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Tuesday, Nov 24, 2009
What do Tipper Gore, Laura Bush, Ernestine Bradley and Cindy McCain have in common? See above.
Jul 2, 1999 | NEW YORK -- Ernestine Schlant Bradley, the wife of Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Bradley, didn't mention Hillary Clinton by name. But we all know who was lurking in the subtext when, at a "Women for Bradley Network" fund-raising breakfast on June 2, she talked about what kind of a first lady she'd be.
"I wouldn't like it if someone came into my classroom and started teaching just because he knew how to read," Bradley, a comparative literature professor, says. "I don't want to go out and pretend I'm a political expert on issues. I'm not an expert on health care. I'm not an expert on China."
Translation: Ernestine Schlant Bradley is not Hillary Rodham Clinton.
It's a common refrain from the chorus of potential first spouses. From Bradley and Tipper Gore to Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, the nation's leading candidates for first lady are all embracing more traditional roles in their husbands' campaigns. Just as the candidates are trying to define themselves in contrast to President Clinton, the leading members of the First Wives' Club are all keeping a deliberate distance between themselves and the current first lady.
The current crop of prospective first ladies "really does seem -- certainly compared to 1996 -- a radical departure from" the strong professional-woman role exemplified by Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Dole, says historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony, author of the two-volume "First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1789-1990." In an attempt to avoid the negative images -- aggressive, assertive, acerbic and worse -- that have dogged Hillary Clinton, the other four first ladies-in-waiting are sending softer messages. The issues they champion are traditional "soft" ones -- illiteracy, breast cancer awareness, humanitarian aid for third-world countries. So far, the four leading candidates for first spouse have cast themselves as supportive and demure figures, playing Harriet to their husbands' Ozzie.
And certainly, none of their husbands have boasted of voters getting "two for the price of one," as then-Gov. Clinton did in '92.
All of which is normal, says historian Anthony. "In the wake of a controversial first lady, there's always speculation about, 'Now what?'" he says. And the answer is always: something very different.
The most interesting maneuvering comes from Ernestine Bradley and Tipper Gore. Both women display more independence than any of Hillary Clinton's predecessors, yet they sometimes seem to try to hide their feistiness beneath sensible dresses and even the occasional apron. With their strong personalities, neither of these women seem as different from the controversial Ms. Clinton as their husbands' campaign aides would probably like.
