There’s this longstanding myth that’s been spread by some in the media, and most certainly by those who oppose Hillary Clinton, that she has no accomplishments to her name. The question keeps being asked, “What has she done? She was only Bill’s wife, right?” Well, no, actually. If anything, according to the list you’re about to read, Bill is Hillary’s husband. She has quite the extensive list of accomplishments that she has achieved for herself.
So without further ado, here they are as first compiled from the Daily Kos but now cited and further expanded upon.
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton:
- Gave the first student commencement address at Wellesley College in 1969 after being chosen by her peers and was Senior Class President
- President of the Wellesley Young Republicans
- Intern at the House Republican Conference
- After listening to Martin Luther King Jr. speak when she was younger and meeting him, she became inspired to live a life of service. She later became a Democrat in 1968 knowing that was her best path forward for a life of serving others.
- Volunteered for Democrat Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign at the age of 21 when the Civil Rights movement as well as anti-war movements were tempestuous
- Graduate of Yale Law School with honors
- Editorial board of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action
- Worked on Senator Walter Mondale’s Subcommittee researching migrant labor
- Helped found Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a group dedicated to the betterment of children’s lives by advocating for their health, well-being, and education.
- Attorney at the Children’s Defense Fund leveling the playing field for children
- Professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law
- Director of Legal Aid Clinic at the University of Arkansas School of Law
- First female chair of the Legal Services Corporation which helps ensure everyone has equal access to justice under the law, despite whether you can afford it
- First female partner at Rose Law Firm
- Former civil litigation attorney
- Listed as one of the hundred most influential lawyers in America by The National Law Journal
- Former First Lady of Arkansas
- Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1983
- First Chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession
- Created Arkansas’s Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth because she saw a need for educating young children. Bringing HIPPY to Arkansas enabled parents to be their child’s first teacher and prepare them for a life of learning.
- Appointed leader of task force that reformed Arkansas’s education system
- As the wife of the Governor of Arkansas, and with her background in law, she sat on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart for six years as it was one of the largest employers in the state and central to the state’s economy
- Instrumental in making sure the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP now CHIP) was passed and implemented so that all children have access to healthcare no matter the income level.
- Promoted nationwide immunization against childhood illnesses
- “Played a leading role in creation of the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act”
- Successfully sought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health
- Helped investigate the affects of Gulf War Syndrome of the Veterans afflicted
- Helped initiate the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice
- Initiated and helped guide the Adoption and Safe Families Act helping in children in foster care move faster in to permanent homes
- First FLOTUS in the United States to hold a postgraduate degree
- Declared to the United Nations that “women’s rights are human rights” which at the time she said it, was a very big deal
- Helped lead the charge in expanding healthcare access for the military, including an expansion to the Family and Medical Leave Act which was necessary for those wounded in service
- Traveled to over 70 countries during time as First Lady
- Helped establish, alongside former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Vital Voices, whose mission is “to identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities”
- United States Senator from the state of New York for nearly two terms
- First former FLOTUS to be elected as a United States Senator (twice)
- Served on five Senate committees:
– Committee on Budget (2001–2002)
– Committee on Armed Services (2003–2009)
– Committee on Environment and Public Works (2001–2009)
– Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (2001–2009)
– Special Committee on Aging - Commissioner on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
- “Instrumental in securing $21 billion in funding for the World Trade Center site’s redevelopment alongside fellow New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D)
- Had leading role in investigating the health issues that 9/11 first responders were facing
- United States Secretary of State serving under President Obama
- Brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
- Lobbied for the first-ever U.N. Human Rights Council resolution on human rights declaring “gay rights are human rights”
- Part of the the advisory team that led to President Obama’s decision to kill Osama bin Laden
- Was a leading voice that helped open the door to the historic Iran Nuclear Deal
- Most traveled Secretary of State during tenure as top U.S. diplomat
Senate Stats, Legislation Sponsored or Cosponsored, and Voting Record:
- https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/hillary_clinton/300022
- https://www.congress.gov/member/hillary-clinton/C001041
- http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/55463/hillary-clinton#.Vr6mxfIrLt4
Other notable achievements:
As you can see the list is long, the list is extensive, and the list is quite impressive, so the next time someone asks you “What has Hillary Clinton done?” now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
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