This is a provocative post from Emily Yoffe at
The XX Factor exploring whether Bill is actually pulling for Hillary to lose. It references a scientific study which discovered that when spouses or friends excel in the same field that we are in, we may feel happy for them, but we'll also likely feel envy and dismay.
Bill, Happy At Last?
Today, Washington Post science writer Shankar Vedantam has a piece titled "Intimate Rivalries" about how married couples and close friends negotiate their jealousy when they are both in the same field. He says researchers have found that "unhappy couples and friends unconsciously fall into the trap of competing in the same domain," while happier couples find different aspects of work at which to excel. I have long agreed with Emily B.'s musing on whether Bill hasn't subconsciously wanted Hillary to fail.
It would be hard for even the most well-adjusted half of any couple to see their spouse take over the same job—a job that represented the pinnacle of achievement—and face the possibility of being bested. (Let's stipulate that Bill is not the most well-adjusted spouse.) He has long worried about his legacy—the late'90s were too peaceful to present the chance for greatness that more challenging times provide. Don't you think Bill has fretted that Hillary, having the discipline and toughness that he lacks, might show him up as a war-time president, while he fiddles on the sidelines with his foundation? Don't you think he's secretly the biggest Obama supporter of all?
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