No More ‘Washington Wives?’

Gone are the days of the “Washington wife.” As the 112th Congress opens, most members of Congress have left their spouses and children at home. For an article released this week, Newsweek spoke with 46 of the 107 new members of Congress and only one of them ? Republican Senator Mike Lee, of Utah ? is moving to Washington with his family. What does this mean for the culture in Washington?

We speak with Newsweek reporter Lisa Miller and former Washington wife Sandie Knollenberg, who was a member of a social club for Congressmen’s wives during her husband Joe Knollenberg’s 16 years in the House of Representatives.