Were any of you surprised by Hillary’s win last night? I was. I was getting that pit in my stomach I had all throughout 2004, from the moment John Kerry’s candidacy was declared. Not that Hillary Clinton is John Kerry; far from it. But after her stunning loss in Iowa, I thought, Oh, no: doom is nigh.
But dangit if she didn’t pull it out. There was a lot of talk on the morning shows today about how she did it, and what role Bill played: was it relegating her rock-star husband to the sidelines? Was it throwing her rock-star husband to center stage?
Whatever happens in a Clinton II presidency, the role of her spouse is going to undergo a lot of scrutiny. That was true back in Clinton I, too. But isn’t it true that female executives and moguls get a lot more questions about their marriage and the role of their husbands?
Did anyone watch that British serial about the supermarket worker who suddenly finds herself prime minister of Britain? The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, that’s what it was. The show explored not just how a working-class woman would handle one of the world’s top diplomatic roles but also to large extent how it affected her family.
But the Clintons are no ordinary couple, and I can’t imagine a former president who finds himself back in the White House sharing a bed (presumably) with the current president not having an effect on policy. If I were Hillary, shoot, I’d tap his formidable skills every chance I got (and keep a team of dogs on him at all times to scare away flirty interns).
She would hardly be alone. According to a new survey by Accountemps, the staffing agency,
Nearly half (46 percent) of executives polled said they turn first to spouses or significant others for advice when evaluating a potential job change, up from 42 percent in 2002. The survey also shows mentors carry greater clout than five years ago: 41 percent respondents said they would consult their mentors first, compared to 28 percent in 2002.
My husband and I are a power couple like Bill and Hill are the suburban sweethearts next door, but he—my husband, not Bill Clinton—is absolutely my top campaign adviser. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather tell about my qualms, worries, mess-ups and occasional triumphs. I think having someone to vent to outside the office can keep us from acting unwisely at work. For instance, I recently had some really rather minor and petty issues with a coworker. Rather than confronting her and damaging an important work relationship, perhaps permanently, I bitched to my husband. It’s not that he gave me advice; he just listened. And that’s all I needed.
I hope Hillary Clinton wins the presidency for many reasons, but one admittedly small one is that I’m curious about how a woman in the Oval Office will shape a very public marriage. You are, too, aren’t you?