Candidates’ spouses (we can’t just say “wives” anymore, can we?) are less important than the candidates themselves. But they still have an effect on elections. Most spouses still try to go the old route of staying bland enough to cause no offense; it’s wisest to follow the medical maxim “First, do no harm.”
Laura Bush has been somewhat in this mold. But she has a sincere serenity, charm, and dignity that shines through. Teresa Heinz Kerry, on the other hand, seemed jumpy and edgy, scattered and a bit angry. Not a good thing, although I doubt it ended up mattering all that much in the final tally.
Bill Clinton is, of course, an anomaly. Not only is he the first prospective First Husband who truly has a chance of making it all the way to the White House, but he is the first First Husband to whom this would be a return trip. We don’t need to get to know Bill Clinton—we know way too much about him already. But lately we’ve been engaged in getting to know him in his new role.
The Clintons were revolutionary in another respect: it was the first time a First Lady had a powerful career history of her own (“I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but …”), and was considered to be a bona fide consultant on policy rather than just an emotional helpmate.
As time passes, and Presidential candidates come from the pool of younger generations, not only can we assume that more women will be running and therefore there will be more prospective First Husbands, but we can also assume that a greater number of male candidates will have wives more in the Hillary mold than the Pat Nixon or Nancy Reagan pattern (and, by the way, the latter does not preclude a steely resolve and a very strong spine).
The Obama marriage is of this new type. Continue reading →