This is a woman who has my best interest at heart.
Now, I'm not one to scour the web for numbers and quotes. Read on the learn about the Hillary I know in my gut.
The Hillary I know went straight from Law School to Fall River, Mass. to work for the Children's Defense Fund. Not to the high paying corporate jobs she was offered, but to where she could help the most helpless of our society.
As a law student, Hillary represented foster children and parents in family court and worked on some of the earliest studies creating legal standards for identifying and protecting abused children. Following graduation, she became a staff attorney for the Children's Defense Fund.
The Hillary I know worked to bring down the most corrupt presidency in American history. She was still young and may have made a mistake or two, but she was on the side of the good guys.
After serving as only one of two women lawyers on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee considering the impeachment of Richard Nixon, Hillary chose not to pursue offers from major law firms. Instead she followed her heart and a man named Bill Clinton to Arkansas. They married in 1975 and their daughter Chelsea was born in 1980.
The Hillary I know continued to work for children after her marriage.
Hillary ran a legal aid clinic for the poor when she first got to Arkansas and handled cases of foster care and child abuse. Years later, she organized a group called Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. When she was just 30, President Carter appointed her to the board of the United States Legal Services Corporation, a federal nonprofit program that funds legal assistance for the poor.
The Hillary I know took on the mantle of the Woman's movement and worked tirelessly around the world to bring the horrible treatment of women into public awareness.
When her husband was elected President in 1992, Hillary's work as a champion for women was recognized and admired around the world. She traveled the globe speaking out against the degradation and abuse of women and standing up for the powerful idea that women's rights are human rights.
The Hillary I know spoke in 1995 to The UN Fourth World Conference On Women, Beijing, China
I want to speak up for mothers who are fighting for good schools, safe neighborhoods, clean air and clean airwaves . . . for older women, some of them widows, who have raised their families and now find that their skills and life experiences are not valued in the workplace . . . for women who are working all night as nurses, hotel clerks, and fast food chefs so that they can be at home during the day with their kids . . . and for women everywhere who simply don't have enough time to do everything they are called upon to do each day.
If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, it is that human rights are women's rights . . . And women's rights are human rights.
The Hillary I know spoke once again at the 5 year follow-up to the Beijing meeting. When she finished her speech the 1000's of women at the U.N. began to hold hands and sing the anthem of freedom, "We shall overcome". This is an inspiring woman and republican's don't like that.
The Hillary I know is in it to win. She's in it to win the nomination and she's in it to win the Presidency.
Quoting Markos:
What's more, Clinton was the only top-tier candidate to refuse the ultimate Iowa and New Hampshire pander by removing her name from the Michigan ballot. That makes her essentially the de facto winner since Edwards and Obama, caving to the cry babies in Iowa and New Hampshire, took their name off Michigan's ballot. Sure, the DNC has stripped Michigan of its delegates, but that won't last through the convention. The last thing Democrats can afford is to alienate swing states like Michigan and Florida by refusing to seat their delegates.
So while Obama and Edwards kneecap their chances of winning, Clinton is single-mindedly focused on the goal.
The Hillary I know has an awesome record in the Senate. She came to the Senate, rolled up her sleeves and learned the ropes better than most Senators ever do. She's worked across the aisle more than any and she has fought the rethug controlled Senate to keep our progressive agenda out front.
The Hillary I know has not only fought the wrong wing smear machine for 20 years, she knows how to successfully stand up and fight their crap now.
Once again quoting Markos:
Clinton, by far. No one has taken more shit from the VRWC, not by a long shot. Edwards earned valuable campaign experience in 2004. It makes me wonder why he'd go through it all again a second time, but still, it's something. Obama has never had a competitive race against a Republican. His best experiences comes from winning primaries. But he's never been in the crossfires of the GOP. Maybe that's why he can pretend that he can move beyond partisanship. Because he's never had to run a partisan race.
The Hillary I know is a progressive whatever that means and a lifelong fighter for our liberal beliefs.
Markos once again:
Clinton isn't horrible on this front, but Obama has made a cottage industry out of attacking the dirty fucking hippies on the left, from labor unions, to Paul Krugman, to Gore and Kerry, to social security, and so on. People think I was being ticky tack with the Gore thing, and in isolation it would've been but a minor non-event. But it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for me, yet another in a pattern of attacks against Democrats and their constituencies. He is the return of Bill Clinton-style triangulating personified.
The Hillary I know is a funny, likable woman. She admits she is uncomfortable talking about herself but she can speak to the issues better than any candidate in this race.
Even Markos likes her:
In other words, I'd have a beer with any of them. But I do love the idea of breaking a new barrier this year, whether it's by having a woman president or an African American one.
The Hillary I know is a Woman. She is the best spokesperson the woman's movement has ever had and republican's don't like that either. Women, over 50% of the population, may not always like her policies but they respect her and admire her fighting spirit.
The Hillary I know is the greatest threat the GOP has ever faced. Why have they relentlessly attacked her for all these years? Because they know what will happen to the GOP if Hillary is nominated for the Presidency of the United States.
Women. Single mothers. Working women. Feminists. Housewives. Women. Bartenders, Convenience store workers, mill workers. Women. Hookers, Strippers, Black Jack Dealers. Women.
Women. who have never voted. Women. who have voted Republican. Women. who are independents.
The Hillary I know when nominated will unite these women into the greatest force for freedom that the world has ever seen.
The Hillary I know when nominated will cause the largest voter registration the country has ever seen. All those women voters standing with their sisters to see the first Woman President will be registered as Democrats.
If you are not threatened like republican's are, you will support this incredible woman.
The Hillary I know is the greatest threat the GOP has ever faced. She is a Woman.