Bill And Hillary Clinton Needed To Smooth Over Mess Concerning Wedding Invitation To Lone Uncle, Norton Mezvinsky
This is a pretty rotten story that surrounds the wedding today of Chelsea Clinton. Norton Mezvinsky, the lone uncle to Marc Mezvinsky, was not invited, and Norton is telling everyone why. Seems like the smarter thing to have done would have been to invite him. The old maxim seems to apply here. ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” The only thing this story proves is that dysfunctional families abound at all levels. That gives me some strange comfort. When I was not invited to the 90th birthday party for my own father I felt really hurt by those in my immediate family who would act in such a fashion. (Readers who have not read that story can do so here.) So I understand how Norton Mezvinsky must feel today. There are times when it is best to move forward, but often in families like the Clinton’s, or the Humphrey’s, the worst impulses seem to reign.
What intrigues me is that master politicians, Bill and Hillary Clinton, would have allowed this mess to mar the big day for their daughter. With all the skills and leverage that they have this was one time they really should have given an order. They should have never allowed this lack of a wedding invitation to make news. This was not the finest political moment for this power couple. Norton Mezvinsky is getting the last word, as it is never a good idea to mess with a smart and creative person.
The A-list roster of 500 guests for the Chelsea Clinton wedding didn’t include a spot for her fiancé’s lone uncle.
A family feud blocked a disappointed Norton Mezvinsky from making the cut for the Saturday nuptials of his nephew, Marc, and the former First Daughter.
“I’m the senior male member of the family, and Marc’s only uncle,” Norton Mezvinsky told the Daily News Wednesday. “I am not surprised, but extremely hurt I wasn’t invited.”
Asked if he planned to send his nephew and Chelsea a wedding gift, the retired professor replied, “You can probably guess the answer to that.”
Mezvinsky, a controversial figure because of his frequent criticisms of Israel, said politics had nothing to do with the decision to keep him away from the celebration set for a 50-acre estate in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County.
He confirmed reports from friends that a dispute involving the groom’s father, disgraced former Iowa Rep. Edward Mezvinsky, was behind the snub.
The father, who served a five-year jail term for a $10 million investment scam, hoped to write a book and move to New York after his release last year – but Marc Mezvinsky opposed both plans.
Norton Mezvinsky supported his brother, leading to the rift with his 32-year-old nephew.
“Friends said it because it’s true,” Norton Mezvinsky said in his Manhattan apartment. “Two people who love each other should be able to disagree.”
The uncle retired last year after four decades at Central Connecticut State University
You seem to be forgetting that it is Marc Mevinsky’s wedding also. If he does not want his uncle Norton there creating family drama during his wedding reception, that is his prerogative. If Marc wanted him there and his parents or future in-laws overruled him, that would be wrong. However, it is not appropriate for an outsider to tell other people whom they should invite to their own wedding.
This is not the same thing as your aunt excluding you from your father’s 90th birthday celebration (your father’s wishes were not considered, and he was the guest of honor, not your aunt). I have a few relatives who were not invited to my wedding, because I could not trust them to behave decently toward the other guests during the reception.