BY DYLAN JENNINGS
Staff Writer
Commentators across the political spectrum have recently been wondering if there is a Democrat that can truly challenge Hillary Clinton for the nomination. And while it may seem almost inevitable to some, I’m willing to stand up and say, as a Democrat, I do not want Clinton as the nominee.
She is a centrist Democrat who not only is a divisive figure in American politics, but her positions on various important Democratic issues are far behind today’s mainstream. Because of this, I believe that the current Vice President, Joe Biden, would make a more ideal candidate both for this country and the Democratic Party.
I suppose it is important to compare the credentials of both candidates. Joe Biden served 35 years in the Senate, being in charge of both the Judi- ciary Committee and Foreign Relations Committee. Both allowed him to gain experience on the world stage as well as in the ability to influence the judiciary.
Hillary Clinton only spent less than a decade in the Senate with few no- table accomplishments. Joe Biden, on the other hand, has passed numerous pieces of legislation, such as the Violence Against Women’s Act, and helped the 1994 Crime Bill get passed that instituted the Assault Weapons Ban and put 100,000 new cops on the street to lower crime rates across America.
On economic policy, Joe Biden represents more of the rank and file mainstream Democratic position. Joe Biden believes in expanded and improved rail travel, higher infrastructure expenditures, a higher minimum wage, and the clear understanding that you grow the economy by helping middle and lower-class Americans and not the upper crust of society.
Biden, unlike Clinton, during his interview with Meet the Press, pushed the administration and President Obama toward coming out in favor of gay marriage. Because of this, more and more Democrats are standing up for marriage equality, an issue that Clinton was lagging behind and only “evolved” after other major prominent Democrats came out in support.
But the most important reason for me to not want Clinton as the next president is because she will push the Democratic Party back. The Democratic Party is beginning to finally realize that issues such as minimum wage increases, more money for R&D, higher capital gains taxes, more infrastructure spending, and controls on carbon emissions, is the type of message that resonates with voters. It’s the idea that we shouldn’t be allowing major U.S. corporations to pay nothing in corporate taxes but ship jobs overseas. It’s the idea that increasing, not decreasing, union membership will bring a higher standard of living.
Clinton may at some point claim to believe in these ideas. but the evidence and past actions lead me to believe that she is at most a centrist Democrat. Her time as Secretary of State was neither bold nor eventful and the truth is her presidency would be no different. We need a nominee; we need a president who is willing to fight for the middle and lower class Americans.
A man who has spent almost his entire life fighting for the common man, always on the side of the little guy; a person who truly understands middle class values and can truly connect with both blue collar union workers and leaders across the world. We need a nominee who will fight for a more equal and just society, both in our laws and in practice and that man is Joseph Robinette Biden.
Dylan Jennings is a senior contributing writer to The College Reporter. Email him at djenning@fandm.edu.