Special Election Edition: Colgate College Democrats Stand With Hillary

On behalf of the College Democrats.

My name is Bryan Dewan, and I serve as the President of the Colgate College Democrats.  On behalf of the College Democrats, I would first like to thank the entire Colgate community for fostering an overwhelmingly positive campus climate during this particularly tumultuous election season. We strongly believe in the values of free speech, tolerance, respect, civility and open political discourse, and we believe that the Colgate community has upheld these values during this disruptive time in American political history. We cannot thank the Colgate community enough for its embrace of student 

political activism and self-exploration, regardless of political inclination.

With that in mind, we, the College Democrats, openly acknowledge that we have our own opinions pertaining to this upcoming election, and we wish to share them with the Colgate community. Without further ado, we’d like to offer our enthusiastic endorsement of Hillary Clinton for the Presidency of the United States.

We believe that Hillary Clinton possesses a personal demeanor and strong resume that makes her an excellent candidate for the Presidency. From her earliest years, Clinton has demonstrated a level of resolve, intelligence, compassion and empathy that surpasses the capabilities of most. Clinton grew up the daughter of a small business owner, eventually becoming a nationally-covered commencement speaker at Wellesley College and a graduate of Yale Law School. Clinton began her legal career as an advocate for disadvantaged children, and she leveraged her role as First Lady of Arkansas to promote better educational opportunities for families. Clinton then stepped into the national spotlight, breaking norms for a First Lady as an advocate for universal healthcare. She then ran for Senate, serving for eight years before becoming Secretary of State. During her tenure as a national political figure, Clinton passed legislation improving the lives of working families and successfully promoted American values and our interests abroad.  Clinton’s whole career has been about advancing the public good, even when things might have been tough for her. Hillary Clinton is someone who does her homework, reads the fine print and shows up for the job prepared and ready to work.

Hillary Clinton also shares our positions on several key issues, including marriage equality, immigration, health care, taxation and climate change. From repairing our infrastructure to addressing the epidemic of substance abuse, Clinton has a strong desire to implement policy changes that will create jobs and make life better for communities across the country. Additionally, Clinton will nominate Supreme Court Justices who will be receptive to campaign finance reform and a litany of important progressive causes. We welcome Clinton’s progressive and pragmatic agenda.

Lastly, we take exceptionally strong issue with the Republican nominee, who we believe is utterly unqualified to serve as the President of the United States. While some see the Republican nominee as a successful businessman, we see a man who has declared bankruptcy multiple times, who has stiffed contractors, who has hired undocumented workers – despite his apparent hatred of them and despite the laws of this country – and who has likely avoided paying taxes by claiming monumental financial losses. While some see a man of great character, we see a man who has mocked the disabled, who has called women “pigs,” who has insulted more people on social media than one can count, who has insulted John McCain for serving as a POW, who has labeled Mexicans “rapists” and who has dismissed his own hot-mic comments about sexual assault as “locker room talk.” While some see a man of great judgment, we see someone who argued that an Indiana-born judge couldn’t preside over a lawsuit against his fake university because the judge was of Mexican heritage. While some see a man of great intelligence, we see a man who is cavalier about nuclear weapons, who cannot articulate his own policy proposals, who believes the media can rig election results, who believes we should ban Muslims from entering the United States and who possesses no relevant experience qualifying him for the Presidency. Finally, while some see a man of great patriotism, we see a man who baselessly questions the integrity of the electoral institutions he seeks to benefit from. For these and countless other reasons, we are #NeverTrump.

This election is important, and College Democrats hopes that you will get out your vote and vote for Hillary Clinton.We’re with her, and we hope that you’ll be with her as well.