As the US presidential election draws closer (it’s November 8th btw) it seems as though pretty much everyone is throwing in their two cents’ worth in an attempt to sway voters before the final deadline.*
In an unprecedented move Vogue magazine has spoke out and endorsed a candidate. You’ll be unsurprised to learn that they chose to back Hillary Clinton.
Explaining why they have chosen to stick their well-groomed head above the parapet this time, an editorial read:
‘For all the chaos and unpredictability and the sometimes appalling spectacle of this election season, the question of which candidate actually deserves to be president has never been a difficult one.’
‘Vogue has no history of political endorsements. Editors in chief have made their opinions known from time to time, but the magazine has never spoken in an election with a single voice. Given the profound stakes of this one, and the history that stands to be made, we feel that should change.’
‘Vogue endorses Hillary Clinton for president of the United States.’
With the prospect that Donald Trump could become President moving from the realm of laughable fantasy into worrying reality, the stakes are arguably higher than they’ve ever been in this American election. However, that’s not the only reason that* Vogue* are backing Hillary.
It’s no secret that American Vogue Editor, Anna Wintour, is a long-standing Hillary supporter. She has hosted fundraisers for Clinton’s campaign, made personal donations and been seen sporting Hillary t-shirts with her trademark sunglasses on many an occasion. Earlier this year Business of Fashion reported that Wintour was also giving styling advice to Clinton.
Wintour’s name is not on Vogue’s editorial endorsement which reminds us that the magazine has profiled Hillary Clinton no less than six times. And, while they ‘understand that Clinton has not always been a perfect candidate’ Vogue feels that her ‘fierce intelligence and considerable experienced are reflected in policies and positions that are clear, sound and hopeful.’ When you put her up against a candidate whose entire pitch to for President is spurious, egotistical and bad-tempered at best there’s no contest really is there?
Which Clinton policies are Vogue particular fans of? They dig Hillary’s ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ agenda, her stance on ‘racial justice, for reforming policing and sentencing laws’ and they agree with her ‘forceful’ support for LGBTQ rights which include ending ‘discrimination against transgender people’.
Above all, as Vogue sees it, Hillary knows better than anyone the ‘challenged working women face’ and they like what her tax proposals and ‘infrastructure investment’ will do to improve life for the middle classes. They also approve of her commitment to ‘continue the important work on healthcare reform begun by President Obama’ and he ‘sane’ position on gun laws.
Vogue’s top pick for President of the United States has been announced just in time. Tonight Clinton and Trump will go head to head in the final TV debate of their respective campaigns before America heads to the polls in a couple of week’s time.
Vogue conclude their endorsement pitch by billing Hillary as a beacon of hope in what are undeniably troubled times:
‘…two words give us hope: Madam President. Women won the vote in 1920. It has taken nearly a century to bring us to the brink of a woman leading our country for the first time. Let’s put this election behind us and become the America we want to be: optimistic, forward-looking, and modern.’
After such a divisive campaign season which has seen Donald Trump rub salt into many of America’s open wounds when it comes to race and gender, let’s hope American’s agree with* Vogue*. Clinton might not be perfect but she is, at the very least, qualified for the job and, hopefully, a symbolic step in the right direction.
Whether a Vogue endorsement does anything whatsoever to influence the majority of voters, however, is up for debate.
You might also be interested in:
Follow Vicky on Twitter @Victoria_Spratt
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.