by Catherine Arjet

opinions editor

A few months ago, while I was talking with some friends, I said something to the effect of,“I gotta apply for my absentee ballot so I can vote for my girl Hillary.” One of my friends, who had been facing away, turned to me with the most shocked and confused look and said, “You’re not feeling the Bern?”

This isn’t an isolated incident; this is the reaction I get most of the time when I tell people I’m voting for Hillary. Receiving so many similar reactions has prompted me to think a lot about it. Am I a traitor to my generation? Should I support Sanders like most of my peers? Am I simply voting for Clinton because she’d be the first female president? After a lot of thought and research, I’ve decided no, I truly believe that Hillary Clinton is the best option for President of the United States of America.

Before I get too much farther into this piece, I want to make something clear: This is not going to be an attack on Sanders. I firmly believe in the Reagan rule (or at least it’s Democratic equivalent), and while I will mention a few concerns I have about him, I in no way want anyone to take this as an attack on Sanders..

So why am I voting for Clinton? Simply put, I have more faith in her to tackle the issues that face the Commander in Chief. She has experience in the legislative branch and the executive branch, she really knows her stuff when it comes to foreign policy, and she seems ready to take on all the issues facing everyday Americans in a realistic way—from curing Alzheimer’s to tackling campus sexual assault to reforming the way we deal with substance abuse (which are all on her list of issues she plans to address as president). Clinton recognizes that Americans face a myriad of problems. True, they’re not all as big or impressive as taking down the 1 percent (which she also wants to do), but they affect us just as much.

Shifting from small to big scale, I also trust Clinton in the situation room (a place she’s already familiar with from her tenure as Secretary of State) much more than any candidate on either side. Not only does Hillary probably have more experience with foreign policy then all the other candidates put together, she also has clear goals and plans. While Sanders’ website makes vague promises of “Ensur(ing) that any military action we do engage in has clear goals.” Clinton gives clear descriptions of how she wants to deal with not only ISIS, but also China and Russia. It’s easy to get lost in the domestic policy because that’s what we see in our daily lives, but as one of the world’s biggest countries, what we do internationally matters. It matters to the families fleeing Syria; it matters to Ukraine, who is facing a powerful neighbor it cannot defend itself against; it matters to our service men and women who risk their lives everyday. While I do not necessarily agree with Clinton on all points of her foreign policy, I do trust her to execute the plans she makes successfully, something I cannot say about the other candidates.

So, through thought and research, I have come to the conclusion that I want to see Clinton as president more than any other candidate running. I suggest that anyone who has not done so already go out and research all the options—who knows, someone might surprise you.