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Scott Washburn<\/strong>, assistant director of Augsburg College\u2019s StepUP\u00ae program, was one the experts interviewed by MinnPost for an article examining public figures’ right to privacy as well as the rights of the public figures’ significant others. The article examined an\u00a0overarching theme that probed, “How much of a candidate\u2019s own personal life should be made available for public debate?”<\/p>\n In responding to a question on whether it is appropriate for the mental health or addiction history of a political spouse or other family member to be made public, Washburn argued\u00a0that sort of political playmaking\u00a0goes over the line.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t think it\u2019s appropriate at all,” Washburn said. “The candidate is running, not the family member. The electorate is voting for the candidate, not the family member. The family of a presidential candidate is going to be dragged into the public eye, but I think it\u2019s important to respect some boundaries here. It\u2019s an issue of respect and privacy. The candidate would be fair game from my perspective, but I don\u2019t think family members should be. It just reflects how low things have gone in this political race.<\/p>\n All that being said, if the family member chooses to publically disclose his or her personal history, then that is a different conversation.”<\/p>\n