Friday, January 23, 2004

I can’t remember who posed the question about the importance of the spouse in a Presidential campaign - in particular someone asked about Howard Dean’s wife, Dr. Judy Steinberg, whom up to now we hadn’t seen on the campaign trail with her husband. But I’ve been thinking about it for a few days now and I admit that I’ve waffled a bit in my position (and I pose my questions on the assumption that Dean is the nominee and eventual winner of the election):

Important - because the First Lady has responsibilities of her own, and so the American people need the chance to see if this partner is viable in her own right. We need to see how she interacts with her husband, what kind of partnership is it? What kind of influence does she have with her husband?

Not Important - because the First Lady won’t be setting policy. She’s not the one running for office, she’s not the elected official. She is merely the spouse. In the case of Dr. Steinberg, she’s a working mother, so her focus will be on her medical practice and her kids.

But this takes me back to the important side, because I don’t believe that’s so. The First Lady does have a full time job of her own while her husband is the President. She has obligations within the White House, state dinners, state visits, etc. And so I do believe that it’s important for the American people to get to know Mrs. Dean. And the Drs. Dean need to understand that while she isn’t the one running for office, she will have a prominent role as the First Lady. Her ability to keep her life as it was before he became governor of Vermont will not translate to the Presidency. The US is a lot larger than Vermont.

LATER: Trackbacked for the OTB Beltway Traffic Jam.