Spousal politics trouble campaign

A hot item in today's political circus is Arianna Huffington. According to an article in Tuesday's LA Times, Huffington is an integral part of her husband Michael's campaign for the U.S. Senate. The political analyst who wrote the story claimed that Arianna has been much more visible than the candidate.

Indeed, no less than eight Huffington staff members quit - because, they said, of disagreements with her decision making.

The spouses of politicians have been known to play active roles in their opposite's careers in the past. Hillary Clinton, Nancy Reagan (and her astrologer), Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosalyn Carter come to mind, but few spouses have played so central a role as Arianna. Even Hillary Clinton waited until Bill was in office to stir political waters.

Spouses of elected officials have no actual political clout, not being elected themselves, but their influence is undeniable.

In helping her husband prepare for his political appearances and in making surrogate speeches for him, Arianna runs the risk of painting her husband in the image of a shrinking violet.

Michael Huffington, in that same LA Times article, expressed outrage at the press' treatment of his wife and the scrutiny her past affiliation with a cult-like church has raised.

In his words: "I'm the candidate, my wife is not the candidate. My point is this: My wife's religious beliefs are personal."

If Huffington didn't want the mud attached to any political campaign slung at his wife, then he would have campaigned solely himself.

The Daily Forty-Niner finds no fault in a spouse encouraging his or her mate in their political endeavors. Politics, however, is a serious game, and one that affects the daily lives of many people.

The influence Arianna wields over her husband's election strategy implies that she has control over a lot of his mind. This control may taint his politics if he is elected to the Senate.

By her obvious role in his campaign, political analysts have naturally placed Arianna under the media microscope, for if we elect him, we get her. It's a package deal, and smart consumers always check the ingredients.