Had Hillary Clinton not become a betrayed political wife could she have managed to become the player she now is as U.S. Secretary of State? Being cast on the global stage as a betrayed political wife can be the role of a lifetime. There's much to deconstruct in this, as Emily Nussbaum does well in NEW YORK MAGAZINE.
The fictional counterpart of Hillary is Alicia Florrick. She might trump Hillary's performance in being a smoother actress. Her steely control, which comes across as poise softened by her doe-eyed look, masks everything. We the viewers are clueless as to what Alicia really wants, what she has outgrown, and what she is willing to use and abuse to get to where she can go. One reason the show is such a smash is that, like "Mad Men" and "The Killing," it's filled with ambiguity. We gawk at what the characters are doing, especially their myopic choices. We keep coming back for more because we are smug enough to believe that we can find out who they really are.
Among the betrayed political wives who did well, of course, was the late Elizabeth Edwards. She got the spotlight, appearing on top show such as "Larry King." She published a best-seller about dealing with the tough patches such as how her husband humiliated her. And she had to know that around the world we would all be reading her good-bye on Facebook. We have a hunch that Elizabeth loved the attention.
The one wife who didn't seem to make hay from the public pain has been Silda Spitzer. But her children are still young. She has plenty of career runway ahead if she wants a decent ROI on suffering.
I really much idolized Hillary Clinton. She's an epitome of a strong and powerful woman. She's good as a leader and a wife. How did she manage that? I just wonder... Coz lots of woman can't weigh in the same between work and career. One must be of higher priority than the other. But for Madam Hillary, terrific!
Posted by: Philadelphia House | January 05, 2012 at 10:19 AM