Hillary’s Second Grandchild Eclipsed by the Flame War

Almost two years ago, Team Clinton anticipated a far different 2016 presidential campaign. In birthing a strategy, the goal was to personalize as well as soften Hillary’s image by visualizing her identity as mother, grandmother and spouse. Who knew at the time, though, that this election would devolve into such a flame war. In spite of the opportunity to cultivate the female electorate and emphasize the cycle of life, the campaign instead devolved into a battle over the white male voting block and a test of which candidate could best throw his or her weight around.

It’s that reality that made Monday’s shot on the Clinton campaign’s Instagram feed so ironic. The caption read:

Chelsea Clinton, holding newborn son Aidan, her husband Marc Mezvinsky, former President Bill Clinton, and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton exit Lenox Hill Hospital on June 20, 2016, in New York City. Chelsea gave birth to Aidan, her second child, on June 18. 

Strange as it is, the privileging of testosterone has turned a potential campaign godsend for the aspiring first woman president into an afterthought.

(photo: Getty Images)