The First Lady Represents America: Rosalynn Carter in South America
2016; Wiley; Volume: 27; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1741-5705
Autores Tópico(s)American Constitutional Law and Politics
ResumoRepresentation and accountability are two crucial elements in our democratic system. An elected official both stands for the constituency group and acts for the people represented. Presidents must assume both the passive and active role of representative from the time they take their oath of office. Presidential accountability is constitutionally prescribed through frequent, democratic elections. But acting as national representatives is an inherently' political function that has been fulfilled not only by the elected president and vice president but also by members of the president's family. Questions of accountability have often followed the president's delegation of these representative functions. The Representative Function: Pros and Cons This article examines the particular challenges faced by first ladies when acting as national representatives. This role encompasses both political and ceremonial activities. Significantly, they are a step removed from the legitimacy bestowed on duly elected officials. A first lady's name does not appear on the ballot for president alongside the vice president's. She takes no oath of office on assuming her role. There is no salary given to presidential spouses. She cannot be removed from office for her high crimes and misdemeanors through the impeachment process constitutionally prescribed for the president. In fact, the Constitution makes no mention of the first lady but neither does it mention many political realities, including the cabinet. Why then examine the role of first lady as a representative and policy adviser? The answer has both legal and practical dimensions. Legally, the McCormick Act permits the president to delegate authority as he wishes. This act has been applied to the vice presidency with regularity (another post with few constitutionally stated responsibilities) and can be extended to the first lady. Practically, contemporary presidents have routinely used their spouses as official representatives of the United States at state and political functions. The question remains, however, regarding the proper manner in which the first lady represents the nation. As an un-elected actor without a clear constitutional link to the American people, the public expectations of appropriate representative behavior is mixed. Being a representative at such ceremonial occasions as weddings, funerals, and coronations has ready acceptance by the American public but appearing for and speaking for the president at political and policy affairs can be controversial. In choosing to use his first lady as a policy representative a president must evaluate his relationship with his spouse, the first lady's qualifications, the American cultural receptivity and the expected reception from the audience addressed by the first lady. Both advantages and disadvantages will attend the president's decision. An advantage in using the first lady as a representative is the possibility that a tense situation may be defused by someone other than the president being present. In 1964, Lady Bird Johnson covered over 45,000 miles without President Johnson, including a whistle-stop tour through the rural South. This trip involved numerous speeches, personal contacts, and fence-mending activities for the southern Democrat president who was advocating civil rights. With her southern background she had an avowedly political function to convince hostile audiences that our first southern president since the Civil War had not forsaken the South. The proper reception given a southern lady minimized the vocal opposition to the Johnson ticket and pulled some state Democratic fencesitters on board. The second advantage is the ability to extend the arms of the presidency to cover diverse events around the nation and the world. Eleanor Roosevelt travelled from the mines of West Virginia to our overseas military bases to extend the president's perceptual reach to all his constituents. …
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