Progressives Should Support Hillary Clinton

Like the pro, I acknowledge that change will not happen overnight, however we cannot hope to enact changes unless we can build a strong movement to enact those changes and stand firm in our principles. For this reason, I shall contend that progressives should not support Hillary Clinton, and should rally behind Green Party candidate Jill Stein.1. Hillary Clinton is not a ProgressiveDespite the populist rhetoric Clinton has been using, Clinton's record on issues from Climate Change to Military intervention show that she is anything but progressive. As the first lady, as a Senator and as Secretary of State, she promoted policies which are the antithesis of progressive values. I shall focus on just three areas in particular in this round. The first issue is free trade. Clinton has been very trade friendly up until recently when she flip-flopped on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Clinton advocated for NAFTA as First lady and in 2008, she stated she would not support withdrawal from NAFTA. As a Senator, she voted for the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, the US-Chile Free Trade Agreement, the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, the US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement and the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and as Secretary of State she pushed for the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and helped negotiate the TPP, going as far as calling it the “Gold Standard” in trade deals, and pushed for it on numerous occasions. While she now claims to be against TPP, her previous actions make this claim seem dubious at best, and, therefore, unreliable. This all stands at odds with the progressive stance on Trade, which is generally in opposition to free trade, supporting fair trade as an alternative. The second issue is foreign policy. As Secretary of State, Clinton was one of the most Hawkish members of the Obama cabinet, pushing for the 2009 troop surge in Afghanistan, the 2011 intervention in Libya and attempted to extend the US occupation of Iraq. In her book Hard Choices, Clinton bragged about taking a maximalist stance on Iran and imposing "crippling sanctions". She is also a major supporter of US Drone strikes which have killed thousands of innocent civilians, a fact which she chooses to deny. She is also a vocal supporter of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and a strong opponent of Palestinian statehood. Her tenure as secretary of state has been lauded by former SOS Henry Kissinger, someone who Clinton has praised as an inspiration. This record alone should disqualify Clinton from being a progressive. Progressives are opposed to foreign intervention, militarism, and imperial wars, things Clinton has shown to be in favour of. The final issue is campaign finance. This is not so much an issue of stance, as much as it is an issue of practice. Progressives should not support candidates who take corporate money, and should not take corporate money themselves. This is because corporate money influences policies and corrupts the political system at large. Hillary Clinton has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from large corporations and special interest groups. Progressives stand in opposition to this and thus Hillary Clinton cannot be considered a progressive.http://www.truth-out.org...http://www.thenation.com...http://www.huffingtonpost.com...http://www.commondreams.org...http://www.huffingtonpost.com...http://www.salon.com...http://www.salon.com...http://www.thenation.com...http://www.truthdig.com...http://www.politifact.com...http://www.theguardian.com...http://www.cnn.com...http://www.npr.org...2. Lesser of Two Evils Solves NothingIn order to enact the changes progressives wish to enact, progressives cannot settle for the lesser of two evils. This false dichotomy only entrenches the status quo and is counterintuitive. While there is very little chance that a Progressive candidate like Jill Stein will win the election, by voting for her, progressives send a stronger message than voting for Hillary Clinton. By voting for Jill Stein , progressives are casting a vote for progressive policies. http://www.cnn.com...http://reason.com...3. Jill Stein represents the best opportunity to build an independent progressive movement. While her chances of winning are slim, Jill Stein is the best chance progressives have to build a strong political alternative to the two corporate parties. Currently, Jill Stein is receiving around 2% in polls nationwide. If progressives were to fall behind Jill Stein, this would help increase this percentage. This is vital, as once a party receives 5% of the popular vote in a presidential election, that party is eligible to receive Federal matching funds for future elections. These matching funds are vital for the Green Party, as it would help the Green party grow. The Green Party is the largest and fastest growing progressive party in the US, and federal matching funds would greatly increase the ability of the party to expand. As the GPUS represents the best alternative to the two party system for progressives, it is vital for progressives to help it to grow and gain in strength.