Standing By Your (Political) Man

And while it may be tough to swallow to know that most of the detractors were right, Doug Ford is hardly the only high-profile person to stand by their (political) man, so to speak, only to find out they were actually doing the bad things they were accused of doing all along…

When the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke during the president’s second term, Hillary went so far as to blame “this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president” in a 1998 interview.

The Fallout: It turns out President Clinton did partake in “sexual relations” with Lewinsky, and after a lot of political “he said, she said,” debate over the definition of the word “is,” and the president’s impeachment, Clinton was eventually acquitted of perjury and obstruction of justice in relation to his grand jury testimony and went on to become one of the most popular presidents in history.

What Happened Next…: After what were surely some very tense conversations around the dinner table, Hillary decided to work things out with her husband and, in the ensuing years, forged a political career of her own as a senator, the Secretary of State, and a rumoured run for the White House in 2016.

The Response: In 2003, Shriver defended her husband, saying, “You can listen to all the negativity, and you can listen to people who have never met Arnold, or who met him for five seconds 30 years ago. Or you can listen to me.”

The Fallout: In 2011, Schwarzenegger and Shriver divorced shortly before their 25^th wedding anniversary, and not long after he left public office. The former action star confessed he’d fathered a child with their housekeeper 14 years earlier.

What Happened Next…: A journalist and author, Shriver’s career is thriving. Since 2013, she’s worked for NBC Nightly News. Shortly after announcing their divorce, Shriver bought a $10 million home.

The Response: Deny, deny, deny until, in 2008, Edwards admitted to the affair. In 2010, with wife Elizabeth terminally ill with breast cancer, Edwards confessed that Hunter’s child was his and it was discovered that the affair was still active.

The Fallout: Originally, after the 2008 admission of an affair, Elizabeth said she was staying by her husband’s side, declaring, “Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him.”

What Happened Next…: In 2010, when Edwards admitted to fathering Hunter’s baby, Elizabeth filed for separation. She passed away in December of that year.

The Fallout: Though Abedin didn’t appear with her husband when he admitted his guilt and stepped down from Congress, he notes she told him, “She was very unhappy, she was very disappointed…and she also told me that she loved me and we’re going to get through this.”

When the near-identical scenario played out again in 2013, during Weiner’s New York mayoral election campaign, Abedin appeared alongside Weiner as he, again, admitted his guilt, and even wrote an essay defending him.

“Why am I doing this?,” she wrote. “Because Anthony has always been a smart, caring, and dedicated person, and while he’s the same public servant who wants what’s best for the people he represents, he is now something else – a better man.”

What Happened Next…: Weiner, of course, dropped out of the mayoral race, but the couple are still together. And, if Hillary Clinton’s presidential aspirations are true, then Abedin could be in for a significant career boost come 2016.