The 2016 presidential election has been one of the most contentious in US history, with
many calling out both candidates for not representing their party’s core values.
In 2015, candidate Hillary Clinton said, “I get accused of being kind of moderate and
center.
I plead guilty”.
So we wanted to know, just how conservative is Hillary Clinton?
Well, one of the biggest criticisms Clinton has faced from her own party has been her
slow acceptance of gay marriage.
Since President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, she had been quoted
as saying that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
In 2003 she stated “I think that the vast majority of Americans find [same-sex marriage]
to be something they can't agree with.“ Only as recently as 2013 did she openly come
out in support of gay marriage, later saying that she “evolved over time”.
But perhaps her conservative leanings are not so surprising, since she actually used
to be on the other side of the political spectrum.
Clinton was a big supporter of the 1964 Republican nominee, Barry Goldwater, who is credited
with popularizing conservatism in the 1960s.
Clinton herself was a Young Republican in her youth, and called Goldwater a “rugged
individualist who swam against the political tide.”
During her term in the Senate from 2001 to 2009, her hawkish views on foreign policy,
and early support of the Iraq War and the War on Terror were aligned with those of many
conservatives, including President George W. Bush himself.
Even as Secretary of State under President Obama she allegedly encouraged bombing Libya
and arming Syrian rebels.
And outside of her hawkish foreign policy objectives, Clinton is also very fiscally
conservative, a hallmark of the Republican party, and not so much the Democrats.
According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, throughout the 2016 presidential
race, Clinton has been the most fiscally conservative candidate on the left.
Her spending proposals are expected to cost about $1.8 trillion dollars, but she’s also
proposed offsetting that cost with $1.6 to $1.9 trillion dollars in savings.
And like many republicans, and some right leaning democrats, Clinton has consistently
come out in support of free trade agreements like the TPP, calling it the “gold standard”.
Free trade is often considered an important part of the conservative ideology, with groups
like The Heritage Foundation providing their long term support.
The TPP has even been used as an example of President Obama’s moderate-right leanings,
which Clinton is expected to emulate if she gets in office.
Only as recently as 2015, when the TPP was receiving significant criticism in the public,
did she reverse her position, saying that it no longer met her standards.
Nonetheless, Clinton is generally seen as pro-business and pro-trade, with close ties
to major financial institutions, which have provided millions of dollars in donations
and speaking fees to Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Many see Clinton as a historic Democratic candidate, as the first ever female presumptive
presidential nominee.
But despite her role as a representative of the Democratic Party, Clinton is seemingly
one of the most conservative candidates in the party’s recent history.