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On Friday, Hillary Clinton published at the Huffington Post a new epilogue to her 2014 memoir, Hard Choices.
In her epilogue, titled “A New Chapter” at the Post, Clinton muses at length on the “wonder,” the joys and responsibilities of being a mother and a grandmother and of sharing those with Bill.
While I would not go as far as saying that her epilogue offers “her clearest articulation yet of why she wants to be president,” I would say that Clinton’s epilogue may in many ways be a prologue to the issues she will emphasize during her campaign and which may hallmark her presidency, if elected.
These are some of the thoughts and passages I felt are most pertinent in such context:
I have always believed that every child should have the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential… Unfortunately, too few of the children born in the United States and around the world today will grow up with the same opportunities as Charlotte. You shouldn’t have to be the granddaughter of a President or a Secretary of State to receive excellent health care, education, enrichment, and all the support and advantages that will one day lead to a good job and a successful life. That’s what we want for all our kids. … I’m more convinced than ever that our future in the 21st century depends on our ability to ensure that a child born in the hills of Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta or the Rio Grande Valley grows up with the same shot at success that Charlotte will.
Clinton addresses how, becoming a grandmother has made her “think deeply about the responsibility we all share as stewards of the world we inherit and will one day pass on.” Also the “question of universality – how much we all have in common even if the circumstances of our lives may be different,” and the issue of “our increasing global interdependence.”
When reflecting on “the negative side of interdependence … whether it was the spread of virulent new strands of extremism in the Middle East or old-style nationalism in Europe or a deadly epidemic in Africa,” Clinton departs from her grandmotherly approach and firmly states:
Our job is to build up the positive side. The United States and the other great democracies have to redouble our efforts to empower moderates and marginalize extremists everywhere, and to stand firmly and united in pursuit of a more just, free, and peaceful world.
However, Clinton does come back to the theme of her epilogue and adds, “That’s the world I want for Charlotte and for all our kids.”
Expect to hear more along these lines on Sunday.
Lead photo: www.shutterstock.com
