Honey, I can’t wait for you to come back to Chicago because we’re having a great time here!”—Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff
Yeah, Kamala Harris might become our first female president. Big deal. When it comes to how she performs her job, I don’t expect her to govern any differently than her predecessors; the job is the job regardless of gender. But there’s one position in any presidential administration that has been defined by gender—first spouse. To this point, it’s all been ladies, primarily doing traditional lady stuff (at least publicly): tootling other first spouses around the capital, promoting initiatives in education or healthcare, or “being best™”.
If Harris gets elected, however, the current Second Gentleman will become our nation’s first First Gentleman, and he gets to figure out what that means. To me, it sounds like a dream gig mostly because nobody expects him to do shit. There’s got to be no better job in the world for a middle-aged dude with plenty of disposable income and a jet at his disposal.
