I want to avoid snarkiness as much as possible, but I don’t really understand why her. While she is an extraordinary person by achieving the role of Senator and secretary of state, I don’t think she has been terribly extraordinary for those roles.
I would think Condoleezza Rice, or Obama, or Harris, or any number of high level politicians would be better.
That being aside…Is there a real reason, other than politics that she is getting this award?
It certainly does feel like that’s a big part of it. it’s coming across to me that, between pardons, commutations, and now these awards, Biden is (a) rewarding people he likes, and (b) doing things in defiance of what his successor is expected to do.
Bear in mind that the Medal of Freedom has pretty broad “qualifications,” and is entirely at the discretion of the President – from Wikipedia:
FYI, here’s a list of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, listed by the president from whom they received the award. Certainly some are “political” choices, like Rush Limbaugh or Ed Meese receiving the same award from Donald Trump.
Yeah. I remember perusing the list after Rush Pigbaugh got his … and being quite underwhelmed.
At the time, I recall feeling like … I really did have a shot 
This is a quote from Wiki:
Clinton helped to organize a diplomatic isolation and a regime of international sanctions against Iran in an effort to force it to curtail its nuclear program, which eventually led to the multinational Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015.
I would think that would be reason enough.
There might well be an element of Biden thinking, “OK, Donald, given who you gave this medal to…hold my beer.” Though, more from the standpoint of awarding it to people who Trump and his followers hate, than giving it to people who were, arguably, simply awful people, but whom his side of the political spectrum love.
Yeah, the MOF is often a political jab. Trump giving Limbaugh the MOF, and now Hillary and Soros getting it. Although Hillary and Soros arguably did far more to earn it. Rapinoe getting the MOF also had a strong political flavor to it as well.
She was the first major nominee for president and that should count for something. I still think it’s a bit of a stretch and politically motivated, but by several orders of magnitude less than Rash Limpballs.
No, I’m pretty sure there were major nominees for president before her.
^ This. Clinton and Soros have each made (by far) a more positive contribution to the nation as compared with Rush Limbaugh.
As for the politics: when Trump starts trying to sell the idea that Clinton (and others who Biden has honored) are “bad people who should be in jail”…and you know he will…then low-information Americans will at least be puzzled by the news that they got these honors. If they’re bad people, then how could that happen?
It’s not a zero sum game. There are infinite MOFs to give out. Any of those people can still get one. I loathe Hillary Clinton, but I have no problem with her getting one. The medal has no meaning and zero requirements.
While there are no actual requirements, we all have our own personal opinions of what acts or accomplishments the medal should be award for. But the truth is that it’s just something the President gives to whomever he wants for whatever reason he wants. It might as well be the Presidential Challenge Coin in that respect.
If there were actual requirements, I’d think Hillary Clinton deserves it more than Ralph Lauren or any of the many singers, actors, sculptors and cellists awarded the medal simple because the President enjoys their art/music/movie/clothing/etc.
Curious why you’re singling out Hillary Clinton, but not Ralph Lauren. Do you think he deserves it more than she does? Or even as much as she?
I didn’t know about Ralph Lauren. Just because I singled her out doesn’t mean I also would have the same question about others.
That’s why I provided the whole list; I expect that any one of us can find awardees we find questionable.
Clinton was the first woman to be the nominee of a major party (i.e., Republican or Democratic). Other women have run for president, but did not win the nomination of a major party.
Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin were nominees for vice president in 1984 and 2008 respectively.
TOWP was – I’m fairly confident – commenting on a typo/omitted word.
Ah, I see: woman.
I thought there might have been confusion over the distinction between nominee of a major party (generally meaning R or D), and major nominee, which could be taken to include nominees of the Reform or Libertarian party or some such.
And Magic Johnson!? There can’t really be any discussion about who actually deserves one and who doesn’t, and certainly no argument about who deserves it more. We all have our own made up requirements of what the medal should signify. We would need to apply some kind of metric by which to measure awardees. But there isn’t one.
5 USC 4504
“Award of the Medal . (a) The Medal may be awarded by the President as provided in this order to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
If I had it my way, the medal would only be awarded for (1) and (2). Cultural or other significant endeavors should only apply if they contribute to (1) or (2), but that’s not how it’s written. So, any person who the President believes has meritoriously contributed to their own private endeavors can be awarded the medal. Who among us has not contributed to our own private endeavors? Do it “meritoriously” and you can get the MOF.
I left out the word woman. Mea culpa.
Anyone else think that Anna Wintour was totally underwhelmed by the honor? Didn’t crack a smile or seem the least bit appreciative.
I believe she had the muscles necessary to form a smile removed during an earlier cosmetic procedure.