Why Can't We Vote For The First Family?

In many states, citizens are free to vote for a governor from one party and a lieutenant governor or attorney general from another. Sometimes a governor from one party may find all the elected offices in his or her state held by members of the other party.

I propose that it's time to take this idea to the next level, and allow voters to vote separately for President, First Lady, and First Family.

Here we have Hillary Clinton: smart, tough, accomplished. But she comes pre-packaged with Bill. Even the staunchest Hillary loyalist has to wonder: If she's president, whose going to keep an eye on HIM?

And Republicans: when you watched Jenna and Barbara Bush speak at the 2004 convention in New York, didn't you kind of wish you could have returned Chelsea Clinton for four more years as First Kid?

Americans want effective, capable leaders. And they also want telegenic, scandal-free presidential families. Unfortunately, the two do not always go together.

Polls tell us that most Republicans regard Rudy Giuliani as their best and most electable candidate for president. And yet the pundits tell us that Rudy's complicated personal life may deny him the nomination altogether.

But what if his personal life were not so complicated? What if we could somehow pair Rudy Giuliani with the steadfast, uncontroversial Elizabeth Edwards? Yes, we're crossing parties here--but if you can do it for the attorney general, why not the First Lady?

Or pro-lifers troubled by Mitt Romney's evolving views on abortion might want to balance a Romney ticket by nominating for First Lady Mary Brownback, wife of the solidly pro-life candidate Sam Brownback.

Or if Condoleezza Rice makes a late entry into the race, her backers could recruit some or all of the 10 children Romney and Brownback have between them. A multiethnic household headed by a single working mother might strongly appeal to voters who might otherwise not vote Republican.

On the Democratic side, Joe Biden might recover from his recent gaffes by reluctantly dropping his wife Jill from the ticket and hastily drafting Barack Obama's wife Michelle.

Many Democrats have talked up Tom Vilsack as a solid, Middle American kind of guy. Others worry that Vilsack is too boring. Why not add a streak of say-anything mischief to the ticket by recruiting Teresa Heinz Kerry for a madcap second run?

You can think of your own ideal combinations. But none remains as tough as Hillary's situation. There's talk that she might choose the handsome but safe Evan Bayh as her vice presidential running mate. Wouldn't First Gentleman be a much more suitable role for him? Or perhaps a write-in candidate, such as Al Franken, who might teach her what funny really means.

This idea will perhaps seem radical to some, far-fetched or laughable to others. To the scoffers I have only two words to say: Roger Clinton. If your family is about to become our problem, shouldn't we all get a say in who that family is?

A version of this was broadcast on NPR's "All Things Considered."

 

 

 

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