Sherry Chandler » How many of the Republican candidates had blonde wives?
How many of the Republican candidates had blonde wives?
As I read around the blogosphere, I note that many older writers have about the same reservations I have about Barack Obama. We are reluctant to dampen the enthusiasm he arouses in his followers, especially the young, but we are at the same time wary of an enthusiasm that has more the look of fandom than of politics. We are concerned with his run to the right on iconic liberal issues like health care and social security. We are concerned by his campaign allusions to rightwing tactics and talking points.
We would like to see some substance. Comparisons to Martin Luther King Jr.’s oratorical style are one thing, but Dr. King was a man of great substance whose devotion was to his people not to his own fame. He took difficult stances and stood by them when the going got tough.
We fear Obama will continue to give away the store in pursuit of bipartisanship. It’s not called compromise; it’s called enabling.
We are not without our reservations about Hillary Clinton. She has been in public service for 35 years or so and has a substantial record with quite a few spots on it. Her war support is one of the darkest, but I rather admire her refusal to flip-flop and apologize. Her support of sanctions on Iran is another. There’s also a troubling, if intriguing question, of what we do with a first husband who was also a highly controversial POTUS. And there’s the problem of irrational Clinton hatred.
But we are also proud of her, a wonky, unglamorous woman of our generation who has stood up to all the glamour and glitz, all the biased media coverage, and is still strong in the race.
By the way, I have a theory as to why white men (especially in California) broke for Obama. I think some white man would rather have any man for president than any woman. In fairness to the men who read and comment here and whom I love, I recognize the sexism in that. Maybe all those white men were voting their conscience. And I don’t think the demographic went as monolithically to Obama as was first estimated.
Conversely, I have no problem with saying that I lean toward Hillary just because she’s a woman. It’s time women had a powerful voice in this land. We’re a powerful voting bloq. And as my 90-year-old mother says, “It’s about time.”
So, as the fallout settles and on the Democratic side at least, I have to pronounce myself satisfied with the result of Super Tuesday. These two strong candidates will continue to vet one another, to test each the other’s mettle. I personally am for every debate they can have, even on the hated Fox News. Take the fight to the enemy. (And Obama has no qualms about doing Fox interview shows.)
I’m not even dissatisfied that the convention is likely to be something more than a coronation ceremony this year.
With luck, all this will give us a chance to demonstrate that there are certain things we expect from our candidate.
And I might get to cast a vote that matters.
If I am dissatisfied with anything about this race, it’s with a primary process that seems designed to disenfranchise most of the country. I am also really tired of the perpetual campaign. I would be in favor of one national primary, sometime in say May. I would favor a campaign that starts sometime about January of election year. But I’m a dreamer. I’d also like to see television networks required to donate, not sell, ad time for campaigns.
On the Republican side, well, McCain does look like the sanest pick, though I fear he’s a little insane on the subject of war, still fighting Viet Nam. Juan Cole hears echoes of Nixon.
For myself, I wonder how it is so many of these Republican candidates have blonde wives. Dare I say trophy? Or could it have anything to do with these studies I’ve seen but can’t verify that Republican men tend to get more.
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11 Comments
1. Max replies at 8th February 2008, 12:29 pm :
Well written and in full agreement!
Speaking of men not voting for women, One of the polls revealed that a fairly large % of men just won’t vote for a woman.
To me this is not surpising, the Southern Baptist Convention does not allow female Preachers, plus I have yet to see a female deacon and very few if any women are asked to be on committees. A Christian church I attended in Montgomery Alabama had a female preacher, she was a very good minister and the Church was doing very well. (They had female deacons)
I can attest that the U. S. Coast Guard became a much smarter and better service when females were admitted into the regular force, the best women and men very much boosted the Coast Guards workforce. When it was all men, the lower end was pretty pathetic.
Have a good day….
2. sherry replies at 8th February 2008, 1:18 pm :
I’m pleased, Max, by what you say about the Coast Guard becoming smarter and better when women were admitted, pleased both that it is so and that you say it. As for the SBC, it’s one of the reason I had to leave that church behind. Though it was Southern Baptist men and strong Southern Baptist women who formed my character and gave me the foundation for such ethics as I have.
3. Tommy replies at 8th February 2008, 3:14 pm :
Three.
Cindy McCain, Ann Romney, and Janet Huckabee are all blond.
Jeri Thompson and the Future Ex Mrs. Giuliani III* are both brunettes, although I have seen photos in which Mrs. Thompson has blonde streaks.
Mrs. Paul, like her husband, is grey.
It would be interesting to study whether being married to blondes is a cause of or consequence stemming from their success.
I’m working on a post about this right now, but it’s kicking my butt at the moment. I think I’ve gone through four drafts and completely changed my discussion each time.
*I can’t remember her name and can’t be arsed to look her up on Wikipedia right now.
4. Helen Losse replies at 8th February 2008, 3:20 pm :
Great analysis. I’m going publicly endorse (as I have quietly done all along) Hillary Clinton on my blog.
5. sherry replies at 8th February 2008, 3:39 pm :
Good, Helen, and thanks. And great work on your blog for Black History Month. Go check it out folks — Black History in song and poetry . Some powerful stuff.
6. rawdawgbuffalo replies at 8th February 2008, 3:40 pm :
nice blog. Check me out one day when u can and do add me to your blog roll..some samples
he has a Coretta.
the midas touch
7. sherry replies at 8th February 2008, 3:42 pm :
Good question, Tommy. Good luck working it out. Maybe you should heed Helen’s point: Knowing something and writing it as a fool-proof argument are different.
Another relevant question might be: how many actual first ladies have been blond? My first thought is brunettes dominate.
8. Helen Losse replies at 8th February 2008, 3:45 pm :
No, the question is, Does the blond/blue-eyed racial myth have a real place in this campaign?
9. sherry replies at 8th February 2008, 3:57 pm :
Raw Dawg Buffalo! Welcome here. Great posts, great points, great photo! Check him out folks.
I keep my blogroll very specialized and short but I’ll be glad to do what I can to send you traffic in other ways. And I hope you’ll consider joining our community.
10. sherry replies at 8th February 2008, 7:04 pm :
Funny you should mention that, Helen. Ken Ham, the director of our favorite local Creation Museum, has published a new book flogging that old theory that if it hadn’t been for Darwin, we wouldn’t have had Hitler. Poor Darwin. I wonder, if he could have seen the future, if he’d ever have set foot on the Beagle.
Questions of beauty need to be redefined! Though Tommy’s wrong about Janet Huckabee. She’s a normal-looking 52-year-old woman. I think Tommy was confusing her with Chuck Norris’s blond wife who was behind Huckabee at one of his victory speeches.
11. Tommy replies at 11th February 2008, 11:39 am :
Wow, Mr. Ham is far behind the curve. They’ve been spouting that post hoc argument for years now.
And if Caesar hadn’t sacked Jerusalem c. 70 CE, we wouldn’t have had the Crusades!
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