+
“A balm for the soul”
  review on Goodreads
GOOD PEOPLE Book
upworthy

hillary clinton

Yesterday I was perusing comments on an Upworthy article about Joe Biden comforting the son of a Parkland shooting victim and immediately had flashbacks to the lead-up of the 2016 election. In describing former vice President Biden, some commenters were using the words "criminal," "corrupt," and "pedophile—exactly the same words people used to describe Hillary Clinton in 2016.

I remember being baffled that so many people were so convinced of Clinton's evil schemes that they genuinely saw the documented serial liar and cheat that she was running against as the lesser of two evils. I mean, sure, if you believe that a career politician had spent years being paid off by powerful people and was trafficking children to suck their blood in her free time, just about anything looks like a better alternative.

But none of that was true.

It's been four years and Hillary Clinton has been found guilty of exactly none of the criminal activity she was being accused of. Trump spent every campaign rally leading chants of "Lock her up!" under the guise that she was going to go to jail after the election. He's been president for nearly four years now, and where is Clinton? Not in jail—she's comfy at home, occasionally trolling Trump on Twitter and doing podcasts.


Every accusation that had any possible truth to it has been investigated by the Trump administration and by Republicans in Congress, and guess what—Clinton has still not been charged or indicted for one damn thing. Why? Because there's nothing there to indict her for.

It's not like she hasn't been investigated thoroughly—by her opponents—for her handling of classified emails and her role in Benghazi and cleared of any wrongdoing. It's not like Trump hasn't had a chance to send the full power of the law enforcement he has at his disposal after her. It's not like there aren't Republicans in power who would love nothing more than to see her behind bars.

But that hasn't happened. If she were guilty of the stuff she's been accused of, she'd be in prison. And she's not.

Yet people persisted like mad in their assertions that she was a criminal.. Now we're seeing same kinds of disinformation campaigns being waged against Joe Biden, mainly through his son, Hunter. And make no mistake, it's a purposeful strategy. Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon succinctly explained that the key to manipulating the media—and by extension, the public—is to "flood the zone with sh*t." You provide a tsunami of junk news, with just enough tiny nuggets of truth that people don't know what to believe, and in such high volumes that wading through it all to try to discern what's true is impossible.

The fact of the matter is that the Hunter Biden stories that have gotten Trumpland all foamy at the mouth have not proven to have news legs. The reporter who wrote it up for The New York Post—a tabloid paper that already didn't have a great journalistic reputation—reportedly refused to put his name on it. But that hasn't stopped people from sharing it like it's gospel truth.

NBC News did a really great in-depth investigative report on the super sketchy origins of the Hunter Biden story, but of course the people who need to read it won't, because they think NBC is fake news. (The number of people who think real journalistic news is "fake news," while simultaneously believing that blatantly biased fringe outlets are real news is baffling. But that's where we are—up is down, left is right, and fiction is "alternative fact" in the disinformation age.)

For what it's worth, The Wall Street Journal—one of the most reputable journalistic news sources out there, and one that can't be accused of being biased to the left due to its right-leaning editorial board—reported yesterday that their review of the documents showed Joe Biden playing no role in the business ventures of his son. And yet the Breitbarts and the Infowars and the other myriad right-wing outlets just keep on running with it, knowing that the actual truth doesn't really matter if people think something is true—or more accurately, if people want to believe it's true.

Of course, disinformation campaigns aren't new, especially on the right-wing side of the aisle. In 2004, John Kerry famously had his Vietnam record smeared by a contrived veteran group that ended up being discredited after he lost the election. In 2008, the whole "birther" movement claiming Obama wasn't born in the United States was pushed by many, including Donald Trump himself, despite the fact that it was ridiculously untrue. The only thing true about it was its racist origin.

But these last two elections, the conspiracy theories and smear campaigns have become more and more heinous. I mean, a Satan-worshiping cabal of pedophile elites? Come on, people. But it makes sense when you think about it. When you have candidate who is on tape saying he "tried to f*ck" a married woman and that he grabs women "by the p*ssy" because they let him, who paid off a porn star he had an affair with when his wife was pregnant with his child, who had to pay $2 million for misusing his charitable foundation's money for personal gain, who had to pay a $25 million settlement to students he defrauded with his "university," who is a billionaire who owes hundreds of millions of dollars and refuses to release his tax returns, and whose campaign and administration have produced indictment after indictment, and more—to make that candidate look remotely acceptable, much less desirable, you have to make his opponent look not just bad, but like evil incarnate.

That's how we've ended up with crap like "Pizzagate" and QAnon boiling up from the dark corners of the internet. If we lived in a normal era, such insane ideas would disintegrate in the light of day, but now we have people in powerful positions—including the president himself—pushing them. And with social media outlets inadvertently amplifying them, getting people to see disinformation for what it is feels like a losing battle.

This is why it's important to bring up Hillary Clinton now, 11 days before an election she's not even a part of. Because the things that people said about her in 2016 were far worse than what people claim about about Biden, and yet after four years, she's not been found guilty of a thing. The only way you can explain that is by creating some kind of elaborate, "deep state" conspiracy, and if you've slipped into that kooky world, you're probably beyond help. But if you're merely unsure or suspicious of what you've heard—which is understandable, considering how much junk information there is to sift through—just think this through. If what had been said about Hillary Clinton were true, wouldn't she be locked up by now?

For the love of all that is good and decent—literally—please don't fall for this garbage again, America. There's far too much at stake.

Most Shared

Hillary Clinton is a worried American and 6 other things we learned today.

Her interview was a highlight of the Women in the World Summit's second day.

In the nearly five months since the 2016 presidential election, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has kept a relatively low profile. On Thursday, she gave her first interview.

In a candid sit-down with Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times at the annual Women in the World Summit, the twice-elected U.S. senator and former secretary of state touched on everything ranging from the role Russia played in the election to whether she plans on running for office again.


Photo by AP Photo/Mary Altaffer.

On the aftermath of the election, coping with loss, and deciding to move forward:

"I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. The aftermath of the election was so devastating, and everything that has come to light in the days and weeks since have been also troubling. So I just had to make up my mind that yes, I was going to get out of bed, and yes, I was going to go for a lot of long walks in the woods, and I was going to see my grandchildren a lot and spend time with my family and my friends. ... So, I'm OK. I will put it this way: as a person, I'm OK; as an American, I'm pretty worried."

On what it was like to be the first woman nominated by a major party only to lose to a man who bragged about sexual assault:

"Certainly, misogyny played a role. I mean, that just has to be admitted. And why and what the underlying reasons were is what I'm trying to parse out myself."

"I think in this election there was a very real struggle between what is viewed as change that is welcomed and exciting to so many Americans, and change which is worrisome and threatening to so many others. And you layer on the first woman president over that and I think some people, women included, had real problems."

Photo by AP Photo/Mary Altaffer.

On double standards and why young women shouldn't give up:

"We need more young people, and we particularly need young women. ... With men, success and ambition are correlated with likability, so the more successful a man is, the more likable he is. With a women, it's the exact opposite."

On why Congress should think twice before gutting women's health care:

"'Why do we have to cover maternal care?' Well, I don't know, maybe you were dropped by immaculate conception?" she joked.

"This is in our national security interest," she added later, stressing the importance of making sure women have access to reproductive health care around the world. "The more we support women, the more we support democracy."

On one of her favorite memes in the post-election world:

She thought the photo of men discussing how they planned to obliterate women's health care was pretty ridiculous, too.

On criticism coming from supporters or detractors:

"Toughen up your skin. Take criticism seriously, but not personally. ... I am always open to people saying, 'Oh, you should have done that.' Sometimes I don't know how to fix what they're concerned about, but I try. So I take it seriously, but I don't any longer ... take it personally. Because part of the attacks, the personal attacks, part of the bullying, part of the name-calling that has certainly become much more pervasive because of the internet, is to crush your spirit and to make you feel inadequate; to make you doubt yourself. And I just refuse to do that."

Photo by AP Photo/Mary Altaffer.

Finally, on whether she'll ever run for office again:

"I am looking at doing interesting things. I don't think that will include ever running for office again. ... I think there are lots of ways to make a difference, to work in all sectors of our society — the for-profit, the not-for profit — looking for ways that you can help people live their own lives better, tell their own stories better. ... I am committed to the unfinished business of the 21st century: the rights of women and girls."

Chelsea Clinton was just 12 years old when her family moved into the White House.

On Jan. 20, 1993, the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton joined an exclusive club of "first kids" that included Amy Carter, Susan Ford, Luci Johnson, Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., and a handful of others.

It's hard to imagine what it must be like to grow up with the spotlight of the highest office in the land fixated on you, but for a select group of presidential children, that's life, and it's not always easy.


The first family waves to the crowd at President Bill Clinton's first inaugural in 1993. Photo by Tim Clary/AFP/Getty Images.

With a new member entering the exclusive club last week, the former first daughter shared an important request with the public.

On Friday, Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States. The real estate tycoon-turned-leader of the free world has five children: Donald Jr. (39), Ivanka (35), Eric (33), Tiffany (23), and Barron (10). And it's fellow White House tween, Barron, that Clinton's advice concerns.

Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid. Standing up for every kid also means opposing POTUS policies that hurt kids.

Posted by Chelsea Clinton on Sunday, January 22, 2017

Even if you disagree with a president's actions, words, or policies, there's no reason to take it out on a child.

Just days after her father was elected in 1992, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh attacked Clinton on his somewhat short-lived TV show, comparing her to Millie, the outgoing White House dog.

In 2014, Elizabeth Lauten, then-communications director for Rep. Stephen Lee Fincher (R-Tennessee), took a swipe at Malia and Sasha Obama (ages 16 and 13, respectively) for their appearance during the White House turkey pardoning ceremony. "I get you're both in those awful teen years, but you're a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. ... Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at the bar."

President Obama (R) stands with his daughters Sasha (L) and Malia during the White House turkey pardoning ceremony in 2014. Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Those attacks were wrong when they were directed at the children of Democrats, and they're just as wrong when they're directed at the children of Republicans — like Barron Trump.

On Friday, SNL writer Katie Rich tweeted (and quickly deleted) a joke about the youngest Trump, writing, "Barron will be this country's first homeschool shooter."

In November, Donald Trump's longtime nemesis Rosie O'Donnell tweeted a message suggesting that Barron was autistic: "Barron Trump autistic?" she wrote. "If so — what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic." Days later, after much criticism, O'Donnell issued an apology to Barron's mother, first lady Melania Trump.

Barron and Donald Trump appear together at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images.

This goes beyond slogans like Michelle Obama's "When they go low, we go high." This isn't about "winning" elections or losing. It's about treating others how you'd like to be treated.

Barron didn't choose to be born into the Trump family any more than each of us chose to be born into our families. In many ways, to be sure, he lives a charmed life — riches beyond most of our wildest imaginations and the son of one of the most powerful people in the world. But he's not responsible for the type of campaign his dad ran or the types of policies that will be implemented under his dad's watch.

Not only is it wrong to attack an innocent child, but as Clinton's Facebook post suggests, we must not get distracted from what really matters: how Trump plans to run the country.

There are many valid criticisms to be made about any politician — whether you're discussing Donald Trump, Barack Obama, or anyone else — but taking aim at their young children should not be among them.

Barron Trump arrives at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

When Clara Spera says she has looked up to Hillary Clinton her entire life, she’s not exaggerating: Clinton visited Spera’s day care when she was a toddler.

Although she didn’t know it at the time, that chance encounter was the start of something for Spera.

Clara Spera and Hillary Clinton. Photo via Clara Spera, used with permission.


Now a student at Harvard Law School, Spera says she knew she had to be a part of Clinton’s campaign last summer. She was working in Paris and was stunned by the Brexit vote result. Her first thought the next morning was “If they can do this ... President Trump.”

Spera got involved through a friend who was working on the campaign and rearranged her schedule so she’d only take classes two days a week. She spent the rest of her week commuting to Brooklyn and working as an intern on the campaign’s voter protection team.  

“I felt like it was my duty to do anything I could to try to prevent a Trump presidency,” she says.

Spera is just one of many women who joined the effort to elect Clinton. But who were these women? And why were they so invested in Clinton’s presidential bid?  

After sharing a “particularly passionate Facebook rant,” Dayli Vazquez was encouraged to “take it a step further and get involved in the campaign’s grassroots efforts” by friends who were already involved with the Florida Democratic Party. The party eventually offered Vazquez a job as a field organizer.

“I had a theatrical ‘aha!’ moment in which everything was placed in perspective for me and I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if I turned it down,” she recalls.

LaDavia Drane, who worked as the Clinton campaign’s director of African-American outreach and later as the deputy director of congressional affairs, knew a friend who “was playing a significant role” and “decided to reach out.”

LaDavia Drane walks with Hillary Clinton. Photo by Elliot Powell, Powell Photography, Inc., (Chicago).

Shola Farber applied for a role at the campaign’s headquarters in Brooklyn. She believes the campaign passed her information along because soon “senior staffers in states across the country” started to recruit her. She eventually served as the regional organizing director for the Michigan Democratic Party.

“When the opportunity arose in Michigan, I knew I could not — in good conscience — decline the offer," Farber says. "Too much was at stake in this election; I felt an obligation to do whatever I could to help Secretary Clinton reach the People’s House. I took on the role with a deep sense of purpose.”

Zerlina Maxwell, on the other hand, randomly received a phone call with a job offer while she was writing for Essence magazine. Maxwell served as the campaign's director of progressive media.

Zerlina Maxwell shakes hands with Hillary Clinton. Photo via Barbara Kinney/Hillary for America.

“It didn’t take me a lot of time to say yes. ... I didn’t want to not do everything I could possibly do to help,” she explains.

Although these women's responsibilities varied, their goal was singular: help Clinton become our country’s first female president.

Their efforts, however, were not rewarded. As the electoral map slowly turned red Nov. 8, their shared dream fell apart.

“The outcome of the election came as a total shock. We were blindsided. It was as though a dear friend or family member had died unexpectedly,” recalls Farber, who was in the conference room of a law office in Southfield, Michigan, on election night.

Vazquez was with a group of volunteers and paid staff at the Ybor, Florida, campaign office for what she thought was going to be a victory party. “None of us were prepared for the outcome,” she says.

Drane, watching from home, says she "felt deeply empty by the end of the night.”

Spera took what she calls “the most expensive cab” of her life back to her parents’ apartment, crying the entire time. She says she went to bed wrapped in a Hillary for America Legal Team sweatshirt, just hoping for a miracle.

The election was over, but the fight was not. Soon after, they got to work.

Vazquez says she has jumped right back into the local political scene, getting involved with numerous Democratic organizations. Drane also picked up another job in politics: She’s working as the chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York).  

Maxwell, a political analyst, speaker, and writer, is continuing the work she did before joining the campaign: giving speeches on college campuses about sexual assault and rape culture. Farber co-founded a political consultancy that “brings the best practices of political organizing to the digital world” and is working as a freelance writer.

As for Spera, she’ll clerk for two federal judges in New York once she graduates. “I am mostly angry for now, but I plan to fuel that anger into action,” she says.

Vazquez echoed her sentiments. When asked what advice she’d give to others who have faced a similarly crushing defeat, she says to take the time to grieve, “then get back up and fight like hell.”