8 Reasons why I won’t be voting for Hillary in the 2014 Primary & 9 Reasons I will in the General Election.

Update:  Bad: Legislation she introduced while in the senate: Video Games cause Violence.

Good: Hillary Clinton on the Internet: ” … to use an American phrase, our position is, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ And there’s no good reason to replace an effective system with an oppressive one.” (state.gov)

Good: If Hillary Clinton ran for president again, she would probably be the best-prepared candidate in American history: one who’s lived in the White House and served in the United States Senate; a woman who knows virtually every head of state in the world.(nytimes.com)

Americans overwhelmingly side with Hillary Clinton over Karl Rove in brain flap “Two-thirds of Americans in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll disapprove of the Republican strategist raising questions about Clinton’s age and health in advance of her potential presidential run.” (washingtonpost.com)

Good: “In fact viewership of al Jazeera is going up in the United States because it’s real news. You may not agree with it, but you feel like you’re getting real news around the clock instead of a million commercials and arguments between talking heads” (blogs.abcnews.com)

Polls show a huge lead for Hillary, now, over fellow Democrats and Republicans, both. Of course, it’s way early. But the “it’s her time” logic, before it calcifies, needs to be questioned. Folks like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren deserve an opportunity, if they choose to put themselves forward.

8 Reasons I won’t be voting Hillary in the primary:

Hillary is more right wing that most Democratic voters on:

1. Civil liberties (NSA, Patriot Act, Iraq),

2. Economic reform (fiscal policy, welfare policy, financial regulation, policies to address economic inequality).

3. The war on drugs (Hillary opposes marijuana legalization),

4. Immigration (in her 2008 run, Hillary opposed giving undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses and preferred a pathway to legal status rather than citizenship),

5. The death penalty,

6. War. She’s frequently hawkish. Including, Israel (“Hillary Clinton’s 2016 strategy for differentiating herself is to be more of an interventionist warhawk than President Obama.” (politico.com)) More: The original interview for those that are interested. “She makes some good points and is pretty critical of both sides but I guese that gets lost when its reposted by somewhere like the Times of Israel…”

7. Equal Rights. “In 2008, she was firm on her belief that marriage was between a man, arguing that it was a conviction she’s held for a long time. Yet she shifted on the issue so that she could be competitive in 2016 since the Democratic Party base has…moved to the left.”

8. In 2005, Hillary co-sponsored a bill that would have banned flag burning. We’re a nation of freedoms, including the right to protest—burning our own flag may be silly, but it’s also an expression of those rights. It’s also a divisive, silly wedge-issue, a non-issue, really, so to co-sponsor one such bill indicates a lack of priorities, as well as politically-calculated priorities vs. real issues that matter (say, the Food Bill).

References: Reddit: Why is Hillary Clinton so popular when policywise she’s significantly to the right of the Democratic Party base?(self.PoliticalDiscussion)

Bernie Sanders: Don’t ‘anoint’ Clinton yet. Sen. Bernie Sanders may or may not run for president. But he’s not comfortable letting Hillary Clinton run away with the 2016 Democratic nomination, either. (politico.com)

Hillary Clinton’s Foreign Policy Is Already Terrifying (vice.com)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that U.S. should send a clear message that the illegal immigrant children who have been surging across the border will be sent home (washingtontimes.com)

Hillary Clinton: “We see this enormous international reaction against Israel. This reaction is uncalled for and unfair.” (theatlantic.com)

9 Reasons why I’ll vote for her in the General Election over a Republican: 

1. She won’t be making similar reductions in student aid,

2. She won’t do as much to boost corporations at the expense of the lower/middle classes,

3. She won’t implement any far-right social policies.

4. She’s good on healthcare (see her failed effort in the 90s).

5. The other Clinton is a real plus: her husband is seen as a successful and popular president who presided over a time of prosperity and relative peace.

6. She is a Democrat and not a Republican, which means less to me in terms of what team I’m on and more to me in terms of the host of issues party affiliation indicates.

7. Experience. She has a long, hard-won and prestigious history in politics and diplomacy.

8. Her evolving views are a good thing, generally: “having your views evolve and change as new evidence is presented is in my mind not necessarily bad, and holding onto outdated views when presented with new evidence is something that the far right is continually bashed for (see climate change deniers for example).”

9. Yes, it’s time: it’s time for a female President. Whether it’s her or another qualified, it’s time.

References: Hillary Clinton Favors Ending the Cuban Embargo (tampabay.com)

Hillary Clinton: ‘I would consider’ anti-Citizens United amendment (msnbc.com)