The character Jack Stanton represents former President Bill Clinton. The portrayal of Bill Clinton in “Primary Colors” is highly unflattering. Clinton is portrayed as being selfish, pandering, and weak. His extramarital discretions are a strong undercurrent in this novel. The story is Clinton is at odds with his wife and staff members at various points; his campaign rides on stress and conflict.
People who were close to Clinton in his past make criticize him throughout the book. During a fictional debate, Stanton’s opponent Charlie Martin (who represents Bob Kerrey) calls Stanton “damaged goods,” and questions whether Stanton’s questionable past and bad press will ruin his chance to be elected president. This statement really calls the country’s values about a Presidential candidate into question. If someone has a complicated, messy personal life, should this count against them in an election? Are personal problems a sign that someone is unable to lead a country? Most importantly, should voters be informed about politicians’ personal lives?
The book showed that Stanton was, essentially, damaged goods. His personal problems were overwhelmingly public. Some people only knew Stanton for the negative publicity he caused, and not for his views on how to improve the country. Ultimately, this sent the wrong message about Clinton. “Primary Colors” says that Clinton is only as big as his negative media.
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Well, that is part of why the book was written, though. Clinton's personal life WAS a mess, yet he was arguably one of the more effective presidents of the recent past. The question of how much a candidate's personal life should be considered in voting is one that is very relevant today, no?
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