I attended a fancy family wedding July 24 in Santa Monica, and afterward, I found myself drawn to the Chelsea Clinton wedding story during the following week. There was no shortage of information—my Yahoo news feed carried the articles each day, and I ate it up like the garlic mashed potatoes at a rehearsal dinner. I soon learned that the nuptials would take place in the small New York town of Rhinebeck, that 500 people were attending, and that the cost was estimated at $3 million.
Why so much dish on the net? Why did this particular wedding story have so-called “legs”? True, no oil tankers exploded and no volcanoes erupted last week. It’s summer doldrums, and column inches need filling, like Lindsay Lohan’s hip flask. Still, the stories kept coming and coming. Who was invited? Who wasn’t, and was feeling miffed? How did Bill Clinton lose more than the amount of weight Chelsea insisted on (ten pounds)? Why did he and Hillary arrive at the wedding separately?
I tried to analyze why a 40-something like me was so intrigued. I pride myself on reading TIME before People. I guess I’ve “known” Chelsea for a long time—her dad was president for 2 terms, and she was one of the few children to grow up in the White House. Her dad’s sexual peccadilloes took center stage on a scale not seen since Richard Nixon’s impeachment hearings. Yet, Bill and Hillary kept the fam together, for politics if nothing else. Would-be President and Then-Veep Al Gore might be breaking up with Tipper, but so far the Clintons have weathered heavy fallout and kept the nuclear family intact.
Could it be that Chelsea seems to offer a fresh start for her beleaguered presidential family, and by extension, for average Americans? We love nothing more than the idea of redemption—rehab, wiping the slate clean, remaking yourself--whatever you want to call it. Our prime time television lineup is dedicated to it. Los Angeles is the capitol of the makeover, and Chelsea proposes to give the Clinton family a fresh start. Look at the fine figure her dad struck walking her down the aisle. Mom & Dad’s statement to the press afterward was heartfelt and optimistic.
The couple’s interfaith ceremony seemed to be a gesture of tolerance in a time of divisive politics, such as the demonstrations in Arizona over SB1070. The whole wedding story didn’t seem to have a downside. The ceremony took place as the sun set on a tranquil summer day. By all accounts, it was one of those media phenomena that are too rare—an uplifting, affirming story that stuck.
