dc koop

I hope that in 2020 the Democrats field a candidate with no skeletons in the closet or baggage to carry. They seem to be obsessed with picking a female or minority candidate which shouldn't be the first priority. The priority is that the candidate is up to taking on the job and the ethnicity and gender of the candidate of very secondary importance

scrubbedexpat097

Yes I did. Guilty as charged

scrubbedexpat097

So are you saying you thought President Obama was only chosen because he was black?

dc koop

I think Melania will be a big hit everywhere she goes

Former Lancastrian

Please please please let Kanye West win in 2020.
The White House will be rocking with the Kardashians

dc koop

It's known that Oprah Winfrey played a major part in getting him nominated either through the power of her money or through influence .

I think Obama did a great job and I for one am going to miss him but I could see Hillary at the beginning of the election process preening herself for being the leading Dem candidate and going down in history as the first female president. Personal ego plays a tremendous part in political ambitions.

Bernie Sanders who was doing really well in his own campaign was what I saw as being pushed aside to make room for "the guaranteed winner" a candidate who was already disliked by a sizeable number among the Democrats.
She had the best support and backing possible, even amongst many Republicans who had recoiled from Trump yet she ended up being very soundly beaten, couldn't manage to win in even one so called "battleground State"

Once a loser, always a loser when it come to politics. Damn her and her E-mails, the Clinton foundation and the Benhghazi episode. Trump used all that against her with great effect. Thanks to all that we now have Trump for four years

Former Lancastrian

I tend to think with the make up of the USA and a lot of other countries then choosing a leader is becoming a nightmare scenario.

The US has never had a woman President. The US has never had an Asian, Latino, someone who is LGBT etc etc etc.
Should we be choosing a leader who is the best qualified or choosing one to be seen as PC. No matter who is chosen someone will be complaining about the choice especially if a candidate is a member of one of those mentioned above.

dc koop

The US is changing. The younger generation don't have the biases and prejudices of older Americans. In 30-50 years what a person is wont matter when it comes to choosing a leader. I tend to believe that young people these days are in general also better educated and informed. They wont be looking at a person's gender or race or sexual preference, only that the person is capable of doing the job

scrubbedexpat097

I think you have over estimated Oprah's power a little. Yes she endorsed him but I don't think she got him nominated.

I wouldn't call Hillary Clinton a loser either. Politically she had the experience and the knowledge and she is a very strong and determined lady.

Rete

Definitely eye candy. Don't know squat about her, her education, charities, etc. Isn't it mandatory that each first lady has a "cause" that they thrust down the throats of the American public. Michelle's cause was child obesity.

Hope that Melania has taken or will be taking classes in diplomacy and social etiquette.

Think of her in the role Goldie Hawn played who was placed in the diplomatic core.

Rete

I can ask the same questions of PM Trudeau's wife in Canada.

As for unmarried presidents: "James Buchanan, elected in 1857, was the only unmarried president to stay single his whole life."

Rete

Unless the candidate is under the age of 6, such a person does not exist.

Former Lancastrian

But the PMs wife doesn't have an official title such as the 1st lady as neither does Theresa Mays husband.
And Canadians have got on her back about her
OTTAWA - A citizen's advocacy group is accusing Sophie Grégoire Trudeau of being "for sale" because she accepts gifts and clothing loans from Canadian designers.
Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau is once again facing backlash from some Canadians.

After revealing to a newspaper that she's struggling to keep up with her heavy workload, Canucks took to Twitter to share their opinions on the much sought-after wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In an interview with Le Soleil this week, Trudeau said she and her assistant can't handle the current demands of being the wife of a highly visible prime minister, which involve being asked to speak at various events and promote many organizations and charities.
Many people took issue with the fact that if she was given more staff, Canadian taxpayers would be paying for it. On top of that, even though she is the wife of the prime minister, she has no official duties, unlike the first lady in the U.S.

See there is a difference between the two.

Rete

I'm familiar with the article and her desire to have her staff increased to help with the heavy load she is carrying.

Please do not forget that I am married to a Canadian and while he is not allowed to vote because he has emigrated, he still reads the Canadian papers daily and has children and siblings who still live in Canada.

Both the first lady and the PM's spouse have the same duties, i.e. give dinner parties, attend dinner parties, travel with them to foreign countries and present themselves well, support their husbands, etc.

There are no OFFICIAL job duties of either woman.

caretaker

Before Justin got into politics he and Sophie travelled to disaster areas when he wasn't teaching to make public service films promoting aid organisations, so she already had a reputation for being selfless and a person of character. I'm a little disappointed she hasn't brought more of that (visibly) to Ottawa. I thought she might be a bastion of conscience against some ingrained injustices. Melania's history is what it is.