by Nancy Kivlen

Now that we are in the final days of the primary campaign, the polls have tightened and Hillary's once commanding lead has lessened. I suppose this is predictable, especially with the Oprah-Obama show.

But I urge my fellow democrats and independent voters to refrain from the glitz and take a strong look at the substance.

Democrats need to win and take back the White house in 2008 in order to push through an agenda of change for America.  This will take strong leadership and Hillary Clinton is that leader. She has the strength, wisdom, knowledge, experience, backbone and a proven track record to do this.

What good is an agenda of change if you do not have the experience or leadership to manage it?

Hillary Clinton's entire history has been about change and about being the first woman to lead in many new and different directions.

If the democrats keep Congress in '08, but do not win the white house - then change cannot occur. We will continue to be  polarized over the Iraq war, and we will not see health care reformed.

Hillary Clinton has what it takes to lead our country in a new direction and become our Commander in Chief. She can begin to effect the change needed on day one. Why am I so sure? Just look at her background and what she accomplished since her early days at Wellesley. In 1968, while Barak Hussein Obama was attending elementary school in Indonesia, Hillary Diane Rodham attended both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It became clear to the once Republican Class President, that she was in fact a Democrat and not just a quiet one. She became an advocate for Civil Rights and stood against the Vietnam War. It is no surprise to this supporter that her class mates chose her to give the commencement ceremony speech as their leader and the only student ever chosen to do so. At that moment in time, the spotlight was on her as a leader of a new generation of women, the story was picked up by LIFE magazine.

While both Clinton and Obama have fought for the poor, minorities and under-privileged throughout their careers,  only Hillary has the history and track record of making children, women's issues and health care the center focus of her entire adult life. 

As a law student at Yale, Hillary represented foster children and parents in family court and worked on some of the earliest studies creating legal standards for identifying and protecting abused children. Following graduation, she became a staff attorney for the Children's Defense Fund.

When she was first lady of Arkansas her husband (then Governor) tasked her with lifting the education standards of the state.  She successfully fought against the Arkansas Education Association and instituted mandatory teaching standards as well as state standards for curriculum and classroom size.

As First Lady she led efforts to make adoption easier, increase funding for breast cancer research, helped to create the Adoption Act that moved children from foster care to adoption more quickly. Although her fight for Universal Health care did not succeed in the 90's, she helped institute the State Children's Health Insurance Program providing millions of children with health insurance. She also battled the big drug companies to pass the Vaccines for Children program which dramatically improved immunization rates.

After Obama graduated from Harvard, he was a community organizer in Chicago then an Illinois State Senator. But his most significant piece of legislation was voting for tax credits for low-income workers.  As a 2 year U.S. Senator, Obama has not authored any significant bills.  He does not have a particular cause or issue that defines him.  In fact, in his short 2 year tenure as a U.S. Senator, Obama has missed 34% of the votes compared to Hillary Clinton's 7 years in the Senate with only 19% of missed votes. Obama has touted that he was against the Iraq war from the beginning. But, he was not in the Senate at the time of the vote, and in July, 2004 he told the New York Times that "he was not sure whether he would have voted against the resolution had he been in the Senate."

It's easy to state you were against something that is now unpopular, and it's easy to duck controversial votes (such as the recent one on Iran which he skipped to campaign).  Only a Leader stands up and says "I did it, and here's why" and shows up for the unpopular votes.

While Obama touts he is the candidate of change, he does not have a track record showing he's for change. He talks the talk - but she walks the walk.

Over and over, all the polls show that Clinton leads her contenders on the issues of the Economy, Iraq, Health care, Immigration, and National Security. These are the issues defining the 2008 election and they are what the Republicans will debate us on.

On two issues which tend to be Republican talkings points, National Security and Taxes, Obama has played right into the Republican attack machine's hand by stating he would meet directly with controversial world leaders (proving just how naive he is), and by not bothering to show up for the vote on Iran (that he now rails so loudly against Clinton about).

Obama has taken a stand on Social Security benefits that will surely come under fire by the republicans and middle class Americans.  By insisting on removing the cap on Social Security payments, he agrees to a trillion dollar tax increase. Clinton is smart enough to take the middle road on these issues. She cannot be accused of being soft on terror, because she has no votes that show she's soft on terror and she cannot be accused of raising taxes on the middle class. Obama will be attacked on both issues by the Republican contender should he win the nomination.

The most significant reason to vote for Hillary Clinton in my opinion (other than the fact that she has the most experience) is because she is a woman. Yes, the Gender Card. In a day and age where the American people are screaming for change, electing a woman as World Leader is change. It is historic for America to have a woman as Commander in Chief and Leader of the Free World. The Democrats should embrace this opportunity. it is a change and a shift in a global view of women. Women, the treatment of them, and the role they play in the world will have a significant voice and promote significant change.

Currently, women make up 54% of the voting block in America, yet they are sorely underrepresented as only 16% of congress. There are 16 (out of 100) women Senators, 11 Democrats, and 5 Republicans. And, there are 71 (out of 435) women in the House of Representatives.  Eight women are serving in cabinet positions in the Bush administration (compared to 14 in the Clinton cabinet).  Bush Sr, Regan and Carter each had only 4 women serving in their cabinets. Make no mistake, African American's are sorely under represented as well, there are only 4 African American Senators.  However this voting block represents between 11% - 12% of the entire vote - very different than a clear majority.

But African Americans have an advocate in Hillary Clinton, she has a long history of fighting for civil rights and this is probably why she maintains a double digit lead over Obama among African American voters.

The Democrats need a winner and a leader to bring about the change they so desire. Hillary Clinton can do this, she has proven it time and again.

As one of the most articulate and intelligent candidates to ever run for President, Hillary Clinton just may become one of the best President's we will ever have. But we won't realize this unless we get out and VOTE FOR HER.

Here is an excerpt from the speech she gave at the 1995 UN World Conference on Women in Beijing (it basically sums it all up):
 

"Women's Rights are Human Rights.

 I want to speak up for women in my own country - women who are raising children on the minimum wage, women who can't afford health care or child care, women whose lives are threatened by violence, including violence in their own homes.

Now it is time to act on behalf of women everywhere. If we take bold steps to better the lives of women, we will be taking bold steps to better the lives of children and families too.

Families rely on mothers and wives for emotional support and care; families rely on women for labor in the home; and increasingly, families rely on women for income needed to raise healthy children and care for other relatives.

As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace around the world - as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes - the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized.

Let this Conference be our - and the world's - call to action.

And let us heed the call so that we can create a world in which every woman is treated with respect and dignity, every boy and girl is loved and cared for equally, and every family has the hope of a strong and stable future. "

here is the full speech:
Hillary Clinton: Women's Rights are Human Rights

read her story and background here in the NY Times:
Hillary in '68