Why I Can't Vote for Hillary Clinton
I love listening to NPR’s Here and Now to get the rundown on issues of the day, but I’ve never commented on their website after listening. Until last Thursday, January 14. I listened to their 10 minute segment entitled “Bill Clinton’s Past Infidelity and What It Means for Hillary’s Campaign”. I felt compelled to weigh in because the allegations against Bill Clinton hit a nerve with me. Bill Clinton’s bad behavior is about more than just “Past Infidelity”. This is about alleged sexual assault. And sexual assault is a crime.
My initial comment on the Here and Now thread was:
“While Hillary didn't commit sexual crimes, her aiding and abetting of her husband makes her complicit. I am a registered Democrat and a woman. But I can't in good conscience vote for Hillary to take that last hack at the glass ceiling. A stronger woman would have left Bill decades ago. Their marriage seems a political contract, and that makes me lose respect for her as a woman and a person.”
Too many so-called pillars of the community get free passes and never see a day in court. They have the means to silence their accusers, with hush money, with intimidation. This is shameful. You shouldn’t be immune to more comprehensive investigation just because you’re a musician, a comedian, a cop, a governor or a president.
At least 8 women have accused Bill Clinton of some form of sexual misconduct. The most prominent accusers include, Juanita Broaderrick, Kathleen Willey, Eileen Wellstone, Carolyn Moffet, Becky Brown, Helen Dowdy, Cristy Zercher, and Paula Jones (with whom Clinton settled out of court for $850,000).
My problem with Hillary Clinton is that she may have been involved in silencing these alleged victims. And that possibility gives me serious pause. I’m not talking about Monica Lewinsky or Gennifer Flowers here, or any of the numerous consensual affairs Bill Clinton had. If infidelity alone were my grounds for not voting for a political candidate, my pickings would be slim indeed. But when I posted my comment on Here and Now, some people chimed in to call me, among other things, an “idiot” for not voting for Hillary. They thought I was judging her for forgiving her husband’s infidelity.
Let me set the record straight. This isn’t about infidelity. It’s about alleged sexual assault. I don’t judge anyone for forgiving their perpetrators. I have forgiven my own. But forgiveness is different from blindness. I don’t think political affiliation should get in the way of us ignoring red flags any more than someone’s superstar status should. When numerous women come forward with accusations of the same man, there is a statistical probability at least some of them are right.
You may still think I’m an idiot not to vote for someone who may be touting a sexual predator as her “First Gentleman”. But I stand by my decision. As a survivor of sexual assault. As a Democrat. As a woman. And as a voter.
You can read an excellent rundown of why this is so important in Matthew Rozsa’s article for The Daily Dot. http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/bill-clinton-cosby-sexual-assault-allegations/
To read one of the other sides of this argument, feel free to check out Glenn Kessler’s article for The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2014/02/12/pauls-claim-that-at-least-half-a-dozen-women-called-clinton-a-sexual-predator/
