2008 Woodie Awards
To Stand or Not to Stand
Maria Miaoulis
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Op-Eds
Sometimes it's hard to be a woman,
Giving all your love to just one man,
You'll have bad times,
And he'll have good times,
Doing things that you don't understand.
-Tammy Wynette, "Stand By Your Man"
Truer words have never been spoken, or rather sung. Although the message is intended for all women, the wives of disgraced political figures are perhaps more familiar with the tune. After all, they suffer most when their men publicly admit to transgressions, scandals, and other legitimate incidents worthy of ending a relationship.
We have witnessed this drama unfold several times in the last couple of decades, the most prominent affair of our generation being Bill Clinton's connection to Monica Lewinsky, more so than his alleged affair in 1992 with Gennifer Flowers. We were blown away in 2004 when former Governor James McGreevey confessed to being a "gay American." There was the airport bathroom sex solicitation episode with Senator Larry Craig and even an accusation made against presidential hopeful John McCain. Once again shame has descended upon the tri-state area with Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a prostitution ring.
As these events are announced at press conferences, it never fails that we see a devastated woman by the fallen man's side. Whether she is devastated by the "obviously false" charges, as Mrs. McCain appeared to be, or devastated that her husband would humiliate her after so many years of marriage like Mrs. Spitzer, the supportive wife is shell-shocked before the media to say the least. Unless of course she's Dina Matos McGreevey, who offered a warm smile as her husband came out in front of the country, done for her daughter's future peace of mind. I wonder if she is still smiling now that reports have surfaced claiming that she and her ex-husband participated in a ménage-a-trois with another man, thereby implying that she knew about his sexuality before he resigned from office.
Having a woman stand by her significant other during such instances is undoubtedly a political strategy. The image of a united couple is a cue to the public to have sympathy for the wrongdoer's family, forget the unlawfulness of the situation and back off for a while. The tactic also tries to lessen the political repercussions the politician will face by depicting the issue as a personal matter.
Giving all your love to just one man,
You'll have bad times,
And he'll have good times,
Doing things that you don't understand.
-Tammy Wynette, "Stand By Your Man"
Truer words have never been spoken, or rather sung. Although the message is intended for all women, the wives of disgraced political figures are perhaps more familiar with the tune. After all, they suffer most when their men publicly admit to transgressions, scandals, and other legitimate incidents worthy of ending a relationship.
We have witnessed this drama unfold several times in the last couple of decades, the most prominent affair of our generation being Bill Clinton's connection to Monica Lewinsky, more so than his alleged affair in 1992 with Gennifer Flowers. We were blown away in 2004 when former Governor James McGreevey confessed to being a "gay American." There was the airport bathroom sex solicitation episode with Senator Larry Craig and even an accusation made against presidential hopeful John McCain. Once again shame has descended upon the tri-state area with Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a prostitution ring.
As these events are announced at press conferences, it never fails that we see a devastated woman by the fallen man's side. Whether she is devastated by the "obviously false" charges, as Mrs. McCain appeared to be, or devastated that her husband would humiliate her after so many years of marriage like Mrs. Spitzer, the supportive wife is shell-shocked before the media to say the least. Unless of course she's Dina Matos McGreevey, who offered a warm smile as her husband came out in front of the country, done for her daughter's future peace of mind. I wonder if she is still smiling now that reports have surfaced claiming that she and her ex-husband participated in a ménage-a-trois with another man, thereby implying that she knew about his sexuality before he resigned from office.
Having a woman stand by her significant other during such instances is undoubtedly a political strategy. The image of a united couple is a cue to the public to have sympathy for the wrongdoer's family, forget the unlawfulness of the situation and back off for a while. The tactic also tries to lessen the political repercussions the politician will face by depicting the issue as a personal matter.
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