Nation's 1st Second gentleman is leaving his job

[Demovictory9]

https://www.newser.com/story/298637/second-gentleman-isnt-keeping-his-job.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=uol&utm_campaign=rss_top

[Native]

1. This is awesome. I'm so looking forward to seeing and hearing more from him!

[wryter2000]

2. Good for him

I'm sure the firm will have him back...unless, of course, he's the first husband of the first woman president.

[CottonBear]

3. Can you please post a 4 paragraph excerpt from the article?

The link didn’t work for me. You can post 4 paragraphs with the link and be in compliance with copyright law. Thanks.



Thanks.

[tinrobot]

5. Here

Jill Biden was the first vice president's spouse to hold a paying job while their other half was in office—but Doug Emhoff won't be following in her footsteps. The 56-year-old husband of vice president-elect Kamala Harris will be leaving law firm DLA Piper before Inauguration Day, the campaign confirmed Wednesday. Emhoff, who will be the first "second gentleman" in American history, has long been a high-profile entertainment lawyer, but he took a leave of absence from the firm when Harris was named as Joe Biden's running mate in August

[Demovictory9]

6. Here

(NEWSER) – Jill Biden was the first vice president's spouse to hold a paying job while their other half was in office—but Doug Emhoff won't be following in her footsteps. The 56-year-old husband of vice president-elect Kamala Harris will be leaving law firm DLA Piper before Inauguration Day, the campaign confirmed Wednesday. Emhoff, who will be the first "second gentleman" in American history, has long been a high-profile entertainment lawyer, but he took a leave of absence from the firm when Harris was named as Joe Biden's running mate in August, reports the Washington Post.


The campaign says Emhoff, who married Harris in 2014, will be focusing on his White House role, though he has yet to disclose what issues he plans to deal with. "We've been waiting for this sort of gender switch for decades now," Kim Nalder, a professor of political science at California State University-Sacramento, tells the AP. "There is a lot of symbolism from a man stepping back from his high-powered career in order to support his wife's career." DLA Piper has lobbied the federal government on behalf of corporate clients including Comcast and Raytheon, so Emhoff is also avoiding potential ethical issues. (Jill Biden, meanwhile, plans to keep her job after she becomes first lady.)

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. "avoiding potential ethical issues" - there's a lot of symbolism in that, too

after the years of Trump nepotism and conflicts of interest.

[Cha]

14. TY!

[MoonRiver]

4. This is going to be a fun White House!

[Cha]

15. No kidding! A Real WH!

Not a freaking Den of lethal snakes.

[helpisontheway]

8. He should wait until we know that there will definitely be a Biden administration ..

Everything is at risk with this attempted Trump coup. He is not firing all the pentagon officials for kicks. I hope Biden’s lawyers are on top of this..

[Hekate]

9. Who, pray tell, is going to handle the Christmas decorations? (Slight snark) Seriously...

As with so many other male-dominated institutions rooted deep in the past, to hire the husband is to get the wife’s talents and labor 100% free. The White House may be the last vestige of this social bargain. Even a bachelor president in the past needed to seek out a niece to take on the complex duties of what they used to call being a hostess.

I have a friend my age (over 70) who is a retired RN whose first husband was an MD who joined the military (Vietnam era, Air Force in lieu of draft). She had every intention of working as a nurse when they were sent to Germany, but was immediately taken in hand by the other officers’ wives who explained her many unpaid and time-consuming duties to her. 50 years later her outrage is still palpable. She won the battle, but only because she is easily the most stubborn woman I have ever met.

The soon-to-be occupants of the Biden-Harris White House already have worked these things out in their own modern lives. I think a new paid job may be arising.

[Demovictory9]

10. Other.occupations that expect free spousal labor: pastoral, university prez

[Ms. Toad]

11. I sure hope you're not suggesting Emhoff get paid to do

what female spouses have always done without compensation.

It would be one thing to begin this as a paid position when it is a woman getting paid - but compensating Emhoff when the equivalently credentialed Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton were not paid would be insulting.

[Hekate]

12. Heavens, where did I say that? Someone outside the family, to be sure, a pro in their own right.

[Ms. Toad]

13. That's almost worse - First & Second wives have been providing services for free

- so when one of them is male the position should now be paid?

I know that's how it often works, but I'm finding the apparent assumption that Emhoff is quitting his job to be doing something other than performing traditional second spouse roles odd - given what the assumption has always been when a first/second spouse quits their job.

[Hekate]

16. Apparently Emhoff is trying to avoid a conflict of interest. Isn't he a lawyer?

Have they shared with the public what he plans to do? What was Bill Clinton planning to do? This is uncharted territory, but they are all intelligent & I am sure they will figure it out.

[Ms. Toad]

17. He is a lawyer.

Why is it uncharted territory? Because of his gender? Both Hillary and Michelle were also attorneys, who resigned their jobs and played traditional first lady roles when their husbands were elected. (Both had been working at least part time until their husbands were elected president.) Is there a reason (other than gender) Emhoff shouldn't play a traditional second spouse role?

[Hekate]

18. Gender plays a part.He might find "teas" and other traditional duties awkward.Nearly all wives there

Choosing menus for state dinners. Setting the place cards for same so enemies aren’t seated together. Chatting people up in a completely inoffensive and flattering manner; refusing to be drawn into any conversation that might be misconstrued as government policy. Circulating the room to make sure everyone is happy. Hiring the Social Secretary and monitoring whatever it is they do. Subordinating his personality.

Finding something to fill his time that will offend no one. Military families. School children. Those are all popular and very worthy. Turns out childhood nutrition can be controversial; just ask Michelle.

Holiday decorations in the People’s House is a huge production that takes months of planning and lots of volunteers. Well, it was for Michelle Obama. Melania is the only person I know of who hired a cheap window-dresser and called it a day.

Decorating and curating the White House with taste and an eye to history is a must. Well, again unless you are Melania.

Oddly, when I suggested here that Bill Clinton (who joked he would be “First Laddie” ) would have plenty to do with the foundation he and Hillary started, there were many objections, some of them quite unkind.

I don’t think any of this is beyond his (Emhoff’s) capacity or intelligence. It’s just as a lawyer and a man these things may fall into a realm he has not had much practice in.

Ah! Forgive me — I just realized I was answering your challenge as though he would find himself in the White House straight away; probably triggered by your mention of Hillary and Michelle. He’s fortunate — we almost never hear what the 2nd Lady is doing. But he’ll still have to carve out a new niche for the job.

Progress!

[JI7]

19. He has already been doing a lot of the things you mention . He has a life outside of his work

He can talk about his wife, kids, dog and other non political , non policy issues.

And i'm sure the first ladies always had help when they were decorating . I don't think they ever did the whole thing on their own.