There was media speculation today that Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign might be jeopardized by the fact that both she and her top aide are married to men who cheated on them. I wouldn’t have given that nonsense a second thought if it had appeared in the National Enquirer, the official organ of the Trump campaign. Instead, it was on the front page of the New York Times. It was in a piece about Anthony Weiner once again getting caught with his iPhone at crotch level. The sexting former congressman is married to Huma Abedin, Clinton’s longtime assistant. This from the Times:
“Mr. Weiner’s extramarital behavior also threatens to remind voters about the troubles in the Clinton’s own marriage over the decades, including Mrs. Clinton’s much-debated decision to remain with then-President Bill Clinton after revelations of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.”
Really? Does our culture change that slowly? It took 144 years for women to win the right to vote in this country. They’ve been given a ballot since 1920, but until a few weeks ago, not one of them has ever been nominated for president by a major political party. Hillary Clinton finally breaks through the ceiling’s last shard of glass, only to be told that she should have kept her husband from straying if she wanted to be president. Either that, or divorce him.
Bill Clinton not only cheated and lied about it, he was subsequently rewarded with a 73% approval rating in his second term. But Hillary is somehow disqualified because she didn’t stand on her man or kick him to the curb. And now poor Huma is in the same sinking boat, a powerful woman too busy with her career to properly service her poor husband, who had to go out and find an app for that.
This is all very reflective of American life in the 19th century, except for the app part. Marriage was an asymmetrical institution, more about property rights than partnership. A wife was supposed to tend to her husband’s every need in exchange for his bringing home the bacon or, in vegan households, an appropriate soybean substitute. A husband who frequently strayed from the marital bed brought disrepute upon his wife for not taking sufficient care of him.
I totally get where we have been. What I don’t understand is why is it taking us so long to move on? Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin are among the most powerful people in this country. To blame them for the caddish and ribald choices their husbands made seems so yesterday.
Look, this is not a paid political advertisement for the Clinton campaign. Although I look forward to voting for her, I respect legitimate objections to her candidacy. Many of her public choices have landed her in jams she could and should have avoided. If you don’t trust her, don’t vote for her. If you don’t like her position on trade, don’t vote for her. If you don’t like her tax plan, don’t vote for her. But rejecting Hillary Clinton on the basis of her husband’s sins is taking us back to a place we should have left a long time ago.
Right on, Bruce! Right on!
I wish this kind of thoughtful observation appeared in more of the mainstream media, rather than how they dwell on the sound bites of the day or the rant of the moment.
The thing that I find the most disturbing about Anthony Weiner returning to his bad boy ways is that it was reported he took his crotch shots with one of his young children in the background. If I recollect correctly, I believe there were 2 photos. To me, this is indicative of Weiner not just cheating on his wife, but of participating in some sort of child abuse. If I were Huma, I would have left him not so much for the cheating but for the fact that his child was both in the room and in the photos. This now makes her decision one to protect her children more than any other reason. The unasked question in this situation is two part – did he ever participate in sexual activity with his own children and if not yet, would he in the future. So I say Run Huma Run!! As for Hillary, I have read pretty much every book on the Clintons that I could have and the relationship between Hillary and Bill is so complicated and bizarre and almost undefinable. These are two brilliant albeit strange people who cannot manage without each other. Hillary’s choice was hers alone to make and, to me, was none of my business. If she had left him, then she would have left him. She didn’t. So what? I recall my husband conversing on the subject of Bill’s impeachment trying to figure out why this was such a big whoop. So many Presidents were philanderers. Look at JFK and LBJ. The sad thing to me is that and I believe this with all my soul, there would be a bigger barn dance if Kanye West left Kim Kardashian and neither of these people do anything more than “occupy space” as my dear father would have said. Life gets too weird for me most days. Thank you Bruce for trying to sort it all out. I give up and watch HGTV.
H Bruce,
I am looking forward to reading your new blog and am glad you decided to do this. As you can tell by my Facebook postings, I am one of your friends who thinks Trump is a complete idiot. What scares me most about his candidacy is the fact that there seems to be a lot of folks in this country who support him despite the awful things he says and does. I, to0, him going to vote for Hillary. I am not a fan of hers but she is infinitely more qualified than the Donald. A friend of mine characterizes the election as choosing the “Evil of Two Lessers.” I don’t think Hillary is evil, but Trump is. Keep writing. I still think you need to do a book
Mike
Your writing reflects a thought process that combines insightful analysis with a quirky sense of humor that makes you so very readable and enjoyable.
It’s a great mix that I hope you continue to share with the world.
❤️
❤️❤️