At home, last night, I waited eagerly to hear our 42nd president talk in Philadelphia about my party's nominee as the final speaker of an exciting DNC evening.
He humanized Hillary, he really did, and while I already felt she was as trustworthy as any politician I'd never known, his sharing of the small details of their lives together encouraged me to thwart any lingering concerns about her virtue.
In between Bill's brilliance at doing what he has always done best, connecting with his audience, I grew annoyed at shelf-liner and water-breaking details. He didn't address the detail that really says the most to us about Hillary's married life. It happened in his late forties, about twenty years into their marriage. He strayed; she stayed.
I'm not suggesting that anyone wants to relive the specifics of the Lewinsky sex scandal. (Sidebar: Many relationship researchers indicate that betrayed individuals identify marital infidelity to be significantly more traumatic than rape or other forms of physical abuse, including the abuse of their children). If I had written Bill's talk, I would've directed him, as he was sharing details about the years before Chelsea left for college, that he dramatically pause, and then, say something like this: "She was honest when I was not. She persevered during a time when I hurt her badly. I'm forever grateful that she's not a quitter, that I can count on her, that she shows up every day and wants to work on our behalf."
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