At this time eight years ago, the entire country was in an uproar about the possibility of the first black President of the United States.  Citizens were either very supportive of the change or very against it.  Currently, the fact that Hillary Clinton has announced her intentions to run as a democratic candidate for the upcoming 2016 presidential election is now all the buzz in the political community.  What citizens should be focusing on is not the fact that Clinton is a woman, but the abilities she has that can better this great country.

Many media sources throughout the years have focused not on Clinton’s abilities as a government official, but on what she has worn.  At the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25, comedian Cecily Strong asked reporters to raise their right hands and vow not to comment on Clinton’s attire during elections.  Strong voiced the opinion of many in front of the media, those attending the dinner and those watching all over the world, making this topic difficult to avoid.

The fact that Clinton is a woman should not change how the media or the public view her as presidential candidate.  No one should be focused on what she is wearing or what her hair looks like, but what she is saying.  If Clinton was to be elected the first female President of the United States, her responsibilities would be no different than the responsibilities of the men that have come before her.  Therefore, she should be treated like all the male presidential candidates that have come before her.  People did not focus on what kind of suits Obama was wearing during elections, why should they focus on what Clinton is wearing?

As former President Bill Clinton’s wife, she took on a different role than any other first lady had before her.  According to biography.com, Clinton became the only first lady to hold national office in 2001, when she was elected to the U.S. Senate.  After winning the vote for Democratic presidential candidate in 2008 and later the vote for the President of the United States, Obama made Clinton the Secretary of State.

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This is not Clinton’s first rodeo.  She knows the terrain and is clearly comfortable in positions of power, knowing that her decisions are those that help to shape a nation.  To have someone new in office who has had a taste what a presidency is like would be beneficial to the transition from Obama to a new president.

Clinton knows what kind of pressure awaits her in office, if she is elected President because she watched and supported her husband through his presidency while handling governmental responsibilities at the same time.  Throughout this presidential election, as American citizens, focus not on what any of the candidates look like or dress like, but what they can do for this great nation.