Think of it: when politicians campaign for office, they give us a “holistic” presentation of their lives. They don’t just recount their political successes — passing this bill, thwarting that legislation — they list their private sector accomplishments as well, along with their domestic life.In particular, they bring their spouse and their children up to the podium alongside them, and present themselves as being part of a happy, well-functioning family.
Everybody is well-dressed, nobody is in an orange jumpsuit, and if there are any “unseemly” family members to be found, they’re edited out of the campaign literature. The implicit argument is: “happy family, good candidate.”And that argument is fine, to an extent. I can understand that some voters might prefer a candidate who has a large chunk of their life in good order, and not just their political opinions. But if this is the view you’re going to adopt, then you have to stick with it.
