Clinton’s Candidacy Among Marginalized Voters

The 2016 US election will arguably be one of the most pivotal elections in recent years. The GOP and DNC meltdowns have made their rounds on social media, and the younger generation is becoming fed up with the bipartisan election system. Throughout this, Trump’s searing rhetoric — and its popular support — has left the rest of the nation reeling.

Many people who fear a Trump-led America feel compelled to vote against Trump in the election, and the most surefire way to block a Trump presidency appears to be Clinton. Electing the so-called lesser of two evils would still be better for the US than Trump, in this view.

Because Clinton is, in the popular mindset, the only candidate who can defeat Trump, people tend to silence critical discourse on the ex- Secretary of State’s candidacy. Clinton is shielded from much criticism because of the lesser of two evils mindset. Centering Trump in the political conversation due to his outright hate speech lends Clinton’s campaign a certain degree of impunity.

What is often ignored by the liberal voting public is that marginalized people are just as afraid of a Trump presidency than a Clinton presidency. We must listen to these people transparently, without fervent anti-Trump sentiment that silences critical discussion of Clinton’s own campaign. It is wrong to suppress the voices of these marginalized groups who will be most affected by a Clinton or Trump presidency.

This is what marginalized people are saying about Clinton:

Clinton poses a danger to marginalized communities in the US and around the globe. She supports and advocates for fracking, which inflicts social injury on marginalized and indigenous communities. Her opposition to a single-payer healthcare system primarily harms poor women, trans people, and POC. And people in the LGBTQ community do not feel that Clinton supports them, as she opposed marriage equality only a few years ago.

Clinton has also lobbied for a crime bill that led to the mass incarceration of Black Americans and welfare reform laws that harmed Black Americans. Some believe she is undeserving of the Black vote.

“Hillary Clinton has a pattern of throwing the Black community under the bus when it serves her politically. She called our boys ‘super-predators’ in ’96, then she race-baited when running against Obama in ’08, now she’s a lifelong civil rights activist. I just want to know which Hillary is running for President, the one from ’96, ’08, or the new Hillary?” – Ashley Williams

Clinton continues to perpetuate western imperialism with her foreign policy actions, particularly in the Middle East. In Honduras, she deposed President Zelaya in 2009 without Honduran support and installed an authoritarian government that has inflicted violence on Central Americans. Many believe Clinton instigated the coup to protect corporate interests, and that she does not show any support for marginalized people when she furthers American intervention and imperialism.

Marginalized people believe that Clinton will cause them as much harm as Trump. To many Americans, she seems like a much better presidential candidate when compared to the horror that is Trump’s campaign. Yet, hiding beneath the surface of Clinton’s campaign is an equally corrupt corporate and imperialist agenda that can be just as dangerous in its own right.

Marginalized people are most directly affected by the presidential candidate that is elected to lead the nation for the next four years. It is the responsibility of privileged voters to ensure that their vote does not lead to further injustices among marginalized groups.

While this article does not offer a concrete solution to the US election with regards to the confines of a bipartisan electoral system, I hope it gives you insight into the complexity of the issues facing American voters and guides you to make a fully informed vote in November.