Why I want Hillary Rodham Clinton to be President

I have supported Hillary Clinton ever since she first appeared on the national stage several decades ago. As a woman growing up in the 60s and 70s I found in her someone I could look up to.

Many younger Americans don't often understand how she shook up the status quo when her husband entered the White House and she was not content to chose new china plates and give tours of the Rose Garden. Here was a First Lady who could actually make a difference rather than just be a hostess.

She came from a middle class background. She went to top schools by virtue of her hard work, study and determination. She was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth and everything she achieved, she worked damned hard for. She became Senior Class President of Wellesley, becoming the first student ever to give a Commencement speech and graduated from Yale Law School with Honors.

She was a key player in getting Bill Clinton elected to the White House both times. Under his Presidency, all of America prospered like never before. Jobs were created, the middle class prospered and the blueprint for health care for everyone was first formed.

Her entire adult life she has championed the cause of a better world for women and children. She has been an advocate around the world for both.

I think she is the best qualified candidate running from either party in this election. She served for 8 years in the US Senate, where she soon developed a reputation for being able to reach across the aisle and work with members of both parties. She also had the very difficult job of becoming Secretary of State after the George Bush years, which had virtually destroyed America's reputation abroad. The damages wrought by the Bush administration were expected to take years to repair. Hillary managed to not only repair and heal the damage in less than 4 years, but she strengthened ties with our allies and created a footprint to follow in the years ahead.

As a professional woman who has worked in a 'man's world' for most of my career, I am here to tell you that being a woman in a workplace dominated by men is not an easy task. A feminist once said that: “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good." Hillary and other women have lived with that reality their entire lives and live with it on a daily basis.

I don't support Hillary Clinton just because she is a woman. I support her because she is the best qualified candidate for the office of President. The fact that she is a woman, tells me she is better qualified times two from her nearest competition.

I leave you with Hillary's own words that sum a lot up for me:

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