Dear Michelle,
What role do you see women playing in the upcoming presidential election? Should a woman in her right mind get behind Donald Trump? Or should they stand behind one of their own?
– Signed JustAGirl
Dear JAG,
Thanks so much for taking the time to ask my thoughts on what role women will play in the upcoming presidential election. In answer to that question, I will say I think women can, should and will play a very important role. As far as whether or not a woman should support Donald Trump, I think if a woman believes Donald Trump has what it takes to do a great job as president, then by all means she should cast her vote for him. As for whether they should stand behind one of their own, I think it’s important to remember that just because Hillary Clinton is female, does not mean she stands for what all females believe. This is VERY important to remember. I do not think that a woman should stand behind or for Hillary Clinton simply because they share the same gender, in the same way I did not think that a person of a particular race should stand behind the current president when he was running for office. In fact, it sort of bothered me a bit that the current president seemed to dismiss his mother’s race when he ran, but that’s a whole other story. He did what he needed to do to get into office and in my opinion he sold out in that regard.
When it comes to categorically defining any group, there are risks involved. Clearly not ALL Muslims hate America, but that does not mean that those who blew up the World Trade Center and many who pledge to destroy America are not included in this group. Is it, therefore not prudent risk management to be mindful of this? Women are not necessarily going to share the same opinion on whether abortion should be legal, whether there should be same-sex marriages, or whether a wedding photographer has the right to say he would prefer not to engage in photographing a particular wedding because he simply does not believe in the union. Women need to be mindful that they have to cast a vote for the person they believe will be the leader they want for the future and someone they believe can do an effective job. The reality is that it could be that the best man for the job [this election, not necessarily always] is a man. Go figure.
One thing I have disliked about Donald Trump is the ridiculousness with the name-calling and comments about a person’s characteristics. I simply felt it was not appropriate behavior but that being said I also dislike some of Bill Clinton’s behavior, and I certainly do not like everything Hillary Clinton stands for. What I will not do is look at gender as a reason to support Mrs. Clinton, nor will I look at it as a reason to go against Mr. Trump. I would suggest everyone do the same and try to see each candidate as an individual.
What I like about Donald Trump is he is showing signs of growth. He is taking the media to task and he is doing his best to explain to people when things he says are taken out of context. He readily admits he is not a politician and I like that he is footing the bill for his campaign. I think that says a lot of about how committed he is toward the future of this country. I also think he realizes that things are super serious and he wants to do what’s best for the world. He’s not into pussyfooting around and while I do not think that Hillary Clinton has done that, I do think she has spent years campaigning and she’s very capable at deflection. I see Trump as someone who wants to tell it like it is, not because he’s trying to scare people but because the situation we face is that scary.
As a woman, I care a lot about issues that affect women both here and abroad. I try to view issues from a utilitarian perspective not necessarily how they might affect me personally. I think it’s incumbent upon us all to do our best to look beyond gender and see each person at an individual.