Opinion Forum

Royalty American Style

August 3rd, 2010

When Bill Clinton became President, one of his favorite lines was to assure us all that he felt our pain. Of course, pain is different for different people. Headache, sore back, and, in the case of national pain, it was the economy, stupid — money or the lack of it.

Bill and his family made many sacrifices so they could spend their lives in public service. When Bill was Arkansas Attorney General his salary was only $7,000 a year. It was so bad that Hillary had to go to work at a place called the Rose Law Firm. She also dabbled in real estate just a little.

The Clintons realized their political dreams when they were elected to the office of U.S. president in 1993. The Clintons served two terms amid some turmoil. Although I was not a fan of the Clintons, I’ll admit that after eight years of Bush and almost two years of Obama I wish we had the Clintons back.

Bill retired, more or less. Hillary was almost president but got beat out by one of the very people that she and Bill help to create. As a consolation prize Hillary was made Secretary Of State. She has proven less than ideal for the position, even though she claimed to have had vast amounts of experience stemming from her position as co-president.

Thoughout the entire Clinton presidency the public had only brief glances at the Clinton’s only child, a daughter named Chelsea. Born in 1980, Chelsea spent her teenage life as a resident of the White House. Hidden from the public eye, her private life was almost unknown and has remained so until recently.

This weekend in a New York ceremony Chelsea married Marc Mezvinsky, her long-time boyfriend. In spite of the lavishness of the wedding, I was really happy for this only child of two people who were driven by political ambitions during most of her life. I have wondered about the plight of children who grow up in such circumstances. Of course, I’m only guessing about how such a childhood would be. Maybe in time Chelsea will tell her story, and the true person will emerge from under the shadow cast by her parents.

Will Chelsea develop political ambitions? Does one know? One thing’s for sure, she had a front-row seat to the political drama created by her parents. I’m also sure that she is aware of the monetary possibilities of a career in politics. She needs to look no farther than her parents to see that very few politicians wind up worse off than when they started. A very expensive wedding was paid for by two very wealthy political veterans

At any rate, I wish Chelsea and Marc a happy life. Success and wealth are nothing without happiness.

Articles written by Larry Ennis
Tags: Chelsea Clinton, Marc Mezvinsky, money, politicians, royalty, wealth
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