Why This Rockmommy Endorses Hillary Clinton for President — But Thinks You Should Hit the Polls for the Other Candidates, Too

07 Nov Why This Rockmommy Endorses Hillary Clinton for President — But Thinks You Should Hit the Polls for the Other Candidates, Too

OK, OK, I realize I’m not the editor of Atlantic or TIME. And that my endorsement of either presidential candidate isn’t going to nudge anyone to change their mind.

With that, I cannot stress enough the importance of going to the polls — even if you’re not voting for the candidate whom I believe is the obvious best pick: Hillary Clinton.

I could use this time to cite the zillions of reasons why I am voting for Hillary over businessman Donald Trump, but so many other journalists and bloggers have already done this. So I’ll sum it up like this: If you’re a parent, rockmommy or otherwise, you undoubtedly care deeply about issues like education, school safety, gun control, national security and the economy. And while you might still be reeling from the primary elections/feeling the Bern, it’s important not to lose sight of the big-picture stuff in the Eleventh Hour.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is an undisputed champion of women’s rights and human rights. She believes that Black Lives Matter. She doesn’t think climate change is some sugar-puff theory. And she has experience in the national security arena too (as she’s noted, she was in the situation room with President Obama when a decision had to be made about Osama bin Laden. Donald Trump, meanwhile, was filming The Apprentice).

While she made some definite blunders (hello private-mail server!) and wasn’t an overwhelmingly outstanding Secretary of State by most accounts, her motives are good and her experience has shown she is willing to learn from her mistakes.

I’m not going to go into all the negatives about Donald Trump because so many journalists and bloggers have already done this. I don’t think he’s the scum of the Earth, but I do believe there are two things that make him particularly unfit for the Commander in Chief post: 1.) his lack of any kind of political experience; and 2.) his volatile temperament.

With that in mind, I’m with Her all the way!

If you’re still unsettled about casting your vote for HRC, I would suggest starting with the other local and state races.

Yesterday Cristin McCarthy Vahey became the first politician in my approximately 20 years of voting eligibility to knock on my front door. It was like being visited by a rockstar! She and I chatted in the chilly weather about everything from where she bought her jacket (she likes the ethics of the company that makes them), to education and the healthcare crisis, to her concern for the social and economic wellbeing of our shared community. Cristin is a mom of 3 and social worker who supports Democratic principles, and she’s also someone who cares about my day-to-day life (she really empathized when I told her about the challenges about being a freelance-writer mom with two young children).

Were I not paying attention to local politics, I’d know very little about Cristin McCarthy Vahey.

Lest you believe that I’m only supporting Democrats, let it be known that I absolutely give my support to good Republicans. One of these is State Senator Tony Hwang. Although I’m considering his opponent Phil Dwyer, I’m still leaning Hwang. I really really want to vote 100% Democrat — and I still might do this — but from what I can tell, Hwang is a solid and friendly GOP-er who cares about the issues all parents care about (like school safety and the environment). One day, I ran into him at my local Starbucks, and asked him about what he actually did over the last four years, and he explained ever so patiently how he introduced new legislation to increase the penalties for when a bomb threat involves a preschool, K-12 school, or an institution of higher education. The new law makes threats felonies that would result in a prison sentence.

Whoever you vote for, vote. You can’t complain about who wins if you don’t show up to voice your opinion!