What do Americans expect?

(Baonghean) - Last week, the media paid much attention to the fact that former First Lady, former US Secretary of State, and Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton was running for president. Although it is more than a year until the day the "land of the stars and stripes" elects a president, as soon as she announced her candidacy, most Americans supported her because they hoped that under her leadership, their future and the future of the US economy would change in a more positive direction...

Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea during a visit to Vietnam in 2000. AP photo

Hillary Clinton was born at Edgewater Hospital, Chicago, Illinois into a middle-class family. Her father, Hugh Ellworth Rodham, was a descendant of British immigrants and a veteran of World War II, a textile merchant. Her mother, Dorothy Emma Howell Rodham, was also a descendant of British immigrants. After getting married, she stayed home as a housewife and raised her children. As a child, Hillary attended public school and was a Girl Scout. She was very active in sports and school activities. In 1962, Hillary met civil rights leader, Reverend Martin Luther King in Chicago. Many people believe that this event had a great impact on the ideals she pursued throughout her life.

After graduating from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, she continued her graduate studies in Law at Yale University – a famous university in the United States for Law. It was also at this university that she met Bill Clinton – who would later become her husband. During her graduate studies, she served on the editorial board of the school’s Journal of Law and Social Action; worked for the Massachusetts Children’s Defense Fund as a legal consultant; and the Yale Child Study Center.

There, she collected stories about the lack of access to education for children with disabilities. In 1973, Rodham received her Juris Doctor degree from Yale with a focus on children's rights. In 1974, she was invited to serve on the impeachment inquiry panel of the former President during the Watergate scandal. She then moved to Arkansas, where she taught law and ran a law firm advising the poor. In October 1975, Hillary and Bill Clinton married in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She later became the first lady of Arkansas and was instrumental in improving access to health care and education for the people. She gave birth to her daughter, Chelsea, in 1980.

When Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States for the first time in 1992 and re-elected four years later, observers credited her with a great deal of success in the campaign and that was the reason he won the two elections. As the first lady of the United States, she did not settle for a life of seclusion or only attend diplomatic events like previous first ladies. With her kind heart, she worked hard to reform the health care system so that everyone could access it. When insurance companies and interest groups blocked this effort, she was not discouraged. On the contrary, Hillary succeeded in creating a health insurance program for more than 8 million children and helped halve the rate of uninsured children. In 1995, her fame spread beyond borders when she led the US delegation to Beijing to attend the conference on women organized by the United Nations. Here she gave a shocking speech when she declared "Women's rights are also human rights".

In 2000, her political career began when she entered the Senate and became the first female Senator of New York. With her fame and the support of her husband - former President Bill Clinton, in 2008, Hillary ran for the White House. Although she won the trust of many American voters and those in the Democratic Party, she could not surpass Mr. Obama to represent this party in the presidential election. After President Barack Obama took office, because he wanted to "heal" the previously not-so-good relationship, he invited her to be the 67th Secretary of State of the United States and she accepted. During her time as Secretary of State, she was highly appreciated by the world, especially for her contribution in helping to restore America's position in the world. She has been to 123 countries around the world, including Vietnam, and in every place she visited, she left a good impression on her partners. Even veteran diplomat Henry Kissinger said that Hillary had “run foreign policy in the most effective way I have ever seen.” In February 2013, she decided to resign as US Secretary of State.

On April 12, Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party candidate and former US Secretary of State, officially announced her candidacy for president in 2016.

On April 12, she announced that she would run for the White House, which was very good news for the majority of middle-class and working-poor Americans. According to a result, the former US Secretary of State received the support of 44% of voters, while the opposition rate was 36%. According to a recent poll, not only did she receive the support of voters in the Democratic Party, but there were also many voters in the opposition Republican Party (about 26%) who said they would support her in the next election. Moreover, the message she sent out was "It's time for America to have a female president" and was supported by many people, including female voters in the US (accounting for 53%).

This is the basis for people to believe in a victory for her, but first Hillary Clinton needs to win within the party to become the final representative of the Democratic Party to participate in the election next year. This is very important to consider, because the lesson of failure in 2008 is certainly something she and her team cannot forget. Although she is currently supported by most of the Democratic congressmen, especially the current President Barack Obama, who strongly supports her, even giving her compliments: "She was a formidable candidate in 2008, she was a great supporter of mine in the general election, an outstanding Secretary of State, and my friend. And I think she will be an excellent president."

So it is clear that Hillary Clinton has, is and will gain great support from voters to become the first woman of the "land of the stars and stripes" to become president. So what has made her gain such great sympathy? First of all, it can be said that in the past two terms under the Democratic Party's rule, the US economy has gradually overcome the crisis period to grow again. In addition, the current President's handling of international issues has had positive changes and cooperation such as normalizing relations with Cuba after 53 years of separation; de-escalation in the Iran nuclear issue... has won great support from the people. Because after all, constantly causing tension or rushing into a war only damages the economy, even the lives of the people...

This is certainly not possible for a Republican who follows a hard-line and conservative hawkish line. Then, it can be said that, throughout her political career, Hillary Clinton has left a very good image in the hearts of the American people, such as equal policies for women; increasing wages for workers; supporting same-sex marriage and creating a corridor to help illegal immigrants obtain citizenship status... All of these achievements make American voters even more hopeful that if she becomes president, she will carry out the unfinished work and commitments to make their lives better and better.

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