If Hillary is elected, won't the role of First Lady fall on Chelsea?

LOL! Good question! No, horny old Bill will be First Gentleman. Wonder what that’ll do to his fragile ego!

I know you’re not serious, but Chelsea already has the despicable lying down. Chelsea and her hedge fund investment banker (and former Goldman Sachs employee) husband will do well with Hillary.

The former presidents without wives didn’t have husbands. Or at least didn’t admit to it…

In all fairness, Bill should be the first First Partner, or FP.
FS/O is too cumbersome.
FP, much like Bill Clinton, covers all bases.

Of course, if Trump should win, we have our FW, or First Wench.

When this first came up as a possibility over 50 years ago, Fred MacMurray was called First Husband in “Kisses for My President”.

First Gentleman William J. Clinton.

There have been numerous female governors. Nobody seemed to care that a given state suddenly had a governor’s husband instead of a First Lady. I’m guessing that said husbands really didn’t care, either.

And, yes, there will come a time when we’ll have two husbands or two wives in the White House.

I believe Bill will relish the job of First Partner.
What’s not for him to love? He’s had the job and now he’ll be retired with all the perks and only the responsibilities he chooses.

I think Bill has joked about the possibility of being “First Laddie” before.

Bill is probably perfect. No one is going to out-schmooze “slick willy”. The thing that is missed in discussions regarding “oily bill” is that the guy is a towering intellect with broad knowledge of virtually any topic one might care to name. In the old days, that bubba image of the porky old boy chomping down burgers, fried chicken quarters and slabs of ribs threw a lot of folks off. But the guy remains to this day genuinely affable and difficult not to like despite the questionable achievement of acquiring a fortune somewhere North of a hundred million dollars through a career of exclusively government work.

Maybe we’ll get lucky, and she’ll abolish this bizarre holdover from when women were mainly defined by their wifeliness. Could we have seen the last First Lady? God, I hope so.

I was thinking a bit more about this. After his second heart surgery, Bill became almost vegan (except for his occasional “day off” for a good steak).

People complain about Michele Obama’s school lunch interference; wait until Bill goes for national vegan!

Actually, Michelle has made a pretty big difference. At buffets I notice more kids picking out cauliflower and broccoli, things like that, of their own accord, than any kids in prior generations. Except for one of mine. She was a veggie freak!

@Dutchess_III Sure she has made a difference. But then why not make the work she did an actual job, which can be competed for and paid for, instead of being a pet project for a wife to do. As if to say, “this is the kind of helpfulness that wives should aspire to, women of America.” It’s condescending and reinforces the bullshit belief that wives are not individuals, but halves of someone else’s whole.

But isn’t that the role of the First Lady, to see to “domestic” matters, sort of the country’s Martha Stewart?

@Mariah I’d forgotten about “First Laddie.” I’ve always loved Governor Bill’s sense of humor, which hasn’t waned over the years.

@dappled_leaves I just can’t see Michelle doing a “pet project for a wife to do.” I think this was important to her, and she had the means to push her agenda, so she did it. And she has made a difference in the eating habits of children in the last 8 years.

Your comment about making it an actual “job” that someone could get paid for” is interesting. What type of job would that be?

I liked Bill too @Love_my_doggie . He was, actually, a good president. He just couldn’t get away with the indiscretions like past presidents (most notoriously, JFK) have.

@Duchess_III: “I liked Bill too”

Huh? This Bill Clinton? “a good president”? You must be talking about someone else.

@Dutchess_III “He just couldn’t get away with the indiscretions like past presidents (most notoriously, JFK) have.”

Yes, a BJ. Big deal and so what, sayeth I.

But…but…you’re forgetting the Mentos and the CIGAR!

^^^ My memory is gilded, oh my darling Dutchess/Goddess.

I worked as a teller at a bank during that time. I about fell over when we received a fax from another bank. Me, being me, read stuff, like at the top that most people would blow past. Below the official header, address, etc. etc., quietly read “When is a cigar not a cigar?” A BANK of all places! I just cracked up.

@dappled_leaves First Lady is not an official position, so it cannot be abolished. It’s just a name that has been traditionally given to the wives of presidents and governors in the United States.

@stanleybmanly The First Lady has no official role. They only have an expected role (one that Hillary refused to fill, which was the beginning of the country’s hatred for her on both the right and the left).

Um…first I’ve heard about that @SavoirFaire. What role is the First Lady expected to fill, that Hillary refused to?

^^^ The Good Wife.

Hillary wanted to be the de facto vice president, not the First Lady, which was very unfortunate for the very intelligent and capable Al Gore.

@SavoirFaire is correct; First Lady is an unofficial and honorary position. The First Lady receives no salary, although she does hire a paid staff.

I’m very aware that the role of First Lady has no legal scaffolding. That isn’t the point. The gig may traditionally be regarded as “giving the little lady something harmless to do”. It would nevertheless be imprudent to dismiss the potential influence of anyone who on demand and with great frequency has the ear of the President.

@stanleybmanly Here’s what you said: “But isn’t that the role of the First Lady, to see to ‘domestic’ matters, sort of the country’s Martha Stewart?” And my response is “no.” That’s not her role because she has no official role. Her role is whatever she decides it will be. Hillary decided to take on healthcare, regardless of what she was expected to do. Nothing in that response suggests that I am dismissing the potential influence that a president’s spouse might have. If anything, I’m taking that potential more seriously than your “Martha Stewart” comment suggests.

Just as Michelle took on the eating habits of the children in this country, and worked to turn them around. It was something that was important to her. It wasn’t “assigned,” and I don’t think it’s “Make do” work, either.