Jessica Tarlov: Thank you, Hillary Clinton

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Clinton: We owe Donald Trump an open mind, chance to lead

Democratic presidential nominee speaks following Trump victory

Comedian Louis C.K. stopped by Conan O’Brien’s show last week and weighed in on the presidential race.

Louis, like so many Hollywood types, was all in for Hillary.

He didn’t offer the usual roundup of her accomplishments or record that so many have fallen back on throughout this campaign, but I wouldn’t have expected him to – he’s a comedian, after all.

But what he did do was so much more important.

Louis zeroed in on two critical factors to Hillary’s readiness to serve as the 45th president of the United States: she’s a mom and she can take abuse.

We have heard a lot about how important motherhood (and grandmotherhood) is to Hillary, but not in the way Louis put it. For him, Hillary would make the best president because “We’ve had 240 years of fathers…and fathers are okay…a great father can give a kid 40 percent of its needs and any mother – a not even trying mother – [gives] 200 percent.”

That isn’t an argument for a female president – which we’ve heard over and over again – but for a woman who knows the importance of caring for a child, the dedication it takes to raise a person right and unconditional love. The ability to give yourself over to others and to put them first, which is in many cases unique to mothers.

NB: I’m a big fan of fathers, too, but to argue they give themselves over equally on the whole is just too progressive – and wrong – for me. And I’m in a bipartisan mood and still acclimating to my Donald Trump presidency reality and don’t want to spill too much ink on dissing the president-elect, but I doubt there’s anyone out there who would argue that Trump gives 200 percent like a great mom.

Louis’s second, and perhaps more salient point, was that we need somebody in the White House who can take abuse. It’s the hardest job in the world. The presidency comes with the greatest level of scrutiny and criticism of any position. It is not for the thin-skinned (or the Twitter rant prone).

That’s why in his closing argument Louis said, “We need somebody who can take abuse and Hillary Clinton can take abuse. She’s been taking it and taking it. We’ve been hazing her, we’ve been holding her down and spitting in her mouth and yelling at her and she just gets up and goes well I just think that if children have proper healthcare and education.”

This is what it comes down to for me. Hillary never backs down and she just keeps fighting.

I think that in this totally mad election we lost sight of what a hero Hillary is for not just women, but for Americans in shattering so many glass ceilings, but more importantly for taking all the abuse and coming back for more.

I’m an admitted Hillary fan-girl, but even the coldest hearted Republicans will have to admit that she has always wanted every American to have health care, a chance at a quality education and opportunity for a bright future.

Sure, she shouldn’t have had a private email server. Everybody knows that. And the Clinton Foundation has given me a headache or two (in addition to saving millions of lives, more importantly).

But to reduce this election down to how Hillary blew it because she wasn’t a campaigner like Obama or her husband or the scandals surrounding her server or the Clinton Foundation did her in does such a deep disservice to this remarkable woman.

I was disappointed to see that female voters didn't come out for Hillary in the way the polls predicted because I do think it’s meaningful for women to support other women. And not just any woman. This woman.

As for what the future holds, I don’t have a crystal ball. But I do know that whatever Hillary does, she’s going to keep giving 200 percent and taking abuse.

And for that, we should thank her.