By Erica Schwanke © 2008

This article is the third of a series appearing in the politics section that will serve as an overview of individuals running for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations. Each of these articles will include a brief biography and a review of the candidate’s stance on a set of issues that especially concern young adults and families. This article is on Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the junior United States Senator for the state of New York. Hillary Clinton is married to Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Born in Illinois, Hillary Clinton attended Wellesley College for her undergraduate degree, and then Yale Law School, which she gradated from in 1973. After marrying Bill Clinton in 1975, Clinton worked as a lawyer and served as the First Lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and from 1983 to 1992. After serving as the First Lady, Clinton moved to New York and was elected U.S. Senator, making her the first female senator from New York as well as the first former U.S. First Lady to run for public office. Hillary Clinton is currently running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president.

Health Care:

Clinton has continuously pushed for universal health care, claiming that it is a core Democratic principle. Like Obama (the other front runner for the Democratic nomination), Clinton has a detailed plan ensuring that everyone is covered. Clinton’s plan is based on the current system used to provide all government employees and their families with health insurance, but her plan is not government-run. During the time she served as First Lady, Clinton worked to make dramatic structural changes in health care, aiming for universal care. Although she fell short of this goal, Clinton claims it taught her valuable lessons that will assist her in achieving her goal of universal care if elected president.

Education:

Playing off the maxim of “it takes a village to raise a child,” Clinton has repeatedly stated that she feels the American “village” has failed its children. Clinton would like to see significant changes in the U.S. education system, starting with early education. If elected, Clinton states she would develop free universal kindergarten programs that would allow for every four-year-old to enter the education system.

Civil Rights:

Clinton is commonly considered pro-LGBT rights and pro-affirmative action. Clinton has asked for a reintroduction of the Equal Rights Act and continuously speaks out against intolerance and prejudice. Clinton seems to be predominantly concerned with women’s rights and causes, such as ensuring that equal pay is received for equal work. However, Clinton also voted in favor of hate crime legislation that would have included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories.

Marriage Laws:

While in the Senate, Clinton voted against the federal marriage amendment, which would have denied marriage rights to same-sex couples. Clinton has also verbally supported LGBT adoptions. Clinton believes that marriage should not be allowed for same-sex couples but supports civil unions and domestic partnerships that would allow full equality of benefits.

Minimum Wage:

Clinton has stated that she plans to reinstate legislation that would stop Congress from getting a pay increase until the minimum wage is increased, hoping to keep this legislation forced indefinitely, permanently tying Congressional pay to the minimum wage. Before the most recent increase, the minimum wage had remained the same for ten years. Clinton believes that the minimum wage must be raised again because this past raise was already out of date. Clinton also strongly supports unions and believes they are necessary if fair wages are to be received.

Environment:

In a recent debate, Clinton stated that the nation’s plan for the environment should be comparable to the Apollo moon program, involving the resources of the federal government, the states, and all communities and individuals working to achieve a common goal. Clinton also stated that she has an extensive energy plan that does not rely on nuclear power and also hopes to eliminate all coal-powered plants that do not have up-to-date “clean” technology. Additionally, Clinton would like to see an increase in research focusing on how to capture and store existing carbon.

The Iraq War:

Clinton opposes the war in Iraq. If elected, Clinton has said that she will begin troop withdrawal 60 days after her inauguration. Clinton’s concern is the lack of strategy in the Iraq war; she strongly believes that President Bush should be forced to clear plans and agreements regarding Iraq with the U.S. Congress before taking action. Although Clinton has said she would like to withdraw the troops, she has not presented any clear strategies on how to end the war.

For more information on Hillary Clinton and her campaign, visit www.hillaryclinton.com.