Chelsea Clinton has announced that she is pregnant. Congratulations to Chelsea and her husband Marc Mezvinsky! Congrats to Hillary and Bill! This is such exciting news! But is it really news? The anticipation of the arrival of a child is very exciting for the parents- and grandparents-to-be, and I’m really happy for them because they’ve all let us know this is something they’ve been hoping for, but is it front page news? What if the future mom is the child of a former and maybe future president- even then, is it really anything more than celebrity gossip?
I know I’ve said I don’t like to get political and I hope my musings here won’t be taken that way; I am not writing as a fan or critic of the Clintons, I am just wondering what makes something “news.” Granted, all the members of the Clinton family have been in the news a lot. Again, not being judgmental here- just saying- that the eight years of the Clinton presidency were definitely…colorful. And it didn’t even end then, with Hillary, a former first lady, running for President and then serving as Secretary of State. I would say that Bill and Hillary qualify not only as political figures, but probably as quasi-celebrities as well, so naturally, some Americans are interested in the milestones in their lives. But this is a personal milestone, and isn’t that a little different? When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Kate, announced that they were expecting a child, it caused a real stir. The Royal Family has their own celebrity status, but the news of a royal baby also had political implications, as England is a monarchy and that child would be heir to the throne.
Of course, the comments are pouring in. Most congratulate the family and wish them well. Hillary has made no secret about her eagerness to be a grandma and there are comments speculating on whether this will affect whether or not she decides to enter the next Presidential race. Then there are the haters trying to get their political two cents in, expressing their dislike for Bill and Hillary and the whole Democratic party. I am, again, not expressing a political opinion here, just saying there is a time and a place for everything and that is probably not appropriate. But then, if the announcement of your pregnancy becomes national news, you kind of open yourself up to that, don’t you?
