Sunday-newspaper readers were treated to this Washington Post opinion piece by Hillary fan Jill Filipovic:
Lest voters get nervous, Hillary has pledged that Bill wouldn’t be on traditional first lady duty — he’d be in charge of fixing the economy, not picking out the flowers and china for state dinners.
But why shouldn’t he pick the china? If one goal of a Hillary Clinton presidency is to challenge traditional gender roles, then her husband should flout them, too. The best way he could do that is by taking on the domestic issues facing women and children that are too often derided as “softer” than economic or foreign policy topics — and, yes, doing the stereotypically feminine work of party planning and decorating, too.
Hmm, the idea of Bill Clinton picking the White House china. Let's have a vote on which of the following patterns Bill would choose:
1. The "Juanita": Those blood-red lips on the teacups might go well with Hillary's pantsuit when we entertain those nice young rebels from Libya. But would that be too matchy-matchy?
2. The "Monica": Basic blue.
3. The "Kathleen": Those saucers are sure easy to grope.
4. The "Gennifer": That floral pattern is awfully pretty.
5. The "Paula": Nice, but I'd get sued if I broke a plate.
Filopovic continues:
If he really wants to challenge gender divides, Bill Clinton should take on these traditionally female obligations. He would send a powerful message: There’s no such thing as “women’s work” and “men’s work,” “women’s issues” and “hard issues.” And the aesthetic, domestic and social labor women have long done in the White House — indeed, the labor they have long done in many houses, with smaller budgets and fewer flower arrangements — is valuable, too.
Mmm, I can't can't wait for Bill to tackle that White House "aesthetic" labor.