Welcoming Hillary Clinton To 2016

Sec. Hillary Clinton & Rev. Chuck Currie in 2014

It appears that Hillary Clinton is ready to enter the 2016 presidential race on Sunday. Many will remember that I supported Barack Obama during the 2008 election. I did so because I believed he was the right choice for a unique moment in our history and I've never regretted that decision. That doesn't mean I've agreed with his every position. Hillary Clinton has the opportunity in 2016 to carry on the work of the economic recovery and peace building that began in 2009. She was a key figure as Secretary of State in bringing combat operations to an end in Iraq and has been a important backer of a negotiated settlement with Iran vs. another war in the Middle East. Few people in modern history have promoted human rights for women and girls with more vigor. She was an early voice for equality for gays and lesbians. Like with Barack Obama, I know there will be times I disagree with her. Still, I share her overall vision for a more prosperous America for all and look forward to a more detailed economic agenda as the race progresses. She has been willing to wade into the difficult and painful issues of race and police accountability while other candidates have ducked. A United Methodist influenced from an early age by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Clinton understands the need for racial reconciliation. A Clinton candidacy will bring experience and substance to a race thus far filled with rhetoric meant not to unite Americans but to divide us. A Hillary Clinton candidacy will be good for America.