Let's Take Babies Out of Politics
It's bad enough that the British royal family parades its once and future king—14-month-old Prince George—around at every opportunity. But the George will at least some day rule England (and, really, what else do the Brits have going on?).
But now that Hillary Clinton is ramping up her presidential run for 2016, she's talking up her "grandmother glow" and using the newest family member, granddaughter Charlotte, as a prop in the 2016 campaign.
As I argue in a new Time column, such a ploy may humanize Hillary Clinton, but it's not an edifying spectacle in the least.
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.
