The Apprenticeship of Freedom

I was standing in the back room of the Hillary Clinton for President headquarters in Dubuque, Iowa with some volunteers and a field organizer, Elliot, who had been canvassing neighborhoods and knocking on doors for months. The Iowa caucuses were days away, and I had flown in with Institute of Politics Forum Director Bill White to help out with the final push.

I was excited, but Elliot was justly exhausted. I blurted, “Elliot! This is like Tocqueville, man! This is what it’s all about.” He looked at me, not quite believing I had actually said that. A volunteer said to Elliot, “He hasn’t been here long, has he?”

Standing in Dubuque Precinct 14 on caucus night, I had our expected turnout and yield in my hand. Our voters had shown up, but Obama supporters kept streaming in. I couldn’t do much but count. Obama and Clinton each had 63 supporters in the room, and turnout was far beyond our expectations. It didn’t bode well for the night.

I flew back to Boston the next day, disappointed but distracted by the final exams and papers on my mind. In the middle of writing a paper, I took a break and went down to the Lowell House dining hall. One of the House masters, Reverend Dr. Dorothy Austin, nervously asked what I thought of the campaign. I told her that I had spent two sweltering summers in Washington for Hillary; that in her Senate office and the campaign research department, I was surrounded by young, energetic people dedicated to someone they believe in; that I knew that thousands of people were in this together. It couldn’t all be over, and as I told Dorothy, “There’s a lot of voting left to be done.”

When Dorothy asked me to speak about the campaign at morning prayers in Memorial Church, I thought, for the first time, about what my experiences had taught me. In Dubuque, Bill White showed me that getting things done means not complaining, but coming up with the next best solution. One of Hillary’s Senate advisers, Kris Balderston, showed me how to learn an issue quickly and listen to people carefully. I learned that there are many things I cannot control, and it’s not worth fretting over what Chris Matthews says or what Frank Rich writes. But, only I can knock on that door, talk to that undecided voter, or stay an extra hour in the office.

In the end, de Tocqueville is right: “There is nothing more prolific in marvels than the art of being free; but there is nothing harder than the apprenticeship of freedom.” In my apprenticeship, I have followed a candidate I believe in, met people I have been lucky to work with, and learned lessons I will not soon forget.

Making History

When Hillary Clinton began her run for the presidency on Jan. 20, 2007, she promised to make history. As the first viable female contender to seek the nation’s highest office, the Senator’s candidacy has fundamentally altered the nation’s political landscape. Not only has she opened the door to women seeking to occupy the Oval Office, but she has also reinvigorated the nation’s electorate.

While the viability of Senator Clinton’s candidacy has itself broken the strongest barriers imposed upon women aspirants for office, more surprising is the fact that she has drawn voters based upon her national security credentials. For generations, female politicians struggled to convince the electorate of their ability to serve as commander-in-chief. A mere eight years ago, 70 percent of respondents told a Roper poll that they believed a male president would perform better on foreign policy issues.

On Super Tuesday this year, however, 50 percent of voters believed that Senator Clinton would make a better commander-in-chief than Senator Obama, compared to only 35 percent for her male opponent. The Senator has impressed voters with her detailed plan for withdrawal from Iraq and with her distinguished record on the Armed Services Committee. She has shown more fluency on matters of state in debates than her male counterparts. By passing the so-called “commander-in-chief” test, Senator Clinton has opened the door to generations of women aspiring to lead the world’s most powerful military.

Less recognized has been the extent to which Senator Clinton’s candidacy has reshaped the electorate. Political pundits have continually praised Senator Obama’s ability to draw new, young voters. Yet few appreciate that Senator Clinton has also inspired new voters of all ages, especially women. In six competitive primary contests, voter registration among women increased by 89 percent. According to exit poll data, Hillary Clinton drew a large majority of these voters to the polls. Numerous New Hampshire, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Texas voters to whom I spoke on the campaign trail cast their first ballot for Hillary.

More strikingly, Hillary Clinton’s comeback candidacy—from an Iowa defeat to a New Hampshire triumph—has deterred a dangerous trend in media reporting, in which commentators frequently injected prognostications into coverage. After Iowa, the media cognoscenti began writing obituaries for her candidacy. Colorful commentators such as Chris Matthews effectively anointed Senator Obama the nominee, prompting his NBC colleague Tom Brokaw to accuse the media of “stampeding” the electoral process. Yet Senator Clinton’s perseverance turned such commentary on its head, prompting many reporters to deemphasize polling data in their coverage. As Senator Clinton and her supporters demonstrated, the candidates and the voters make history, not the chattering class.

The final chapters of this nomination contest have yet to be written, but win or lose, Hillary Clinton has kept her first campaign promise—to make history.

Rahul Prabhakar ’09 is a government concentrator in Lowell House. He served as co-chair of Harvard Students for Hillary in spring 2007. Ari S. Ruben ’08 is a history concentrator in Leverett House. He has served as director of Harvard Students for Hillary since spring 2007.

Lessons from the Trail