Should Politicians’ Children Be “Off Limits”?

In the wake of the news that Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant, it seems that the Republican and Democratic candidates are in agreement on one issue — their children are “off limits.”  I tend to agree that a parent’s decision to seek political office should not result in their children’s lives being placed under a media microscope.  But if the media (and, by extension, the public) are not supposed to inquire about politicians’ children, is it appropriate for the candidates to put their children in front of the cameras?

The conventional political wisdom seems to be that a candidate will appear more likeable or easier to relate to if we know that he or she is “a family man/woman.”  But all four of the candidates have done more than simply inform us that they have children — they’ve had their children appear on stage at the conventions and referred to them in their speeches. The choice to highlight the candidates’ children is clearly made because the campaigns see some sort of political gain in showing the public these kids. For cute little ones, I guess the campaign is hoping that the “aww, how adorable” reaction will indirectly benefit their candidate.  But when reference is made to the impending military service of a candidate’s child (Beau Biden and Track Palin), I can’t help but think that the campaigns see a direct political payoff from these kids.  In essence, the public is being asked to look only at the political upside of these children — to give their parents credit for the fact that their kid is cute and cuddling or is brave and willing to serve the country.

In parading these kids in front of the camera, while at the same time telling us not to ask any questions about them, both campaigns are asking us to accept a silly double standard.  While I agree that we should respect the privacy of all candidates’ children, I also think that they should play no role in the campaign at all.