So you want to like Hillary but you don’t know where to start?

As the election moves to the national stage, it’s more important than ever for Democrats to come together. This list is meant to serve as a hub, your starting point for understanding Hillary Clinton.

To really understand Hillary is the first step towards being able to confidently trust her with your vote. Like most Americans, we wholeheartedly supported the primary candidate of our choice—often to the detriment of the other.

But coming together doesn’t have to be a dirge! Think of this as an opportunity to reset, one where we focus on the similarities between the Democratic candidates, and delve into why we as a party can be excited to support Hillary in the General no matter who you chose in the primary.

Remember, Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton voted together 93 percent of the time and have a heart and passion for many similar ideas. If you’re a Democrat with a genuine heart for understanding, and are ready to receive this information and want to heal the party, let’s get started.

On the “Rigged” Primary: What’s the Deal?!

Dang! It’s hard to move forward if you feel like you’ve been cheated. We get it. This has been a contentious primary with a lot of misunderstanding. Much if comes down to understanding the often bulky system of our party nomination process—of how down-the-line candidacies influence (or halt!) change, or how Republican municipalities affect voter disenfranchisement. We have done our best to provide links in this section that focus on the candidates’ policies and their words, and that have been covered by multiple outlets. I.e., shizz that’s legitz.

We also included some commentary on Super D’s—something our party has been vigorously debating over many a cocktail party since their inception in 1982. Could the Democrats keep perfecting their system? Absolutely. But we must remember that Hillary lost in the same system in 2008.

In this section we have both Bernie and Hillary speaking against the conspiracy theory claims dominating the internet, while also highlighting Hillary’s work to end voter disenfranchisement. To understand her work in this area and what it dates back to, is to know why “suppressing” votes is honestly the farthest thing from her M.O., and why Hillary supporters get downright sensitive about the accusations.

And while Bernie would like to open up the Democratic Party’s nomination process, there’s real reasons why that’s not a good idea too. Let the debate continue, but let us understand all aspects as we move forward. And save the “conspiracies” that shut down any hope of collaboration to the Tea Party.

There’s a nagging feeling of distrust I have towards Hillz. WHY?

This is a looaaaddded question! It has to do with a ton of intersections—not limited to but including how our society views women (our moms, our sisters, our daughters), the massive smear campaign conducted by the right á la that Planned Parenthood “video scandal” x that 11 Hour Benghazi Hearing x 25 years of unending bullshaaitt etc., etc.

To understand why you and I associate HRC with distrust in spite of Politifact rating her as objectively the most honest candidate to run for public office, we must understand the relationship between HRC and the Right. In this section, we have included several think pieces that give context to this question.

Yeah, but who IS Hillary Clinton, really?

There’s no shortage of opinions on the internet about who Hillary is. As we discovered in the last section, she is so tirelessly scrutinized it’s no wonder she comes across as guarded when she speaks. But these “day-in-the-life” lifestyle pieces are very telling, and give us a real insight into the heart of the candidate. Dare we say, they show the reason why we can love her.

Ok. But in her career, what has Hillary DONE?

Yesss! Finally! Bread and butter—something we rarely get to with the GOP. A quick look into Hillary’s career shows a lifetime of work for minorities, women, and children. We know about her most famous moments, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights,” and being named the most admired woman in the world 20 times over. But what else?

Here’s what else: She has proven she is uniquely prepared for this job—not because she’s been “appointed,” but because she’s put in a lifetime of work. Here’s a handful of accomplishments to get you started.

Isn’t she a neocon, War-Hawk?

Let’s just say this; it matters to us that the compassion and compass of the Democratic party continue to be at the helm. Hillary is not any more a war hawk than her Democratic colleagues Joe Biden, John Kerry, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid—all of whom regretfully voted for the Iraq War.

Alas, due to her position as Secretary of State—much that was simply her doing her job and negotiating on behalf of the president—it makes *her* look like a hawk. A standard uniquely held for her alone. Democrats, as a whole, are not considered Hawkish. John Kerry? HA! But Hillary Clinton? Whoa (Joey Lawrence). Suddenly we’re in hawk territory—a tiny little bit of a double standard, considering no one eyes Harry Reid with the same suspicions.

Also, the purity test on Clinton is a little bizarre. Yes, she voted for the Iraq War—called it incorrectly—but Sanders himself fails if we are talking about a purity test.

This is not to point fingers, just to keep in mind that war is pleasing for none of us; Senator Sanders authorized Bill Clinton’s war in Serbia, voted for the 2001 Authorization Unilateral Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF) that allowed Bush to wage war wherever he wanted, backed Obama’s Libyan debacle and supported an expanded US role in the Syrian Civil War.

(See also: Where Bernie really stood on overthrowing Saddam Hussein)

Now, what does Hillary really believe about war? This section gives us an explanation.

Bernie and she are so different though, right? I can’t vote for her! She’s a Republican!

But you’d totally vote for and trust Elizabeth Warren? If this is you, this section is for you.

I heard that Hillary just does what’s expedient for her political career.

Hillary Clinton’s life has been dedicated to evolving this country forward, to making it a better place for us all to thrive.

Has she always gotten it right? Of course not. But she is more consistent than she is given credit for. The brilliant Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once wrote “Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards.” We need a President who can do both.

So what about the scandals and accusations galore? Got any responses for that?

I know! As Hillary supporters, we even hate that there are so many “scandals.” You think where there’s smoke there’s fire? Not when the GOP is physically bringing a smoke machine into the space and yelling “FIRE!”

What is it about HRC that makes her a magnet for this shiz?

Lest you think Bernie Sanders is excluded, Google “Negative Facts about Bernie Sanders.” Hillary ran against both Bernie and the Koch Brothers, and has had a much more public career, so her negatives are full frontal and in our faces. Some fair, mostly not. Let’s address them here. Then let’s leave the attacks to the GOP to wallow in desperately, shall we?

It’s too bad though that there’s an “enthusiasm gap.” We’re all holding our nose to vote for HRC aren’t we?

No! There are so many people EXCITED about Hillary—for real!

Excited because we are not only making history, but because she is a candidate who has given us reason to be. It’d be easy to find them, fluff pieces, but these are anything but—zero women voting with their vaginas, but with their minds. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for reading up on Hillary. We hope it’s a jump-start. Because we are truly stronger together.

© Wise Women For Clinton