I'm Not Going to Hell if I Don't Vote for Hillary

Illustration by Max Yeager

"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other," said Former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright while campaigning for Hillary Clinton. That means many young women are going to hell because Bernie Sanders leads strongly among Millennials. 

Sorry, Albright, but I'm not going to vote based on gender. Actually, I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of feminism. When I vote for the next president, I'm going to vote for the one I think will do the best job. Going into the election, Clinton had a strong lead among Democrats and was sure she would have the female demographic to back her. This isn't the case, however. Gloria Steinem, a feminist icon, has her own idea why women aren't coming out to support Clinton.

"When you're young, you're thinking, 'Where are the boys?' The boys are with Bernie," said Steinem.

This is quite the misogynistic comment from a supposed feminist. Young women are more than capable of doing their own research and deciding which candidate they like best. The fact is many millennials see Sanders as their best candidate. We've grown up with a government that is accomplishing significantly less as time goes on and we see a need for change. While Clinton seems to offer more of the same, Sanders offers something different. 

For the first time in American history we have a truly viable female presidential candidate who has a high chance of winning the election. This alone should be indicative of how far we come, but Steinem and Albright have fought for so long for women's rights that their eagerness to see a women take the oval office overwhelms actual politics.

Is voting for Clinton because she's a women any better than voting for Sanders because the boys are, as Steinem implied? I don't think so. Both Steinem and Albright have since apologized for their comments after the backlash, but their apologies seem more half-hearted then truly apologetic. In her written apology, published in The New York Times, Albright acknowledged that her comment was made in the wrong context but continued to argue why young women should vote for Clinton.

"The battle for gender equality is still being waged, and it will be easier if we have a woman who prioritizes these issues in the Oval Office," she said. 

The websites for both Clinton and Sanders have a section where they put forward their respective positions on women's rights and goals they hope to accomplish as president related to those rights. Clinton has eight vague bullet points while Sanders has ten clear objectives and a plan for accomplishing them. Sanders and Clinton are both strong candidates on the issue of women's rights and I think either of them would do excellent in that respect while in office. 

Gender inequality is not a problem that will be solved by focusing on someone's gender. There are problems to be solved and issues to face. A female presidential candidate has a serious chance of winning and I do think this shows how far our society has come. While I may not vote for Clinton, I look forward to the day when there is a female candidate who I think will be the best person for the job.