[© THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN]
By JESSICA WICKS
Expectations of first spouses are changing in the midst of the upcoming election, senior fellow of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, Jennifer Schmidt said.
First lady of South Carolina, Jenny Sanford, shared how she handles those expectations at a conference at the Dole Institute Thursday night.
“They called me a Hillary,” Sanford said. ‘That is a bad word; it means they think you are running your husbands affairs.”
Sanford was the campaign manager for her husband, Mark Sanford, in his 1994 run for Congress and again in his 2002 campaign for governor, all while raising their four young boys. Sanford said some people think that she has her nose in her husband’s decisions.
“I am just making the trains run on time,” Sanford said.
Schmidt said that when it comes to politics, people have a view of what that person should be instead of who that person actually is.
“You’ve got to know who you are, and you have to be willing to take the criticism,” Sanford said.
Sanford said that she tells her children that they are held to a different standard because of the family they are in. Schmidt commented on governor Kathleen Sebelius’ husband, Gary, who likes to call himself the first dude.
“He doesn’t have the same ceremonial expectations as he would if he were another gender,” Schmidt said. Hillary Clinton cited her experience as first lady gave her credibility on the White House.
“I would say that her experience as first lady coupled with her Senate experience would be a better way to put it,” Sanford said. She said the role of first spouse is fluid and women are taking a more active role than just hosting tea parties.
“I think it ridiculous in this day and age that you would criticize a woman for wanting to do anything,” Sanford said. Sanford said that her first priority was raising her boys. She said she was highly criticized for putting them in private school, but it was the best decision she ever made because it gave her children a place where they could stick together.
“The Lord only gave me one chance to raise these children,” Sanford said.
Sanford’s husband is thought to be a possible choice for a vice presidential candidate for John McCain.
Schmidt asked Sanford if he intended to accept a nomination.
Sanford said that the chances of that happening are small and they are just focusing on raising their children well amidst the fame of their father.
Sanford said that the position of first spouse in the White House was up for interpretation.