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The soprano Margaret Truman had the seats packed at Constitutional Hall for a 1950 concert with the National Symphony Orchestra. The applause that evening, as was the norm for the well-heeled crowd of Washington insiders, was enthusiastic. After all, her father was the incumbent President living just down the block, and anything less than a full-throated brava would have been impolite.
The Washington Post’s music critic didn’t get the memo. Writing the next day, Paul Hume was blunt: “She is flat a good deal of the time—more last night than at any time we have heard her in past years. There are few moments during her recital when one can relax and feel confident that she will make her goal, which is the end of the song. … Miss Truman has not improved in the years we have heard her.”
On White House stationery, President Harry Truman sent Hume a reply:. “Some day[,] I hope to meet you,” Truman wrote. “When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!” He signed the iconic screed simply “H.S.T.”
Such has been the posture of a good number of Presidents, politicians, and Washington players for decades: come for the official but leave the family alone—even if they’re in the public arena themselves. But, just maybe, it’s time to finally bury the Washington myth that political figures’ kin are off-limits and acknowledge that the lines aren’t quite as simple as those in power would have us believe. A trio of developing stories in Washington might require politicians and the press to rethink the claims that critical coverage of a public figure’s family is the third rail of polite…
Source : time
