The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

Our president, you may recall, coined this phrase to describe elite opinion vis-a-vis African-Americans, Hispanics, and the underprivileged. It is also applies to the national media and its treatment of the spouses of Republican national candidates. The rule is quite simple: keep your mouth shut and just act the part of the lovely wife and we will leave you alone... and may not even demand that you disclose your tax returns even if your estimated fortune is over $100 million.

Yet, liberal spouses, from Teresa Heinz Kerry to Hillary Clinton to, well, Bill Clinton, are frequently targeted for their income tax information. Why? Because liberal spouses tend to be more outspoken, charismatic, and, if Mrs. Clinton in '92 or Michelle Obama in '08, ones to fill up reporters' notebooks. Yet, we expect GOP spouses, invariably women, to either rate the "trophy wife" (Jeri Thompson) the "silent partner" (Laura Bush) or the "really silent partner" (Pat Nixon). Even Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush did not assume much of a public place in their husband's initial campaigns for the presidency.

So if you open up your trap, we will demand that you face the same scrutiny as your candidate. In some respects, therefore, Cindy McCain, beer heiress, is asking for the same privacy as Chelsea Clinton, just without all the direct campaigning. Yes, the Old Cranky Lady is on the case, but how much pressure will truly be put on Mrs. McCain?

"You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue. My husband is the candidate... "

Team Obama could respond by a) ignoring the issue or b) highlighting and insinuating that the Mad Mac camp is trying to hide something. As attractive as the second option is, we must consider the risk that moderate Americans will see it as harassing a woman that does not give us her policy recommendations nor stump aggressively for her husband.

Matthew Yglesias and others have asked if a Democratic spouse could get away with this and believe not. I concur, but in order for us to exercise due diligence the national media must cover all spouses with the same vigor, irrespective of what they provide the press, helpfully or otherwise. Just because the Republican spouse does not appear part of any prospective "co-presidency" should not exempt them from disclosing their finances during a presidential campaign.

Yet, I imagine, we will once more see evidence of this in 2008. Particularly if the unpersuasive Democratic National chair is the only one making the case. As for myself, if issues concerning Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright will be brought out against Mr. Obama, maybe we should examine the conduct of John Sidney McCain during his first marriage. He dumped his wife for a more attractive and far richer woman--and did so under less-than-honorable terms. Granted, this has something of a bipartisan label to it, but you did not see Barack ditch Michelle for an heiress, perhaps, in part, because he rocketed from anonymity to Democratic nominee so rapidly he never had the time to do so without tremendous embarrassment.

Or maybe he's just a better man than Mad Mac, not that Pennsylvania voters are inclined to necessarily see it that way.