The Sunday Magazine

Joan Walsh makes the case for Hillary Clinton

Author, journalist and feminist Joan Walsh argues that Hillary Clinton is indeed uniquely qualified to be President of the United States, that her perceived faults have been magnified and her virtues diminished by the media and public perception, and that it's time to put a woman in the Oval Office.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives to speak to volunteers at a Democratic party organizing event at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, July 25, 2016. (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)

Eight years ago, millions of African-Americans thought, "This can actually happen. A black man can become president of the United States."

A similar kind of thought reverberated through the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia this past week: "I can look at my daughters or granddaughters and think, 'You really could become president.'"

I think, first of all, Hillary Clinton is truly, clearly, obviously the most qualified candidate. I think she'll be an excellent president. I've been watching her for, I feel like, my whole adulthood, and I admire her strength, her tenacity, her intelligence. And the caricature of her that's developed over the years is really painful to see.- Joan Walsh

The nomination of Hillary Clinton as Democratic nominee is undoubtedly a watershed moment in American politics. But the momentousness of the occasion was dampened by the vitriol of Hillary Clinton's opponents within both the Republican Party and the Bernie Sanders wing of her own party, and by a sense that the mass of voters are at best indifferent toward her — and perhaps just plain tired of her, even if they agree that it's time the United States had a female president.

You can count Joan Walsh among those who do enthusiastically support Hillary Clinton. She's a national correspondent for The Nation magazine, as well as a political analyst for MSNBC. Here's what she told The Sunday Edition about the Hillary Clinton candidacy, along with some thoughts from other people attending the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Click the button above to hear Joan Walsh's comments.