Take My Wife, Please: Angst and Ambivalence in the Clinton-Clinton Campaign

The people of Pennsylvania have spoken and the show goes on. Not just the political campaign, but a marital drama unlike anything in American politics.

The interplay between husband-campaigner and wife-candidate is wonderfully and uniquely personal. And on levels I don't think have been fully absorbed by voters - curious and occasionally bizarre.

Watching the Clintons campaign together, I'm reminded of long-married couples, where one starts to tell a story, but the other interrupts because the spouse isn't telling it right.

Every couple must jockey - sometimes for years - to settle into a power structure that works. It doesn't matter whether it's 50-50 or 30-70; there has to be an accommodation. Relationships hate a vacuum.

The current power reversal for this couple causes whiplash. Think about a Fortune 100 CEO being replaced by his wife, and suddenly going from boss to loyal supporter. Think about Michael Jordan, before his recent divorce, watching from the stands as his wife becomes the world's greatest basketball player

If these two were in marriage counseling, a therapist might conclude that Bill is passive-aggressively ambivalent about his wife seeking the office that was his for eight years.

Spouses stump for spouses - but usually brought on stage as character witnesses. Bill is integral to the campaign machinery. But time and again, he has thrown sand in the gears.

This man credited with flawless political instincts keeps making blunders that, for a smart politician, look like sabotage - willful or subconscious is a question for continued therapy.

There was the racial tinge - intentional or not - in his comments that Obama's position on the war is a "fairy tale." There was the comparison - clearly intentional - of Obama's South Carolina win to Jesse Jackson's.

There is Bill's $800,000 paycheck from a group promoting a U.S.-Colombia trade agreement as his wife campaign's on the job-sucking evils of NAFTA.

Just when the press had become bored with her make-believe adventure on the Tuzla tarmac, Bill raised it again - jumping in to tell the world that she is old, tired, and forgets things when it's late. To which she replied: back off. To which he replied - in a sound bite heard round the world - "Yes ma'am."

And when the media had moved on from the Jesse Jackson comment, he raised it again yesterday by saying that the Obama Campaign had "played the race card on me" (not us, but me). And then a politician who should know that assuming a mike is off is like assuming a gun isn't loaded emphasized his point with a four letter word.

Any other campaigner would have long ago been banished to the back room. The fact that he hasn't is another indication that this campaign is and will be a package deal.

And then, of course, there is that other thing.

Somehow, the primary has become detached from the fact that the potential first-husband earnestly campaigning for his wife is the same man who had sex with a 22 year-old unpaid intern while he was on the phone with a Congressman.

Barack Obama has been admirably reluctant to drag discourse into that cesspit - but then Democrats are like that. You can already hear gears of the Republican attack machine grinding out ads from the Soiled Blue Dress Coalition for Truth.

Few couples on any public stage have - for good and ill - been so ferociously entwined. Whether that would make an effective presidency is an open question.

But there is truth in an old saying. Marriage is when a man and women become one. Trouble starts when they try to decide which one. Never in history would that decision process be more fun to watch than a Clinton-Clinton presidency.

Comments

[jaynevada]

Obama is CORRUPT, a LIAR, and his slogan of change an ILLUSION.

1) CORRUPT: A houseowner wants to sell both a house and adjoining land. Obama can afford to buy only the house. No problem, the criminal Rezko to the rescue. Rezko pays full price for the land, whereas Obama gets a discount of $300,000 on the house. Nice to have criminal friends like this!!! (ref ABC News)

2) LIAR: Obama claims he did not know about Wright's America-hating (God damn America) and racist views till it was revealed in the mainstream media in March 2008. Obama attended Wright's church for 20 years, was married by Wright, had his children baptized by Wright, donated over $20,000 to Wright's church and named his book "Audacity of Hope" after one of Wright's sermons. You really believe after 20 years and all this he did not know?

3) ILLUSION: Exelon Corporation had not disclosed radioactive leaks at one of its nuclear plants in Illinois. Obama, a senator for Illinois introduces a bill to make disclosures mandatory. Seems like Exelon doesn't like it. Each draft of the new bill by Obama goes more and more towards Exelon till disclosures end up being "voluntary". What gives? How about $250,000+ donations by Exelon!!! Obama is not change, he is WASHINGTON BUSINESS AS USUAL. (ref NYT)

People need to realize that Hillary has been fighting for them all along. All the way back to 1993 when she tried to introduce universal health care.

[happytrails]

Does ANYBODY think Billary (Bill & Hill)(the Hillbillys) is really electable? Does anybody think that Independents will vote for Billary when the most dedicated Democrats are sick of her, him, them?

[Je111]

History will remember Bill as the only president in recent decades to make America strong and propsper and all at the same time turn a deficit into surplus created jobs for a lot of people. History will also remember Bill as the only ex president to take office in Harlem. Both Bill and Hillary have done public lots of good throughout their decicated life to public interest.
While they certainly have humanly flaws. But they held up their integrity and their head high under unbelieveable pressure and pains. That's real American spirit. The ones casting stones most eagerly are not free from sin hemselves. Attack machine from left and right for different motives tried to throw mud at you but they can only fool some of the people some of the time.
The two candidates other than HRC don't have the brain or plan to fix the economy. Voters who vote for them vote against their pocket book and vote for the country to dig deeper into a bankrupting hole. History will prove they are ignorant in their "educated" fervor.

[Molloy]

The diarist writes: "Never in history would that decision process be more fun to watch than a Clinton-Clinton presidency."

I so want to puke when so-called 'pundits' turn everything into soap opera! Clinton was bad for the country! His wife will not be any better. And that woman want to have "fun" watching them make it in the WH? What a dreadful column! And what an even more dreadful columnist!

Now THAT's an elitist for you!

[katefranklin]

Bill Clinton's campaigning is Hillary's much deserved alimony check for his years of abusive and sick behavior. It is unquestionably in exchange for him getting a seat on the Supreme Court or Hillary's Secretary of State slot. Those two are the closest thing we have in this country to England's dysfunctional and sociopathic monarchs.

[devadasi]

katefranklin....your comment is hilariously true. Michelle and Barack Obama are the kind of role models I want my children to grow up with. Hill & Bill are teaching us and our children that it's perfectally justifiable to steal, cheat, lie and break the rules to obtain what you want.

[MrJoyboy]

If Hillary were in the White House, would she launch all-out war against Iran to take public attention away from marital problems she might be having?

[faithfully]

The sniper fire lie has become just a joke on the late night comedy shows-I think it shows a very serious flaw in Mrs. Clinton's character and mental health-. As a professional in psychiatry I urge people to take this very seriously. -It is very scary; Also Mrs. Clinton's skill at distortion, splitting, and her chugging alcohol as well as her inability to control her anger all suggest some major mental health issues that can only get worse. She is out of control. I just cannot understand why she is allowed to continue her destruction.

[Amminadab]

You are clearly NOT a professional in psychiatry..... but I'm sure you are a wannabe.

I wonder how you rationalize your own lies?

[Anastasia]

If Hillary was vying for the job of a Fortune 500 company, she wouldn't be able to get away with this behavior. She wouldn't be hired.

But here we are, seemingly stuck with a narcissistic power couple, who have repeatedly shown a pattern of lying, cheating and down right, bizarre behavior.

They couldn't land a middle management position at Wal-Mart. Yet, she's within a hairs breadth of winning the Democratic Party nomination. Or at least, so she claims.

[goldstategirl]

And how are we supposed to teach our children not to lie when there are split screens of her doing just that with the Bosnia incident all over youtube?

Hell no shee wouldn't get hired at most places - excellent point. I've heard others say just that and somehow for the Clintons it's: oh well they're politicians. Are you kidding me? Obama gets undue questions about things other people say, but we don't hold Clinton duelly responsible for garbage out HER OWN MOUTH?

Clinton supporters are the true cult here, based on this hypocritical disconnection from reality alone.

[thegaygardener]

Well, you know, only bring up the blue dress because you know the Republicans will! IT will be good for Hillary, it will toughen her up.

Its this kind of thinking that has allowed the evil duo of the Clintons to stay on the stage & weaken the Party nominee, saying it's "good' for him.

Obama should not raise the blue dress.

What's it going to take to make them go away? Should we just give her the nomination now & let her lose to McCain in November so that we never have to hear from these hideous people again? If Obama does win the nomination & the Presidency; can we even trust her (them) to not be doing their level best to undermine & thwart an Obama administration with her still in the Senate?

I am going to take a page form the Hillary supporters book & say that I will be voting for John MCain if Barack is not the nominee. I cannot take 4 more years of the pathetic & selfish drama of the Clintons.

[Anastasia]

According to Sally Bedell smith's book on the Clintons, "For Love of Politics", Bill Clinton also had passive aggressive issues, around Al Gore's candidacy.

There was the relative lack of fundraising, especially vis a vis Hillary. There was Clinton's attention grabbing speech at the convention, which was largely about him, and his accomplishments. Comments to the press, such as: "Suppose al Gore turns out to be wrong, because there's a little bit of recession and we don't have enough money to keep all of these commitments?"

Smith also tells of how Bill told a group of Congressional Democrats that he "almost gagged" over Gore's failure to challenge Bush's false claim of credit for the patient's bill of rights in Texas. His criticisms made headlines and in the words of Gore strategist Tad Devine, "the President goes out and awakens doubts about Gore, and all the bad stuff comes to the surface."

It's not just Hillary, of course, who is on the receiving end of this stuff. Bill's inability to allow another Dem politician outshine him, is probably behind much of the toxic and fratricidal campaign against Obama.

[Countess]

Bill and Hillary Clinton are both completely shallow opportunists and they truly deserve each other. Every retrograde element within the democratic party think they are great just as Bush has a following within the republican party. They appeal only to the worst in all of us.

[HowdyDoody]

I do enough couples therapy to know what it feels like to be triangulated into a marital conflict. The American public has been the third party in this marriage, watching with fascination, but mostly sheer horror as they play out their drama. Some people may wonder why Hillary and Bill (both!) ignore the fact that Hillary can't win -- they both show considerable emotional force when confronted directly -- and are using this election as almost a survival mechanism. It seems to me that the extreme enmeshment of their marriage is firing the volcanic emotions with their "win at all costs" stance, regardless of their high handed claims of altruism. If we as a country would walk away from their narcissistic soap opera, we might be able to channel our energies into actually doing something about our nation's problems. Please, Clintons, go home!! We can no longer help you.

[Holt]

Very interesting take. I really do think that, subconsciously at least, Bill is trying to keep Hillary from taking part of his Presidential legacy. They have had a fascinating relationship to say the least.

[clintfatigue]

I've got a great idea for a campaign spot. Just 30-seconds of the blue dress, beautifully lit, with a little graphic circle around the stain. That might work. Maybe even show a smoking cigar, sitting in an ash tray in one corner of the shot.

[ignorantwillyharper]

Also we could have Hillary winging it on a broom around the Whitehouse halls at 3:00 AM in the morning, with a red phone tucked under one arm...just in case, you know.

[rwhiteside]

Here's the thing. If HIllary were the nominee, the Republicans SHOULD run an ad like that. It isn't nasty or negative as much as it would be a fair point. This whole blue dress thing was real, so was the scandal, so was the public greek drama of these two, and as much as I despise the Republicans for taking the country down with their exploitation of it to impeachment, the fact is that having sex with an intern should have cost him the presidency, once the truth came out. And it should cost her the presidency for being so enmeshed in it.

And I used to love Bill. Really. Thought he was a decent president.

But NOBODY is talking about the obvious.

The fact that Hillary fights on despite this obvious decency issue, is the number one reason she's a bad candidate for president. If the positions were reversed, the Democrats would fairly use this issue, and so should the Republicans.

[ignorantwillyharper]

The fact that Hillay went to a meeting that was also attended by Juanita Broaddrick and thanked her in person for not calling the law on Bill, after being raped by him in Little Rock. This shows she's wants nothing, but money and power!
Well, folks she's got the money and she sure as hell is not stopping now that she's so close to power.
Obama's life expectancy is about as long as the tsese fly...about eighteen minutes at any time.

[Jamchinadian]

No! He should not descend to such nastiness. He should focus on legitimate flaws like the lack of candor - there are countless real examples for that - sniper-gate included; her newly-minted love of guns - the question of when was the last time she used a gun clearly flustered her and should be repeated.

There are other "biggies" like her vote for the war; her vote against the Levin amendment that would require a second trip back to Congress; the Iran pandering; the beyond the pale insulting comparisons of Obama as being less qualified than McCain; Bill's repeat of the insult.

Humor can be used to good effect as well: e.g. her barroom beer-guzzling and shot-downing should be humorously used to mock her 3AM roll call. The ridiculous irony of her calling him copycat for going on Colbert when she truly copied his slogans like "Yes we can" - which she morphes sometimes to "Yes we will", and sometimes they just copy straighjt up - is another example.

Pointing out real flaws is not "going negative"; but the Lewinsky scandal would have to be played very carefully, if at all, or it could backfire badly. In addition to that, if done crudely, that would be beneath Obama.

[Jamchinadian]

Dr. Drexler - that's a very thoughtful and thought-provoking post. Thanks.

[GromytTheDog]

How about we close the door, turn the page, shut out the lights (pick your metaphor) on the whole Clinton-Clinton melodrama?

We can choose something new, you know.

[Obamamo]

They tasted power and they'll do anything to get it and keep it. I use to have respect for HilLiar and billy bob but I freaking HATE them now.

[feelfree]

This is just Hillary hatred. Or are you mad that you couldn't be take Monica's place?

[mgw]

Plus, one simple question: Is Hillary Bill? I dare Obama to try and use the Monica issue against Hillary. I dare him!

[LewisR]

"Somehow, the primary has become detached from..." the actual issues that people care about. I know this is Barrack Central, but this is about the saddest post I've read here. So much for the new politics of bringing people together. You're making Karl Rove look like a stand up guy.