Review: What Happened

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full disclosure, I voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. She wasn't a perfect candidate but faced with the prospect of Donald Trump in the Oval Office, I felt full confidence in casting my ballot for Clinton. Since Trump won the election, I have been trying to figure out what has gone so terribly wrong in our Democracy that we would elect a person like Trump, who, in my opinion, has done nothing but walk all over our country's Constitution and values. (Note: If you are a Trump supporter, good for you! I am glad (or at least hope) that you chose to exercise your Constitutional right to vote. Please don't message me with rants about Clinton or politics because you disagree with my voting choice.)

So, like many Clinton supports, I was interested to hear Clinton's perspective on what why she lost an election that many polls had her winning. For the most part, I think Clinton gives an honest assessment of her campaign's failings. She didn't do a good job connecting with blue collar workers in areas that have been devastated by economic decline and her policies were overshadowed by the media's constant coverage of those damn emails. But, let's not forget, she won the popular vote by three million votes.

The book chronicles Hillary's 2016 campaign and outlines many of the policies that she would have put into place had she won. It's almost more heartbreaking to read them now, as the current White House resident has absolutely NO clear policies and so far hasn't done much to help the middle class that he said would be his focus. The book isn't bitter, but Clinton doesn't shy away from the obvious disappointment she felt when she lost. I found it to be reflective, a bit melancholy, but also hopeful that we can come through the current disarray of our politics and get back to a time of more civil discourse and unity.

I hope that the Democratic party has been taking notes about what happened in 2016 so that we don't have a repeat in 2020. I hope that we can get back to the real job of governing. I look forward to a time when campaigns are less about ratings and more about actual policies. I'd like to see both sides of the aisle focus less on their side winning and more on compromising and finding a middle ground to make policies that the majority of Americans want to see and need. I want our politicians to remember that they work for us and I want them to be men and women of integrity, honesty, humility, and willing to put our country before their wants and their party. I hope this time comes sooner rather than later.

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