February 17, 2008
Stand by your man......or mom
Pre-caucus, Lincoln hosted both Chelsea Clinton and Michelle Obama, both female representatives for the two biggest Democratic presidential candidates. Both came to speak in support of Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama respectively. I find it interesting the role both of these women have chosen to take for the sake of the important people in their lives. During this highly political time in the United States it seems crucial for them to support 100% of what their mom and husband are doing. Chelsea Clinton mentioned that she completely agrees with everything her mom stands for. Michelle also came out in overwhelming support of who her husband is and what he stands for. Are both of them just saying this for the sake of the campaign or do they truly agree with everything? Assuming that either of these candidates claim the presidency, when is it appropriate for the first lady (or husband) to stand up for different things or to have different opinions than their spouse? What would the public think of this?
5 comments:
I think this is a really interesting question that you are posing and actually my roommates and I were just having a discussion about this just recently. I think that it is always important for people to voice their opinion. Although these people were campaigning for their respective love ones, it is not their canadacy, so I think it is important to be honest during the campaign. That doesn't mean that they should make a point to discuss their differences, but I think it is important to be honest. A great example of this is our current president and first lady. Laura Bush is very much pro-choice in the issue of abortion and is not afraid to say so, whereas President Bush is pro-life. Obviously, this is an extreme "hot button" issue in America and plays a big role in campaigns. I think it is important to show support, like Chelsea and Michelle did for their candidates, but I think that it is also important to be honest about your feelings on the matter.
I think that standing by your loved one is important in many situations. I believe honesty is important as well, but let's be honest, Clinton and Obama wouldn't stand a chance if their loved ones had different opinions and weren't backing them. What does that say about their family life? If they showed different opinions, it would decrease their chance of getting elected. It would not be the smartest campaign move, and after all it's about winning.
Modern Political history of the presidency (FDR to current) dictates that you must be married and have a female blessing to be elected president. When JFK was in the senate he was single, however when he set his eyes on the presidency, his father encouraged him to get married so he could have a certain appearance to the people. He selected Jackie for her family's power and political understanding (understanding=knowing she'll put up with his affairs, and etc...)
The fact that females came to campaign for their candidates is nothing new. The new thing is that we have a woman as a frontrunner, and she needed to use her daughter to get the "female blessing" and to appeal to a broader crowd. If Bill stood up to speak, he would be like any other male politician endorsing his candidate.
In summary, never underestimate the female blessing in society, and especially politics. It is a very powerful tool that has been used for over 50 years!
I think that both Chelsea Clinton and Michelle Obama have to walk a very fine line at this point in their respective loved one's campaigns. To appear unaligned with all that the campaigns stand for could potentially hurt their loved one's chances at becoming the Democratic nominee for president.
However, I believe that part of the reason that it would be seen as so offendsive for these women to disagree is because they are women. I think the general public, and I believe we agreed on this in class, sees women as being supportive and helpful. Thus, if Chelsea or Michelle were to show opposition to the campaigns it would be a frenzy within the media world.
I do think that if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama were to become president, that then Chelsea and Michelle would be able to offer their criticisms as well as their support to their loved ones and in the public eye. But as of now, the campaigns are about the end result, or the goal of winning the nomination. Therefore it would be unwise for either Chelsea or Michelle to show major disagreement with the campaigns.
I think this is very interesting as well. maybe they do agree with a lot of the things - however, they should be able to be their own person and voice different feelings if they really have them.
I understand that growing up you may share similar values as your parents and they will most likely reflect what you were brought up with. Also, you are probably attracted to someone with similar ideas and values as you.
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