Carol Paul as First Lady?

Who is Carol Paul, the wife of Republican nominee hopeful, Ron Paul? Normally, I would not be thinking much about Presidential hopeful's spouses when analyzing a candidate for office, but much has been said about Senator Hillary Clinton's experience, as an ex-President spouse, being a qualification for head of state. It seems that being in the White House as First Lady, she was privy to having the ear of her husband and this somehow makes her more qualified than other candidates to become President. The media has been bringing up other First Ladies and the work they did as First Lady to improve the country. How would Carol Paul as First Lady benefit US citizens?

A google search for information about Carol Paul brought very little information. Her family name is Wells and she has 5 grown children: Ronnie, Lori, Rand, Robert and Joy. Wikipedia credits her with having 18 grandchildren and 1 grandchild. The "Re-elect Ron Paul for Congress" website has "From The Desk of Carol Paul". The brief note thanks people for their support and prayers. Her Post Script asks for family recipes to be included in their next Family cookbook. The "Recipe of the Week" would be featured online. I could not locate any links to view the recipes, nor any other items from Mrs. Paul's desk.

In a longer article by Carol Paul, "The American Dream - Through the Eyes of Mrs. Ron Paul", she says she has been asked to write a personal story of her family, because they have "...been called, 'The American Dream' family". She entered the Ron Paul story at age 16 when she invited him to be her Sadie Hawkins date at her birthday party. She briefly mentions going to college, being a secretary, learning cake decorating, attending classes part time and running a dance school in her basement to stretch the family budget. It seems an important part of their American Dream was the "all white wedding" in February 1, 1957.

Those experiences were not the experience of the average US housewife in those years. Many brides may have married in white, but were also gossiped about due to their "shotgun weddings". Most were limited to duties involving housewife and mother. A few were involved with their children's schools by becoming involved in Parent Teacher Associations, involved in the Girl Scouts of America or church activities. The article leaves one with the feeling that the Paul's lived the "happily ever after" fairy tale type life, with supportive wife allowing her man to lead. That seems to be a good qualification for Carol Paul as First Lady in the White House.

Many Senior females might admire a First Lady with "17 beautiful grandchildren". If it is true that behind every great man is a great woman, she seems to qualify as an admirable First Lady. If it is true that a spouse can influence her husband, we need to ask how in touch is Carol Paul with today's female's concerns? Many US citizens of her age were denied access to the American Dream based solely on their ethnicity. Some might have thrown "rent parties" to help out with the family budget, but learned to decorate cakes at home. Many, like Malcolm X's mom lost their husband's through lynching's or murders. How well could Mrs.Paul relate to those grandmothers and speak to her husband about their concerns?

Today's young women live in a very different society than the one when the Paul's were pursuing and living the American Dream. Most often affordable housing is only affordable if both spouses work full time jobs. Working Mom's have to leave their babies at 6 weeks of age, to return to work. If that mom is lucky she has grandma nearby to watch over her precious child. Others have to rely on strangers and the high cost of daycare to take care of their offspring during a crucial time of development. Three of Carol Paul's children became physicians. Few of her generation could afford to send children to college.

A large number of US citizens can not afford the cost of taking their child to a doctor. These moms may not have time to share family recipes. They may not have the luxury of preparing meals and often rely on fast foods found in the frozen aisle of the supermarket. Often, the cooking is done by dad, if there is a dad at home. An old joke tells of a woman speaking to an economist: "I did try to economize, but where does one find a cheaper cut of macaroni?" The answer? The 99cent store! Can the majority of US citizens truly relate to "the 'American Dream' family" and Carol Paul as First Lady?

Authors Note: This commentary reflects my own view and is not endorsed by Associated Content. I am a grandmother, closer in age to Mrs. Paul, who is about 20 years younger than my mother. I was unable to locate Carol Wells Paul's birthdate. She appears to be a year younger than, Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's widow. Links to resources are in the article.