Myths about Hillary Clinton
Notes from Emily
June 07

Whenever a woman runs to be the first to hold an office, she faces two challenges: defeating her opponents and defeating gender stereotypes. Here are some of the myths that Hillary Clinton must defeat as she runs to be the first woman president.

Myth: Hillary can't win
Women hear this myth over and over. That's why we started EMILY's List: to raise early money and give our candidates credibility. How frustrating to hear it said about Hillary Clinton, the front-runner! Hillary is the only Democratic presidential candidate who has faced the Republican machine and come out the winner. Republicans spent more than $60 million trying to defeat her in the 2000 Senate race and they failed. They tried again in 2006, yet she won by an even greater margin. Hillary knows how to fight back and she knows how to win.

Myth: Hillary is divisive
The right wing's been attacking Hillary for 15 years, and after all that, it's not surprising that there is one group that doesn't like Hillary: hard-core Republicans. According to a CBS News poll, 80 percent of Republican voters have an unfavorable opinion of her. But those committed Republicans won't vote for the Democrat no matter who it is. Republicans' feelings inflate Hillary's overall negatives, but Democrats and independent voters are much warmer, which is why she is the front-runner.

This myth is often espoused by those who decry negative attacks in campaigns and have watched the Republicans go after the Clintons for years. Like all of us, they want campaigns to be about issues, not attacks. But Republicans will fight tooth and nail to hold onto the White House and will ruthlessly attack Barack Obama or John Edwards or whoever the Democratic nominee is.

Republicans have spent years and millions investigating and attacking Hillary Clinton. You can be sure that there will be no surprises about her, no skeletons in her closet, no novice mistakes - and no hesitation to respond to their "Swift Boat" attacks.

Myth: Hillary has not been strong enough on Iraq
Hillary has repeatedly said that if she had had all the facts when she voted for the initial authorization for the war - and knew that the Bush administration cooked intelligence and misled Congress - she would not have voted in favor of the Iraq resolution. She has consistently denounced the Bush administration's conduct of the war and supported every measure to get us out of Iraq. Hillary proposed legislation to redeploy the troops, to maintain the number of troops at the pre-surge level, and, most recently, to revoke the authority Congress granted Bush to invade Iraq.

The president and Republicans have used the filibuster and the veto pen to thwart Democrats' efforts to change direction in Iraq. Hillary has made it very clear that when she is president, she will bring the troops home.

Myth: Hillary can't personally connect with voters
Tell that to the voters she's meeting in primary states! Republicans have tried to make Hillary into a cardboard cut-out of a cold, one-dimensional political figure. But local press in primary states report that when voters meet Hillary, they quickly discover that she is warm, relaxed, and has a great sense of humor. Polls show that support for Hillary is increasing as voters learn who she is and hear what she has to say.

In 2000, Hillary demonstrated her ability to connect with voters, winning her Senate election by campaigning throughout New York, including Republican rural and upstate areas. She was re-elected in 2006 with 67 percent of the vote, carrying 37 counties that Bush won in 2004. Hillary is doing the same thing in primary states that she did to win over New Yorkers: having conversations with voters about their priorities and explaining why she believes that, as president, she can lead the country toward a better, safer future.

Myth: Hillary has enough money
I never expected to hear that about a woman candidate! The Clinton fundraising team is working so hard that some people think she will have all the money she needs. But Democratic primary candidates are raising tens of millions of dollars. Furthermore, the new front-loaded primary calendar will stretch the limits of even the most well-funded candidate. In fact, so many states have shifted to the early primary dates that Hillary's campaign must reach 65 million voters in 24 states in only 22 days!

Myth: Hillary is just another politician who compromises her principles
Hillary came of age in the 1960s, when young people across America were fighting for social justice. She could have done almost anything she wanted after law school, but she turned down lucrative offers from top law firms to work with the Children's Defense Fund. She has always used her opportunities and position to make a positive difference for millions of women, children, and families. As first lady of Arkansas she helped to create the Arkansas Children's Health Insurance Program and to improve public schools. As our country's first lady, she stood in front of the world community at Beijing to announce that women's rights are human rights - a simple but, in many cultures, revolutionary statement that gave millions of women hope and courage. She has always been a strong supporter of a woman's right to choose.

Hillary will continue to fight for issues that affect families. And when she wins, for the first time the president will truly understand women's lives - because it's her life, too!

Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President Exploratory Committee