Dear Hillary:

Dear Hillary,

I am sorry. I apologize. For all the misinformed, misogynistic, narrow-minded men who have made your life a living hell. For the women, who should know better, but are apparently so used to ill treatment that they resent someone who is more than they can ever be. I am sorry for this campaign, that has dragged you through events in your life that you have gone through, triumphed over, and would prefer, I am sure, to leave behind. You have not been allowed to, and I am sure every time you are forced to relive these episodes, you are subject to the same pain.

I apologize for the ignorance and the jealousy and the hatred that have fueled this campaign. I do not understand it. There is nothing that I have seen in your comportment that could possibly have generated such a firestorm of hate and unjust accusations. Women should (and many do) raise you up as the role model you are--because we have been in your shoes and failed. We have lived with inequities in pay and job opportunities; we have been harassed, denigrated, and looked down upon by colleagues, have been the ones expected to make coffee, and handle 'housekeeping' tasks at the office, have been criticized for our lack of dedication and/or ambition when we deal with family crises, have been subjected to double-standards that only superwomen could abide by. And while we accepted our status as second-class citizens, you stood up and said "No." I thank you for that.

For all the lies, for all the cruel contortions of truth that have been thrown at you, I am heartily sorry. No person, man or woman, should be subjected to the name-calling and malicious scandal-mongering that you have undergone. You truly have 'gone high' when your enemies have 'gone low'.

And for that, I am proud to have you as a candidate for president. For the past eight years, we have had a standard-bearer for our country who has been articulate, intelligent, and who, along with his family, has deserved respect for his office and his role in the world. I hope and pray that you will be allowed to continue that legacy--in your own way, according to your own lights.

Sincerely,

Mary McElveen