Where Are They Now? Political Edition By: Dixie Robinson

Below is a list of some of the most influential and well-known political figures within the last 30 years. Of course there are countless others that impacted politics within this time frame, but the ones listed will be the most recognizable to millennials.

Bill Clinton: After serving as America’s 42^nd President of the United States, Bill has remained a strong force in politics. In 1997 he started the William J. Clinton Foundation which allows him to provide funding for projects and initiatives related to climate control and the recovery of Haiti. In 2004 he wrote an autobiography titled, “My Life.” In 2008 when his wife, Hillary Clinton first ran for president, he helped with her campaign. In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Currently, you can find him helping out with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and if she wins in November, he will be the First Man of the United States.

Al Gore: Many people know Al Gore as the 45^th Vice President of the United States but he really marked his place in political history when he ran for President of the United States in 2000 against George W. Bush. He not only lost, but he won the popular vote which caused controversy about our democracy throughout the nation. No tears for this politician though because he has since been successful in other endeavors. In 2007, he won a Nobel Prize for his work with helping the environment. He isn’t involved with politics much, but is a business man who has invested in several successful companies, an author, and a public speaker.

George W. Bush: American public opinion has always been very split in regards to George W. Bush. His presidency started fairly rocky because of his controversial win over Al Gore in 2000. He was also the president that had to deal with the biggest terroristic event in American history: 9/11. This event also lead to George W. Bush waging war on the Middle East. He served two terms as president. After presidency, he wrote a memoir called, “Decision Points.” Bush also opened a George W. Bush Library and Museum. He had a heart scare in 2013.

Sarah Palin: In 2008, Sarah Palin was running for Vice President under Republican Presidential Candidate, John McCain. After they lost the election, she continued to the Governor of Alaska, but only for a short while. When she finished politics, she wrote an autobiography titled, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” In 2010 she also was given the opportunity to have a reality show on TLC, and it had a very successful first season but ended up getting cancelled before the second season. There was speculation that this was because she was going to run for President in 2012. Sarah wrote another book titled, “America by Heart.” In 2014 she launched the Sarah Palin Channel. 

Hillary Clinton: Are You With Her? By: Dixie Robinson

Hillary Rodham Clinton: For years people have recognized her as the woman behind once president, Bill Clinton and their unfortunate marriage scandal within the White House. A younger generation may know her for battling Barrack Obama for the Democratic Candidacy in 2008. Although she lost then, she is back in the race, this time against Republican Candidate, Donald Trump. All elections have a surplus of buzz surrounding them, but this one may take the cake. It’s important to know the facts instead of the rumors so you can make an educated decision about who you want to be the leader of our country for at least 4 years.

According to Hillary Clinton’s campaign site, she was born October 26, 1947 which makes her 68 years old. She grew up in a suburb of Chicago to a middle class family. Her mother taught Sunday School, and raised Hillary to be Methodist. She attended Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. After that she began law school at Yale where she was one of 27 female graduates. This is also where she met her husband, Bill Clinton. After college, Hillary took a pay cut to work for the Children’s Defense Fund. She eventually would move to Arkansas where she taught law and ran the legal aid clinic and prison projects. Hillary and Bill married on October 11, 1975 and they have been married 41 years. She became the first female associate and first female partner for Rose Law Firm. At this point, Bill’s political career started to take off and he became governor for Arkansas. Hillary wanted to fight for health and education systems and did so when she became First Lady of the United States in 1992. In 2000, Hillary became the first female U.S. senator from New York. After losing to Barrack Obama in 2008, she became his Secretary of State.

Hillary Clinton is a part of the Democratic Party, so her ideals are more liberal. Equal rights, tuition-free college, helping small businesses, ending Alzheimer’s Disease, gun control and violence prevention, universal healthcare, support of our veterans, sexual assault on college campuses, Wall Street reform, immigration reform, paid medical leave, fighting terrorism, and animal protection are all ideals at the forefront of her campaign. She bases her campaign around helping the “little people” in our society and equality, something she has been focused on most of her life.

Hillary, like all people has her faults. The major issue voters have with her is they don’t feel as though they can trust her which really came to a head when it was announced that she used a personal, private email account to deal with official communication. Most people who work high up in the government have to handle official business through a government email account. She also deleted emails from this account which makes the public think she has something to hide.

Hillary Clinton could become the first female president this November, and although you shouldn’t vote for her based on her gender, know that it has a huge role to play in how she views the world. You’ve now read her history, policies, and faults and whether you like her or not, you can now make a more informed, educated decision. Happy voting!