And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I saw enough of the televised portions of Nancy Reagan’s funeral that it caused me to contemplate the role of “First Ladies” prior and subsequently.
The first thing that crossed my mind was how different things were when her husband was in office, compared to this year’s (I think) disgraceful slate of candidates of both parties. Whatever happened to civility at the presidential level?
What struck me next was that both Nancy and Ronald were motion picture actors before politics drew their attention. It may be argued, with some justification, that neither rose much above “B” movie appearances. Also cited was that neither seemed to display genius level intelligence quotients.
But their Hollywood training seemed to equip them with the ability to play the roles of president and first lady. They acted their parts very well.
When I tried to bring to mind the wives of the male candidates this year, I could picture only Donald Trump’s current model... model perhaps literally and figuratively.
I could not call to memory the faces of Mrs. Cruz, Mrs. Rubio, Mrs. Kasich, or Mrs. Sanders. Hillary’s husband Bill, of course, was easy.
Michelle Obama also came to mind easily. She also seems to fill the role nicely. She and her mother apparently are doing a fine job of raising the Obama daughters, and she does not seem to share her husband’s messianic complex.
Hillary, as first lady, did share her husband’s facility of being able to brush aside immoral acts which should have shamed them both. Her greed matches his.
Barbara, wife of George Bush the Elder, acted like everybody’s mother, to the point when she initially said of Jeb Bush’s impending candidacy, “we don’t need another Bush president.” Voters seemed to agree.
Laura, wife of George Bush the Younger, seems to fit the description of the good wife in Ecclesiastes.
Going back further, Jackie Kennedy taught us the difference between empire (empire), as in political terms, and Empire (am-peer), as in clothing and furniture. But ruined it all with Ari later.
Betty Ford? Her rehab center is foremost. Eleanor Roosevelt? A socialist, certainly, maybe even a communist. Lady Bird Johnson? The savior of the Texas blue bells!
Memories grow dimmer.
It might be well to remember that we are electing a pair, not just a president.