It's happening. After 227 years of male presidents and presidential candidates, the United States will see a woman's name on the ballot for president and have the choice of voting to put her in the Oval Office, or not.
made some tiny emoji art to mark this moment pic.twitter.com/Flk5ZT3Xp4
— laura olin (@lauraolin) June 8, 2016
That's because Hillary Clinton claimed the Democratic presidential nomination this Tuesday night alongside big wins in the California, New Mexico, and New Jersey primaries, and a day after the Associated Press declared her the presumptive nominee. (Emphasis on presumptive.)
It's a historic moment. Regardless of your party affiliation or personal views, it's hard to deny that having the first female nominee for a major American political party is a huge deal.
Although there were tears of joy and rapturous outpourings on social media after the announcement, not everybody was sold. Reactions to this achievement being made by Hillary Clinton has sparked strong reactions--in three basic camps:
1. Clinton supporters are ecstatically saying #ImWithHer
Though she ended up beating him soundly, Bernie Sanders' progressive, mobilizing campaign and passionate following made this primary season a real fight for Clinton. You could practically hear a nationwide sigh of relief from her supporters after the victory.
Clinton gave a moving victory speech at a rally in Brooklyn, New York.
The address set social media on fire. Pro-Clintonites were thrilled. They believe her long career as First Lady, US Senator, and Secretary of State makes her the most qualified candidate to lead the US.
Now that Clinton is the presumptive nominee, many Democrats are looking forward to the general election. They hope for party unity in the fight against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Clinton has support from celebrities, public figures, and political heavyweights, as well as from key demographic groups in the United States, including blacks and Hispanics.
For many, it's a huge moment for gender equality--a special moment, especially, for many women in America. One glass ceiling was shattered--but there's still work to do.
To many, this feels long overdue. Many feminists are rejoicing.
Some of them secretly and quietly.
2. Some are relucantly going #GirlIGuessImWithHer
Many Democrats begrudgingly accept Clinton as the nominee.
Some see her as unethical, self-serving, and too dependent on big money.
Although she may not be everyone's first choice, many voters feel that a Clinton presidency is much better than the alternative--Donald J. Trump as Commander-in-Chief. So they're holding their noses and planning to vote for Hillary in November.
#GirlIGuessImWithHer #WhatElseIsThereToDo pic.twitter.com/MHUVkjrZpe
— @MADBLACKTHOT (@MADBLACKTHOT) June 8, 2016
The #GirlIGuessImWithHer hashtag quickly took off Tuesday night, spreading through Twitter like a giant shoulder shrug. The general consensus is that while Clinton may not bring the revolution progressives have been hoping for--and while many have serious issues with things she has said and done--many left-leaning, pro-Sanders Democrats are willing to fall in line and unite. The objective? Sparing America and the world from Donald Trump and his great wall.
when the only way to keep trump out of office is to vote for Hilary #GirlIGuessImWithHer pic.twitter.com/yGMdCMu8BF
— jessika (@jessikalyssa) June 8, 2016
#GirlIGuessImWithHer because in an election where you ask me to choose Jim Crow or Slavery,I'm losing out regardless pic.twitter.com/Iw2iIPvSOq
— Xaytone (@XLNB) June 9, 2016
3. And many are loudly, proudly saying #HillNo
There are Democrats who will never accept Hillary Clinton as the nominee. Some progressives, like climate change activist Naomi Klein, have harsh words for Clinton.
Some Sanders supporters--including many independents, who experts believe Clinton will need to win over to win--believe that the election is rigged. They think Clinton has a Democratic establishment backing her that bought the nomination for her, and that she is buying her way into the White House. This group is #NeverHillary, at least for now.
Some progressives are so anti-Clinton that they flirt with the idea of voting for Trump--or have even openly declared that they're on the #TrumpTrain. They think a Trump presidency could create the conditions needed for a political revolution. They prefer a shock to the system to politics as usual.
Can I volunteer for Trump, Stein, andddd Johnson? #NeverHillary
— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) June 8, 2016
Democrats who are confident that sanders voters will switch to clinton are overly optimistic. Clinton is no better than trump #NeverHillary
— sahar (@pakrat94up) June 7, 2016
There's no way I'm voting for Hillary Clinton so I guess Donald Trump it is 😔💔
— Tina (@TFSportsaddict) June 8, 2016
Some of these #HillNo progressives will likely vote for a third-party candidate--probably about 25% of Sanders supporters--many of whom are pining for Sanders to run as an independent or team up with Dr. Jill Stein on the Green Party ticket.
Others are going to sit it out.
Of course, legions of Republicans oppose--even loathe--her too.
What lies ahead for Hillary?
While many #StillSanders die-hards want the fight to go on until at least July 25th, when superdelegates officially cast their votes, the Clinton campaign wants to turn their attention, energy, and resources to fighting Donald Trump.
He's already started tweeting insults about "Corrupt Hillary," and now he's planning to start more personal attacks, including scandals about the Clintons from the '90, including Bill Clinton scandals that have little or nothing to do with Hillary Clinton herself.
Clinton says she won't respond to personal attacks and will stay focused on showing that Trump isn't qualified to be POTUS.
Moving forward, Clinton will have the support of those who've been with her since the beginning, and those who guess they're with her now. Who knows what else will happen between now and November?
This article was written by Clementine Amidon and originally appeared on Kicker. Kicker explains the most important, compelling things going on in the world and empowers you to get in the know, make up your own mind, and take action. For more, check out the Kicker site, like their Facebook page, or subscribe to their email newsletter.