“American Woman” not the 1969 song by Burton Cummings of The Guess Who. No, this is a book by Katie Rogers which dissects our modern First Ladies from Hillary to DOCTOR Jill. They must be sorted and slotted. For Liberals, all people and things must be sorted and slotted into their proper places.

The Left/Liberals/Progressives love ticking boxes. People cannot be seen as individuals. They must fit into boxes. Boxes made by the Left. One size fits all. Just take a look at this first paragraph from the opening review of American Woman:

The most consequential first lady of modern times was Melania Trump. I know, I know. We are supposed to believe it was Hillary Clinton, with her unbaked cookies and her pantsuits and her valiant but doomed attempts at health-care reform. But Melania Trump redefined the role of FLOTUS—by rejecting it.

Rejected it? How so?

Back in 2017, she made a half-hearted effort at holding down what I believe to be the world’s most thankless job, and then she decided, like Bartleby the Scrivener, that she would prefer not to. Even more surprisingly, it turned out that no one could force her. For decades, we have been assured that American voters want an unblemished nuclear family—a supportive spouse and smiling children—in the White House. The Trumps smashed that norm, along with many others. In this year’s primary season, as her husband cruises toward renomination, Melania has largely remained out of the public eye: On her to-do list over the past few months, according to reports, has been to renegotiate her prenup. This is not how it is supposed to be.

“Melania has largely remained out of the public eye: On her to-do list over the past few months, according to reports, has been to renegotiate her prenup.” What in the actual feck? Katie Rogers covers the White House for the New York Times. One would think that reading and reading comprehension would be “what counts factors” for a reporter. One would be WRONG. Katie never read and cannot comprehend that Melania Trump’s Mother was gravely ill and died “over the past few months”. Ignore those reports about renegotiating her prenup. Read. Try it.

"Rogers is a gimlet-eyed White House reporter for the ⁦@nytimes⁩ who writes with more verve than many on the beat, and she has studded her book with delicious aperçus and insider tea." ⁦@kheller⁩ reviews "American Woman" by ⁦@katierogers⁩ https://t.co/bcxcvwgnES

— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) February 22, 2024

Malicious gossip is not “insider tea”. Sir Dennis Thatcher was the husband of Prime Minister, Dame Margaret Thatcher and here is how he was seen when Mrs. Thatcher was elected:

Edward Pilkington on Denis Thatcher ‘s dramatic transformation from golf-obsessed buffoon to renaissance man.

Ever since the first Dear Bill column appeared in Private Eye on May 18, 1979, two weeks after his wife acquired the keys to Number 10, he has been perceived by the general public as a juniper-sozzled, rightwing, golf-obsessed halfwit whose sole aim in life was to sneak another snifter behind the boss’s back.

But a new interpretation of Sir Denis Thatcher was yesterday unveiled by his daughter and a close friend. They say that far from being the buffoon suggested by Private Eye, he is serious, sensitive, intelligent and a man of “great depth of character”.

It never got easier for Mr. Thatcher. It never got easier for Melania Trump either. She stayed in Manhattan while the then 11 year old Barron finished school. Omg. She didn’t turn moving into the White House an Olympic track sport.

When Donald was elected, Melania refused to move from New York to Washington, D.C., for several months, citing her son Barron’s school commitments. When she did arrive at the White House, she complained that it fell to her to arrange the festive decorations—“I’m working … my ass off on the Christmas stuff,” she told an adviser, who secretly recorded the call. She rarely visited her East Wing office, and had one room converted into a “gifting suite” full of FLOTUS-branded swag. She remained disengaged, and according to Rogers, “Melania, Barron, and her parents often spoke exclusively in Slovenian to each other throughout their time in the White House.”

This will blow Liberals minds, but maybe Mrs. Trump enjoys being a wife and mother and doesn’t feel the need to accrue power to her unelected position. Who does that make me think of?

First Lady Hillary Clinton was the first to lie that “if we like our plan, we can keep our plan”. The “buy one, get one free” promotion works for detergent and toothpaste, not for political dynasties.

Another is that Hillary Clinton threatens to swamp the narrative, because her story has become such a common entry point to debates about feminism and frustrated female ambition. Some of these arguments have, by now, been raging for decades; hers is the life that launched a thousand op-eds. When Clinton posted on social media in January about the lack of nominations for Barbie’s female director and lead female actor, the overwhelming response from the internet was neither anger nor cheers, but weariness. Finally, after more than three decades of Clinton being in the public eye, America was tired of arguing about whether rich, white women succeeding is a feminist triumph or not.

What makes Clinton such an irresistible subject is her own political ambition. Although the other first ladies covered in American Woman—Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Biden—have all wrestled with preserving their identity in the shadow of their husbands’ careers, none of them have wanted to run for president themselves. (And all three took their husband’s name without apparent angst, unlike Hillary Rodham.) Bush and Biden seem to have always been happiest in a supporting role, and the more driven Obama is at last living her best life—hanging out with Oprah, writing best sellers, no longer always needing to relax her hair. Perhaps her story once read as a tragedy of spousal sacrifice; today, the pact between the Obamas seems more balanced.

Hillary “threatens to swamp the narrative” because the media was so hypnotized by her. Hillary has always been entitled. And, so has Michelle O.. Michelle is living the life she always felt was her due.

The only thing I have to say about DOCTOR Jill Biden is “What?” She teaches at a Junior College???? I have read her dissertation for her Ed.D. and I wouldn’t let her teach a gerbil. That’s okay. Her elder abuse of her husband is a bigger problem.

The biggest problem with American Woman is that Katie Rogers judges these ladies’ choices based on their husband’s politics. Be honest. If Jill Biden had had an eleven year old and stayed in Delaware for the first six months, she would have been celebrated.

Speaking of celebrating, can we think of these women as they are, instead of some box the tick and the place they are sorted?

Featured Collage: Lawrence Jackson/wikimedia commons.org/Public Domain/Cheriss May/Wikimedia Commons.org/Creative Commons 3.0/Reg ine Malhaux/wikimedia commons.org/Creative Commons 3.0