Is there anything more distasteful than the obviously strategic use of babies by the rich and powerful to gild their images—and the media's feckless complicity in the spectacle? Whether it's the British royal family constantly pushing the toddler Prince George toward the camera or breathless reports of Hillary Clinton's newfound "grandmother glow," can we just change its diaper, give it a pacifier, and put it to sleep already?
Hillary is missing no opportunity to publicly play at grandmother, a role that can only soften and round out her image as the presidential campaign season swings into high gear. "I highly recommend it," she told CBS News about becoming a grandparent. At a recent speech to a group of women real estate agents, a member of the audience told Clinton that she looked "beautiful." To which Clinton responded, "I think it's a grandmother's glow."
Or maybe it's the fire of political ambition lighting up her cheeks. As far back as June, she was systematically linking her grandchild to world events, telling People, "I'm about to become a grandmother… I want to live in the moment. At the same time I am concerned about what I see happening in the country and in the world."
OK, we get it. The kid is a prop in a political play. The baby doesn't just soften you up, Mrs. Clinton, it softens us up, too. Which may actually be excellent public relations but is also deeply disturbing.
