Volunteers for the Campaign Offer Passionate Statements Regarding their Support
A rally to support voting for Hillary Clinton will take place outside the Grafflin Elementary School at 7 a.m. on the morning of the New York primary. Chappaqua Friends of Hill (CFOH) has organized the event and are inviting supporters to turn out in as large a number as possible. The Clintons both vote at Grafflin too.
Marie Hollinger Short, a volunteer with the grassroots group, said CFOH mobilized to help canvass and make phone calls throughout Westchester because of “what is at stake…our reputation as a true global superpower for good, our national security, our relations with other countries, our safety and response to gun violence.”
Hollinger Short called Hillary Clinton “an extraordinary human being…and also the candidate who can best run our country and understands its needs. I can think of no better role model for my two daughters than a woman who has been attacked nearly every day of her adult life, and yet keeps plugging on and doing good in the world because she feels a duty.”
Lori Gowen Morton, also a CFOH volunteer, told the Inside Press that the legislature has become increasingly ineffective, and even quite recently, seems prohibitive to governing. We need a leader that can be most effective in restoring a collaborative environment.
“Additionally, I believe there has been a backsliding on civil rights issues, and a growing permissive environment for xenophobia and fear. I want a future in which my daughters can feel confident that their work is equally rewarded, their bodies are their own, and their friends need not fear discrimination or limited opportunities. I want a leader that will not only set a positive tone for our children’s future, but has a plan of action to protect it,” stated Gowen Morton.
“Hillary Clinton has been my candidate because beyond rhetoric, she has outlined specific and detailed plans to move the country forward, on all fronts: social, economic and diplomatic.”
Gowen Morton described her first experience with Hillary Clinton. “It was at a campaign speech at my college during Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign in 1992. I was so impressed with her expertise on the issues and her presence…as a woman who was a force to be reckoned with in her own right, not simply window-dressing and a cheerleader for someone else.
“I remember thinking “She should be running!” I have been a fan ever since.She’s been a kind and generous neighbor, and well known locally for “behind the scenes” advocacy for those in need. I was so proud of her efforts to globally address women and children’s issues during her time as Secretary of State I believe that she has literally changed the world, shining a light on inequity, empowering women and families to fight for change, and increasing the pressure for reform in more oppressive countries.”
The discourse in this campaign has been so hateful and divisive, Gowen Morton also noted. “I continue in daily disbelief at the chauvinist, racist, discriminatory and simply offensive statements coming from other campaigns. I respect Hillary Clinton for continuing to take the high road, keeping the dialogue on topic, fighting her battles with fact and plan, rather than outburst and insult. I started supporting her because of my deep respect for her, but my commitment has been solidified by my belief that the country is in serious peril, and there is simply no other candidate with equal promise to be a sensible and effective leader.”
I often wait last minute to write this column, as I’m busy getting the rest of this issue “just so.” As I was getting started yesterday, the phone rang, and it was my 93 year-old dad. “I feel burning in my chest.” A looming deadline be damned, I shot out to Queens. It turned out to be a false alarm within a half hour of my arrival. “I don’t know; I feel 100 percent now.” After some insisting on my part, Poppy has an appointment with his doc. The whole episode was a sure fire reminder to become more proactive about and insistent to him about his care. He has been so stubbornly (and successfully) independent (yes, a true blessing!), it can feel impossible to argue with him. My father has survived the unimaginable; maybe it’s time he allows others in to provide the care he so fully deserves.
By Ann Styles Brochstein
