Unfortunately, the “holistic” approach quickly gets dumped the moment it becomes apparent that a large chunk of a politician’s life is in less than good order. The second one of the kids is arrested for DUI or possession of a controlled substance, or the spouse (or the politician themselves) is found in an act of sexual improvisation outside wedlock, then the “holistic” approach is abandoned in favor of the “compartmental” one: a politician’s personal life.
It’s easy to insist that family members should be off limits until they engage in political activity — say, when they stump for political causes or candidates. But. when a politician brings their family up on stage during a campaign, we have to ask, why are they there? What point is there to them being on display if it’s not a political one?
