But what should be the rule when it comes to family members of politicians? What standard should be even-handedly applied to them all? Basically, families of politicians should be off-limits to criticism until such time as they do something political. The problem, though, is getting politicians to live up to that standard, because politicians routinely put their families up for political consideration.
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.
