'Scandal' actress campaigns for Clinton on campus
“Scandal” actress Bellamy Young campaigned for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Monday in the Bovee University Center auditorium.
Young plays the First Lady on “Scandal,” an ABC political television show. With only five days left before the Nov. 8 election, she spoke to more than 70 students about political issues directly affecting them, including student debt, job creation and women's rights.
“I've always considered myself a feminist, but I never saw it in action,” Young said. “Every First Lady before her was very decorous and (wore) white-gloves. Hillary was very 'sleeves rolled up,' (and) ready to do whatever it takes.”
Young said America has never had a more qualified candidate for president than Clinton.
She called the scope of Clinton’s experience “overwhelming,” as is her “tenacity and resilience” throughout the election.
“What strikes me most about what she has done is the love (by her supporters). It's not easy to start a conversation with the hate (found within this election), so you never know what you're going to get,” Young said. “(With politics) if you don't love it, you put it down and walk away. Hillary Clinton had never walked away.”
Young discussed Clinton’s jobs plan, saying it's the "biggest job plan since Eisenhower."
Clinton's 100-Day Jobs Plan includes investing in American infrastructure and manufacturing, cracking down on trade abuse, cutting taxes and creating jobs through clean energy.
She added Clinton supports women and LGBTQ+ rights. Under Clinton’s potential presidency, she said people won’t “have to drag their past” with them when they “try to walk toward their future.”
“(This election has) held a mirror on the misogyny in the country, which is disheartening,” Young said. “The only way I can think is to turn (focus) back to the issues, the world I want to live in and what the world thinks of us. I want us to have partners in the world, a seat at the table for everyone.”
Young was awarded the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the ABC drama series "Scandal."
“I'm a fan of (Young). I was excited that she came to CMU to endorse Hillary and help students become more informed on issues,” Marshall senior Alyssa Shumaker. “This election is really important. You're either here or there. There's not really a middle (in this election).”
Clinton campaign volunteers distributed stickers and requested students to sign up for shifts to canvas for Clinton during the final days before the election.
Brad Snyder, a University of Michigan alumnus, said his friend graduated from college seven years ago $140,000 in debt.
He said this made it harder to start a successful post-college life and pushed her “farther from the American Dream.”
“We need a president whose policies are reflective of our young people,” Snyder said. “We all know someone struggling to pay for college, or you yourself are struggling with student loans. That student debt is one of the biggest things affecting our lives as Millennials.”
Under Clinton’s presidency, she promises that by 2021, families with an income below $125,000 will pay no tuition for in-state college and universities.
Young is the second actress the Clinton Campaign student volunteers brought to Central Michigan University this week. "Orange is the New Black" actress Uzo Aduba campaigned for Clinton on Saturday.
