By Major W. Cox
On August 18th, President Clinton testified before a Federal Grand Jury. Later that night in a speech to the nation, he confirmed what most people already believed to be true. The President of the United States was a liar. Yes, he did have sex with 22 year old Monica Lewinsky.
What's the big deal? After all, this is the nineties. Observe Mrs. Clinton. She seems less worried about Mr. Clinton's escapades in the White House than most of us. As a matter of fact, in opinion polls most of us continue to give the President high approval ratings. It is only when we view the President's conduct through the prism of our own values that this support wanes.
There is a reason so many Americans view President Clinton in this paradoxical manner. It is because our nation has under-gone enormous social change. During the last fifty years, society has moved from a white-male patriarchy toward a merit-based, universally inclusive Democracy. Those of us born during the first half of this century tend to view the Clinton-Lewinsky affair differently than those of us imbued with values of the last half of the 20th Century.
History provides us with glimpses of this sort of conduct by previous presidents, but similar past affairs were kept under wraps by the "Ole Boys Club" around the Chief Executive. The women involved were generally discredited.
We recognize as an interesting allegation of history, that Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy had improper relationships with women in the White House. I suspect there have been others. It is only because of the uniqueness of their particular situations that we learned of these women.
In one of those unique situations, history names Sally Hemming, a slave with whom Jefferson fathered several children. Today, there is a move to compare the DNA of the descendants of Ms. Hemming's children with the DNA of Jefferson and his wife, Martha's, known descendants. If there is a match, proving Jefferson the father of Sally Hemming's children, they will be reburied in the family plot at Jefferson's beloved home, Monticello, * near their father.
In another situation, Mrs. Roosevelt, like Mrs. Clinton, enjoyed being First Lady. She was not about to allow any of the President's extracurricular activities in the White House to interfere with her position as First Lady. However, during the time President Roosevelt had his White House affair, society was different. In those days, if a man had an improper sexual relationship, it was considered a private matter, not to be discussed in polite society. The "other woman" had little voice and no credibility in the public's view.
During the early 1960's, when President Kennedy allegedly improperly entertained Marilyn Monroe in the White House, no one considered impeachment. As a matter of fact, the attitude for most folks was not to worry about such a thing. After all, she was a beautiful movie star and he was the good-looking young President, what more could the country expect.
It would be an understatement to say that society has changed. Today, Monica Lewinsky, born of a mother who came of age during the women's movement, differs greatly from her predecessors. Raised in the "you can have it all" Brentwood, California household of her wealthy father, she lusted fame and landed infamy.
Monica refused to except the universal role of subservience, traditionally ascribed to women of her class. Nurtured by parents yielding social and political power, rooted in economic wealth, Monica wanted the same accolades for her sexual proficiency that prior to Madonna, Vanessa and other trail-blazing women of the last half of this century, were reserved for young men. Combining a lackluster academic background with powerful social and political influence, Ms. Lewinsky created her own kind of personal power and blazed a trail others are certain to follow.
Guys, you had better fasten your seat belts. Because today, Monica Lewinsky is a role model. You can bet your jockstrap young women all over the world look in the mirror and see themselves differently than they did before Monica. This is a role every young woman can model, even those who may be a little slow in school and don't necessary fit the traditional stereotype for a sex symbol.
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Originally Published: 28 August 1998, Montgomery Advertiser
Note: The edition of this article which appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser on August 28,1998 incorrectly identified Arlington National Cemetery as Thomas Jefferson's burial site. I have corrected the error here. Thank you to the reader who brought it to my attention.
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