Rebecca Ashby

Meghan vs. Chelsea



Posted: Monday, February 18, 2008

by
http://www.rmashby.com

In this whirlwind of Obama-mania that has swept over the 20somethings in our country, will either McCain's daughter, Meghan or Clinton's daughter, Chelsea be able to convince their peer group to abandon Barack?

These adult children of our candidates must choose a path; they can stay far away from the campaign trail and maintain a "normal" life or they can support the parents they love at the expense of their own privacy. Chelsea Clinton and Meghan McCain have chosen the latter. Both are 20somethings who are campaigning strenuously in this 2008 election season, Meghan for her father, John and Chelsea for her mother, Hillary.

Chelsea, now 27, has an undergraduate degree in history from Stanford University and a graduate degree in international studies from Oxford. She sits on the board of the "School of American Ballet." Did you know Jacqueline Kennedy was a ballet patron? Chelsea is presently on leave from her Manhattan hedge fund job at Avenue Capital so she can stump for her mom. She has a very issue oriented, no chit chat, stick to the facts personality when stumping. Some have said she speaks in a monotone. She doesn't take questions from reporters, only questions from supporters. Much of her unwillingness to speak with the press came from her teenage years in the White House during the Monica affair. Chelsea's public persona is very similar to Hillary's. In fact, at a gala for the "School of American Ballet" when all of the other girls her age were bearing skin, she arrived in a high neck pantsuit with her hair tightly tucked in a bun. Chelsea is quite intelligent, well read and rehearsed on all of Hillary's agenda. Who knows, by the end of the campaign, Chelsea may have also mastered the ability to feel comfortable speaking to large audiences of her peers..

Meghan, 23, graduated from Columbia University with a degree in art history. Meghan doesn't stump for her father. She has a blog, the "McCain Blogette," where she does YouTube videos about life on her father's campaign bus or waiting for the results of a primary with a beer in her hand or her favorite IPOD tunes or trendy name brand clothes and boots. Meghan is very outgoing and has quite a flamboyant personality. In one of her YouTube videos, she even makes a point of not wearing make up for the YouTube take; Apparently, Meghan received a great deal of criticism about over doing her makeup.

Just for fun, I checked out the astrological signs of each of these girls. Chelsea, whose Pisces personality leans toward introspection, finds speaking to large crowds challenging. On the other hand, Meghan's Scorpio personality lends itself to self assured performance for the cameras. Both Chelsea and Meghan call Manhattan home. Both of these young women have grown up in the political spotlight and both have chosen to temporarily relinquish their cherished privacy in order to sway the 20somethings away from Obama.

Both Clinton and McCain are protective of their daughters. Hillary just had a clash with David Schuster of MSNBC when he suggested that Chelsea was being "pimped out" and let's don't forget what happened when McCain's other daughter from Bangladesh was paraded out for the cameras in the 2000 campaign. McCain has seven children; only Meghan is in the spotlight at this time. McCain, when recently asked about his family said "they have a right to their privacy."

Barack's momentum with the youngsters is gaining strength every day. Somehow, I don't think either of these girls will sway the 20something vote significantly. Barack has become a rock star to the kids!

Rebecca Ashby has spent the last thirty years teaching English and Communication Arts.  She is now retired from the teaching profession and is working on her memoirs.  You can see her other articles at

www.rmashby.com   www.harvray.com 

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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by robert melaccio sr
 3 years 333 days ago.
Yes Rebecca and what does that mean for America? Why wouldn't any loving child support their family and certainly parents? It means absolutely nothing though in who should lead this nation. All nice, intelligent kids who went to the very best. Did many of ours? The fact is this has become the Easter Bunny contest with a lot of glitz ion the otside but little on the inside. It is all about works rebecca and no one seems interested. Good job though, both nice young ladies who do their parents well. Best Wishes RTM
» left by sue thom
from 1maria 3 years 332 days ago.
hi rebecca, nicely written article, and interesting information. i enjoyed it, thank you for sharing, best regards, sue thom
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