I had a call from CNN yesterday about the American elections. After an internet search on this subject , they were alerted to my blog, perhaps the recent post I wrote asking my fellow Toatmasters to imagine they were a presidential candidate.
A reporter called Summer wanted to know my views about wives who walked behind their presidential candidate husbands. I had no idea this was a big issue over there. You often see the candidates walking hand in hand with their spouses, but the politician obviously can’t look too soppy and do this all the time. I don’t see why it is a problem if he walks ahead sometime with other political figures and she is behind him.
Are the wives – and women of the United States – upset about this? Where do you think their rightful position – up at the front, or two steps behind?
The whole public use of spouses in politics has always baffled me. Would a CEO turn up for things with his wife? I’d have a lot more respect for them if they quietly went about their work, whatever it might be, while their politician spouse got on with their job.
Gordon Brown taking his wife on hospital visits seems particularly cynical.
Political spouses should obviously be kept behind or out of sight, seeing as we should surely be judging our votes on the basis of the candidate rather than who they are married to!
Three steps behind. After all, if someone started mentioning my better half in a job interview I was having then I’d tell them where to get off!
I hope you said that it was far more important for a First Lady to wear a hat.
Michelle Obama caught serious flak this week (and in my opinion deservedly so) because she said, at a rally celebrating her husband’s latest primary win, that for the first time in her adult life she was proud of America.
Cindy McCain immediately countered that she was always proud of America. (I and about 30 million other American bloggers did posts on the subject this week.)
Candidate spouses make news no matter what: They have to campaign or be seen as unsupportive. It’s too big a country not to enlist the active assistance of an obvious surrogate. And then they have to be careful not to say anything too controversial.
Hillary Clinton was controversial in 1992 when she said she wasn’t the sort to stay home and bake cookies — stay at home mothers were offended — now her husband is controversial. What role would he play in a Hillary Clinton administration? What role should he play?
Curmudgeon, thanks for this feedback straight from the States, it’s really helpful. Yes, it’s true, that political candidates’ wives are under the spotlight as much as their husbands and have to watch every word they say, whichever country they are in. Those words from Michelle Obama do not seem very wise.
Despite being a long time feminist I’d have to say behind at times, together at others. After all the wife (or husband) is not running for office. I have never understood the system that makes the spouse of a candidate so important.
This is from an older American, who feels that the person running for office or a job placement should be on his or her own. We need to stand behind our mates and support their ambitions, but we should not be credited or blamed for their success or failure. By the same token, we should not do or say anything that brings discredit to their hard work.
Up front!