Mary's Reputation

[L Verge]

Jerry,

Believe it or not, I tend to agree with you on this particular subject (Mary/Hillary) in that both were/are intelligent women with a good instinct for politics - something that the still male-dominated arena cannot handle. The same thing happened when Sarah Palin (and I'm not a fan) came on the national scene. Outspoken, smart women have to be put down.

In Mary's case, this may even have carried over to domestic life before she was put in the spotlight. Her volatile temper did not match what the Victorians held as the standard for a proper, loving, and obedient wife. And Lincoln's mood swings and "rustic" behavior didn't help the situation much.

I also suspect that she might have had a chemical imbalance in her physical makeup that caused some of this. I have had several friends over time that had much the same behavior patterns - one could actually see them building up a head of steam. Modern medicine has helped them tremendously.