Comments on: The Strange Lives of Political Wives

By: Praetorian

Praetorian — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:19:02 +0000

“Long hours, no credit, no pay, lots of criticism.”

Shopping at Bergdorfs, plastic surgery, the little yoga girl that comes to the house three time a week, etc.

Can you think of a worse job?

Sounds pretty good to me.

By: BPT

BPT — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:08:32 +0000

Many First Ladies (not all) are control freaks and love the power. Michelle Obama is a classic case – a real photograph-loving broad.

By: Federale

Federale — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:41:03 +0000

This is just a case of Stalinist vs. Trotskyite. Or, as they said in Get Smart, My Kaos is purer than your Kaos.

By: AThinkingPerson

AThinkingPerson — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:11:58 +0000

Re #5 Delia: BRAVO just announced that they are coming out with that exact show. How funny can that possibly be?

By: heathermc

heathermc — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:47:18 +0000

I don’t think a politician can make it very far without an active supportive wife who is “really” a partner, and who knows the drill. Politics is rough. A successful politician has to have a wife/husband who will watch his/her back all the time. Like Todd Palin. Or Barbara Bush.

By: Dred Scott

Dred Scott — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:11:18 +0000

To paraphrase Ladybird, political wives know the deal. It is the children who have so say until they become adults, but then they usually benefit. It is not unreasonable to expect that for Obama’s girls, as with many political sons and daughters, the rest of their lives will be purple…

By: Sandy Cash

Sandy Cash — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:52:52 +0000

Camille West, the “clown princess” of folk music, has a great song about this called “Candidate’s Wife Rag”:

“…Hail to the Chief
and the man who stands beside her
It’s tough but I can take it
after all I’ve seen him naked
But I’m still his biggest fan
stand by my man
when his rhetoric’s so thick
you need a knife
I can cut through it. I’m the candidate’s wife
You get four to eight, but I get life
It’s hard to be the candidate’s
I hope that you appreciate
that it’s hard to be the candidate’s wife”

Full lyrics at Camille’s site:
http://www.camille-west.com/camille_west_lyrics_candidate.htm

(Why? Because I’m a fan, that’s all!)

By: Delia

Delia — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:20:04 +0000

“The real housewives of DC”?

By: RAH

RAH — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:56:29 +0000

A wife used to be an asset to an executive, who could make or break his career. Since her family and her personal fortune were tied to the husband success, she had an incentive to help him.

Dual job marriages have ruined that model. Married women often have their own careers that they will not allow to be subservient to the mans job.

Politicians need to have a wife that agrees her job outside the home is subservient to his.

Easier for Republicans who are more fundamental Christian and has already absorbed the idea that the women’s role is to be mother and helpmate. Her status is tied to her husbands. That is why it is so cruel when the husband publicly humiliates the wife like Bill Clinton or Edwards.

I am not surprised about this example. They come from a red state and the wife comes from a family that believes in large families that will sacrifice to help the father succeed in his chosen career.

By: AThinkingPerson

AThinkingPerson — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:45:03 +0000

Putting Hillary Clinton and Dolly Madison into the same league is like putting Obama in the same sentence as honorable or patriotic. Two opposing terms.

I have no sympathy for political spouses unfortunately. They know what they’re getting into from the get go. I just wish they would use their public personas for more than just self promotion. Laura Bush was a wonderful example of a first wife who used her title for good works. Michelle Obama? Well, she certainly has nice arms and goes on a lot of tax payer paid date nights. I guess when your husbands best qualifications for the job of TOTUS is reading a teleprompter, you can’t be asked to have any better qualities either. Is it 2012 yet?