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Do We Need a First Lady?

Do We Need a First Lady?

  • Total voters
    31
Μολὼν λαβέ;1064709881 said:
Bill Clinton certainly didn't need a first lady.
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He needed one

and a first mistress
 
roughdraft274 said:
Is spinster like a slur for gay men that I haven't heard of?
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humbolt said:
I doubt it. I think that word passed out of common usage in the US a very long time ago. It is still used in Great Britain for elderly women who never married, and mostly employed as a descriptive legal term.
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roughdraft274 said:
Oh, I thought spinster meant like an old crazy scientist.
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humbolt said:
No. I think it refers to an elderly woman who sits and spins yarn - a task relegated to those women without offspring or a husband back when families were an extended thing. They had no meals to fix and so on.
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Not sure of the etymology, but in my State it defines the legal marital status of an unmarried women of legal age. I believe it only applies to an adult women never married (otherwise their legal marital status would be 'divorced', I believe).

Apparently, when transferring a house title a single women will have to legally put 'spinster' after her name to describe her marital status.

And sometimes very much to her chagrin! (claims the instructor that was teaching a real-estate licensing class I once took)
 
BrewerBob said:
I wonder how feasible it would be for a President's wife to NOT do the First Lady gig. Let's say the wife a new POTUS is a surgeon or a college professor or something and she says, "**** all that pomp and circumstance. I worked my ass off to get to this point in my career. I'm not going to quit just to play a part."

I wonder how feasible it would be for her to do that. Would the Secret Service Protection just make it impossible?
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Good question. I know that Jill Biden is a Doctor and teaches at a Community College in Virginia. I don't think she's an MD, but has a Doctorate in English (I think).
 
Nope; she's an Ed. D. who has taught English.
 
Superfly said:
Good question. I know that Jill Biden is a Doctor and teaches at a Community College in Virginia. I don't think she's an MD, but has a Doctorate in English (I think).
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Just looked it up. Dr. Biden teaches English but her Doctorate is in Education. Apparently she is the first Second Lady to ever hold a paying job during her time as Second Lady. Cool.
 
We should have another office if possible, but with non-spousal candidates, it would be cool to switch it up a bit. Those offices tend to be more moralistic and family-based (which is a good thing).

Projects and proposals that are less political but still substantive and "feel good" should get the attention they deserve.
 
Superfly said:
Good question. I know that Jill Biden is a Doctor and teaches at a Community College in Virginia. I don't think she's an MD, but has a Doctorate in English (I think).
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And was a former educator for students with ED at a psychiatric hospital. In 2008 I was pleasantly surprised to see both Jill Biden and Cindy McCain both had special education teaching experience.
 
I read through the thread and was surprised I could not find one post that mentioned we have already had presidents that entered the presidency not married.
James Buchanon was a lifelong bachelor. His niece served as his official hostess.

Four Presidents had been married and widowed before entering the White House: Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Chester A. Arthur. A daughter, niece, or sister would usually serve as hostess at White House events during these presidencies.
 
The spouse of an elected official should have no public role or function, derived from her relationship with that elected official.
 
roughdraft274 said:
I don't think it's a need at all.

I do think it's interesting that no ones making a fuss over the matter that the first gay presidential candidate to run and has a chance of winning is a republican.
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Dems have supported gay rights for all of a few years, not even going back to when obama first took office. There's been no such opportunity.

But you have to be joking about chance of winning, with how anti gay the repub primary is going
 
chromium said:
Dems have supported gay rights for all of a few years, not even going back to when obama first took office. There's been no such opportunity.

But you have to be joking about chance of winning, with how anti gay the repub primary is going
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Yeah most know that the Demos supported gay Rights. That's nothing new.....More than likely they would accept a Candidate that was half human and half beast if they could get away with it.

Still what would that have to do with a President that was a bachelor and not being gay? Would he need a First Lady?
 
roughdraft274 said:
I don't think it's a need at all.

I do think it's interesting that no ones making a fuss over the matter that the first gay presidential candidate to run and has a chance of winning is a republican.
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Shhhh.... You're not s'posed to talk about that.
 
Fiddytree said:
And was a former educator for students with ED at a psychiatric hospital. In 2008 I was pleasantly surprised to see both Jill Biden and Cindy McCain both had special education teaching experience.
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Considering who they married, I bet that experience has come in handy.
 
The First Lady role is symbolic. She used to be the official hostess. I'm surprised the feminists haven't eliminated the official position altogether. Oh noes, we can't imply that women are hostesses and second to their husbands!
 
DifferentDrummr said:
No. More relevant now, though, is the possibility of Bill Clinton as the "First Gentleman." WTF would he do in THAT role?
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I think you meant to say WHO would he do in that role ;)
 
Captain America said:
Shhhh.... You're not s'posed to talk about that.
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Mornin Cap. :2wave: Cmon now.....maybe we can get the MS Media and the NY Times to bring that out into the open. That would run for a couple of weeks, at the minimum.

Why have they been silent on this? Any other time.....they are all over any Repub even mentioning anything about the LGBT crowd and their issues.
 
Μολὼν λαβέ;1064709881 said:
Bill Clinton certainly didn't need a first lady.
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Or most of our President's as many had hanky panky goin' on.
 
chromium said:
Dems have supported gay rights for all of a few years, not even going back to when obama first took office. There's been no such opportunity.

But you have to be joking about chance of winning, with how anti gay the repub primary is going
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They haven't supported it as a whole but they've been more supportive then Republicans by far.
 
MMC said:
One can assume is that what you mean?.....If he is, he isn't open about it. If he was hiding it.....the MS media would bring all that out, don't you think?

He did come out and say Jenner would be welcome in his party.
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You're acting like it's not public knowledge that he's gay or something?

And why would the main stream media talk about it? He's a very long shot candidate.
 
MMC said:
Mornin Cap. :2wave: Cmon now.....maybe we can get the MS Media and the NY Times to bring that out into the open. That would run for a couple of weeks, at the minimum.

Why have they been silent on this? Any other time.....they are all over any Repub even mentioning anything about the LGBT crowd and their issues.
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Were you surprised to hear about Dennis Hastert? No?
 
Captain America said:
Were you surprised to hear about Dennis Hastert? No?
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Yep.....quite the surprise. But you also have to remember when Hastert was picked for Speaker. It was as a replacement for another who got himself in trouble.

They didn't think he had any skeletons in his closet. But then the MS Media changed that perspective, huh?
 
MMC said:
With Senator Lindsey Graham running for the Presidency and being a Bachelor, (not that he has any chance at winning such) this does bring up the question about the need for a First Lady. Who would be the First Lady if the President was a Bachelor. What say ye. Do we need a First Lady?




Sen. Lindsey Graham, a presidential hopeful, is a bachelor. Would he need a first lady? It's a question complicated by shifting views of what a first lady should be.

To some, the role is more than just ceremonial. To others, choosing china sets and guest lists is a relic of a bygone age.

Only two presidents were unmarried when taking the oath of office: James Buchanan (D) and Grover Cleveland (D). Of the two, only Buchanan remained single through his presidency. But even he had a woman in his life willing to step in and play the role of White House hostess. Buchanan’s niece, Harriet Lane, became a well-known Washington socialite who, as the White House website highlights, “filled the White House with gaiety and flowers, and guided its social life with enthusiasm and discretion, winning national popularity.”....snip~

Lindsey Graham interview raises question: Do we need a first lady?
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I think Graham is positively thrilled that he keeps getting asked this question. The artificial controversy and the errant criticism that bubbles up over gives him more media attention than he has received since the start of his campaign. Even better he gets to play the victim who is quite clearly 'in the right'. It also makes him quirky and different! I'm sure he's very happy right now.
 
Sherman123 said:
I think Graham is positively thrilled that he keeps getting asked this question. The artificial controversy and the errant criticism that bubbles up over gives him more media attention than he has received since the start of his campaign. Even better he gets to play the victim who is quite clearly 'in the right'. It also makes him quirky and different! I'm sure he's very happy right now.
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Mornin Sherman. :2wave: I agree.....but what do you think, do we need a First Lady?
 
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