Please stop helping

One of the responsibilities of my job is that I'm the buyer for my department. Much of my career has been somehow connected to procurement. I know how to buy things. Just stand back when I go shopping, because I am an expert.

On Friday, I had to go to Home Depot to purchase some power tools. I knew exactly what I needed, down to the manufacturer item number. My husband and I were out, so we went in together. Now, I do love my husband very much, and I know he means well, but sometimes he feels the need to "help" where help is not warranted. Home Depot seems to bring that out in him. He thinks it's part of his domain as a man, I suppose. No offense intended, guys, but ..... ladies, you know what I'm talking about.

When we were in the parking lot, he grabbed one of those big carts you'd use if you were going to buy something very large like gigantic power tools or sheets of plywood. I told him to get a basket, but no...we were going to need the BIG cart.

Ok, fine.

We went inside, I walked to the shelf that had the tools I needed, and he said...no no no....they're over here. I followed. They were not over there. Honey, stop helping. I went back to the first shelf, picked up all the tools, set them on the end of his hunormous cart, we paid and left.

As I've watched Bill Clinton over the past few days leading into the South Carolina primary, I can't help but think of that trip to Home Depot, and according to CNN, his comments have had a negative effect on Hillary's campaign.

Roughly 6 in 10 South Carolina Democratic primary voters said Bill Clinton's campaigning was important in how they ultimately decided to vote, and of those voters, 48 percent went for Barack Obama while only 37 percent went for Hillary Clinton. Fourteen percent of those voters voted for John Edwards.


Meanwhile, the exit polls also indicate Obama easily beat Clinton among those voters who decided in the last three days — when news reports heavily covered the former president's heightened criticisms of Obama. Twenty percent of South Carolina Democrats made their decision in the last three days and 51 percent of them chose Obama, while only 21 percent picked Clinton.

As a presidential candidate, I'd like Hillary to show in no uncertain terms, that this is her campaign. She's the focus here. Even if Bill did no more than anyother candidates spouse, the media will hone in on him more than they do on Elizabeth Edwards or Michelle Obama, just because of who he is. Seems to me that should be considered into the political calculus. His assist is a positive UNTIL it becomes overbearing and intrusive and you start to forget who the real candidate is, then it becomes a negative.

Bill, honey, please stop helping.