A First Lady With Her Own Legacy

The New York Times:

Thrown into the role of first lady during a period of deep distrust in government, [Betty Ford] fulfilled the role of honest arbiter of American family life and of the modern woman, speaking candidly on just about any subject she was asked about, both shocking and delighting the country.

She was a product and a symbol of the cultural and political times — doing the Bump along the corridors of the White House, donning a mood ring, chatting on her CB radio with the handle First Mama — a housewife who argued passionately for equal rights for women, a mother of four who mused about drugs, abortion and premarital sex aloud and without regret.

Her candor about her battle with breast cancer, which led to unprecedented awareness among American women about detecting the disease, and her later commitment to alcohol and substance abuse treatment, stemming from her own abuse history, set the stage for widespread acknowledgment and advocacy that is commonplace today.

Given her impact on these crucial health issues and her influence over the modern East Wing, Mrs. Ford’s effect on American culture may be far wider and more lasting than that of her husband, who served a mere 896 days, much of it spent trying to restore the dignity of the office of the president.

LSB: Here’s a fun little activity which recovering from your New Years event – try to imagine how the Repubicons, neocons, wingnuts and moralists of today might react to this type of First Lady. We’ll never know, of course, as our current First Lady (Codename: Milk Toast) sadly falls quite short of the legacy of Mrs. Ford. (In all things Bush, I thought First Lady 41 was lousy, but at least she had that reading program. Other than bailing out those drunken twins, what is First Lady 43 doing? Ok, that's not fair – she wasn't elected by anyone other than her husband and doesn't get paid to do any work for us. However, she does live in the White House and represents us at many national and international event, so the question still has some validity – other than picking floral arrangements for state dinners, what does she do?)