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Just for a second compare the wives of most Republican candidates for president these days with the wives of the (male) Democratic candidates for president.
The Republican women tend to be wealthy consorts. That isn't to say they are bad people or that they aren't bright -- but they live a life vastly removed from most Americans. Though many have some work and professional experience, many went on to live the classic "rich wives" lifestyle, or left the workforce after they married.
Cindy McCain is a good illustration -- though she worked in modeling and special education for some time, she gave up both after marrying John. Laura Bush was a teacher and librarian but gave that up after marrying George. Go further and look at Ann Romney and Judy Giuliani. Jeri Thompson had a professional background as a Republican operative prior to marrying Fred.
Compare that to the Democrats running for president or vice president. First off, you have Hillary Clinton, a candidate (and a formidable one) in her own right who, during her husband's political career, was a high-powered lawyer, advocate and activist first-lady. Look at Michelle Obama, again, a prominent, intelligent lawyer who worked her own way up from a working-class family and who then went into public service, first in Chicago city government and then as a Vice President of the U.Chicago Medical Center. Look at Elizabeth Edwards, who was also a high-powered attorney, or Jill Biden, a teacher, a president of a non-profit, and a professor of English and Education who has three advanced degrees (MA, M.Ed, and D.Ed). Look at Jackie Clegg Dodd, a national security consultant and congressional staff assistant who also served in the Clinton Administration (factoid of the day: she's a practicing Mormon). Or Judith Steinberg Dean, who's a physician.
Is this a generalization? Yes. You can find exceptions in plenty of places. But overall, there seems to be a pretty strong trend to me. Male Democratic politicians aren't afraid of having smart, professional, working women. Perhaps that's why not only do most Democratic wives tend to be accomplished professionals, but why 11 out of the 16 women in the Senate are Democrats and why most of the women governors in the country are also women.
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