Meredith's Husband is at Harvard

[MissBitters]

It looks like Stephen is out of the Army and at Harvard. I wonder how he's able to support their family as a student. He probably receives a living stipend from the GI Bill, but surely that can't be enough to support a wife and three young kids with the possibility of more children before he graduates. I wish Meredith kept to her blog open. I really want to see her take on living in the Boston area!

[DomWackTroll]

I just can't stand this guy. Neo-con. Supporter of the military-industrial complex. War-loving xenophobe. And worst of all-- smart. Someone who can do a great deal of damage. 

And for the umpteenth time I will ask: What on earth do these two have to talk about at the end of the day? Seriously, a guy who gave a commencement speech at Princeton in Latin and a barely-educated, baby-mad SAHD? The imbalance of power and intellect here tells me all I need to know about Mr. Hammer. 

Oh, and as a very shallow aside: Any "hotness" he may have had at one time is GONE. 

[hoipolloi]

Stephen wins the conniving creep prize, in my book. He's also a weasel boy, considering the bolded portion of this statement, which had to have come from him: "During his time at Oxford, he met and married his wife; today, they have three young children."

No, Harvard, Stephen did NOT meet his wife at Oxford, which is the implication here. He found his wife after trolling the internet for a naive SAHD he could marry so as to shore up his fundie cred. 

 

[sawasdee]

I don't know these fundies - can someone steer me in the right direction to learn more? He sounds frighteningly effective for a fundie!

[nausicaa]

I just can't stand this guy. Neo-con. Supporter of the military-industrial complex. War-loving xenophobe. And worst of all-- smart. Someone who can do a great deal of damage. 

And for the umpteenth time I will ask: What on earth do these two have to talk about at the end of the day? Seriously, a guy who gave a commencement speech at Princeton in Latin and a barely-educated, baby-mad SAHD? The imbalance of power and intellect here tells me all I need to know about Mr. Hammer. 

Oh, and as a very shallow aside: Any "hotness" he may have had at one time is GONE. 

You took the words out of my mouth. He scares me so much because of his intellect. 

In terms of what they talk about, I bet they don't. You're applying modern ideas of equal marriages to a relationship that is more akin to those of the 18th and 19th centuries, when women were viewed as larger children. Marriage was a social and business arrangement. Stephen and Meredith as a couple are a procreative unit, living ends of a religious covenant, and contractual partners in property ownership and inheritance. But they are not friends or confidantes. He sticks to his man stuff and she to her lady stuff. Besides, you can't fill up a girl's head with all that Latin and number talk. 

Seriously, my mom and dad were married in the 70s, and their (failed) marriage was very much like this, as are those of his brothers. He was looking for a woman who was attractive, white, Catholic, fertile, and not certifiably insane. I don't think he ever thought about conversation. (For the record, my mom isn't stupid, but there is a massive education imbalance and completely different interests that created a huge distance between the two of them. When I was growing up, my father never talked with my mother about politics, business, or anything theoretical. I don't think it even occurred to him. That's just not the role of a wife. And the dude isn't even religious, or all that conservative. It's just the accepted thinking of an earlier time.) 

[punkiepie]

The stipend you get from the GI Bill is actually pretty considerable- but, it does vary by where you're school is located and the cost of living.  I have a friend going to school in DC on the Bill and his monthly stipend is a little over $4,500 per month.  Not sure what it would be for Stephan- there is an online calculator, but it determines the amount by asking questions that I have no idea about for him.  I'm sure he has Meredith and the kids on a strict budget and schedule, not to mention, we all know that Meredith is very thrifty.

I actually think Meredith is pretty smart- if she had gotten a proper education and something more of her besides birthing babies was expected- I think she could have been very successful. She made her family a lot of money back in the day, worked hard, and was fairly articulate in her writing for having attended SOTDRT.  

My problem with them is that Stephen is a Svengali. We talk a lot on FJ about the subjugation of these Fundie wives by their headship.  But I can think of very few couples- PP and Zsu, the MaxHells and a few more come to mind- where the husband truly rules the roost at the expense of his wife.  And with most of these fundie couples, the husband and wife have similar backgrounds and education.  I have no doubt in my mind that Stephen is a domineering and controlling husband.  Instead of encouraging his wife to persue an education- like he has done for himself- he purposely went about choosing someone who he could control and mold into fitting his idea of a perfect little wife. Where the others mostly use misguided religious beliefs to dictate their lives, Stephen did the opposite; he decided the life he wanted and then found a small group of Christian believers raising SAHD would best fit what he was looking for.  And he was "converted."

 

[JillyO]

I had a friend in college who was studying on a GI Bill stipend. Being in San Diego, I payed $700 plus utilities for a tiny, tiny room in a house with five other people. My friend had a two-bedroom in a gated community. If his appartment wasn't at least $2500 a month, I'll eat my shoe. Realistically speaking, it was probably much more than that. Well, let me tell you that he had more than enough money left after paying for housing. My point being that I have no trouble believing Stephen can fairly easily support his wife and children on the stipend if they don't live too lavishly.

[Hisey]

Yes, and remember how Meredith bragged that one of the things that Stephen liked was the fact that she *wasn't* going to college.

How does that work? "Oh, wow, look, this girl is pretty and she won't be college-educated! Perfect!"

Nothing wrong with skipping college, but the fact that he was seeking someone who didn't value education strikes me as a little odd.

Meredith herself seems impossibly smug. She recently posted a picture of her three pretty little children with the word "LIFE" superimposed across it. Yes, Meredith, all fetuses have fathers who attended Princeton and are Rhodes Scholars, and who are married to their mothers, and who can be properly cared for. Yes, your case is very typical.

[VodouDoll]

Stephen definitely made it sound like he met Meredith AT Oxford. Hm.

[Hane]

To me, the scary thing is that Stephen was brought up UU, one of the most liberal denominations in this country. The way he's been mapping out his life is calculated and insidious: Prestigious education--check. Conversion to conservative Presbyterianism--check. Hand-picking an under-educated fundie wife because she'd be as "above reproach" as Caesar's Calpurnia--check. Military career--check.  Neocon Republican golden boy in the  works. It's something out of Heff Sharlett's "The Family," about the influential C-Street house.

[sawasdee]

As i said above, I don't know this family - and no one has given a surname so can't google! But this seriously sounds like someone who began planning a political career at about the age of 16.......and is very carefully getting all his ducks in a row.

[hoipolloi]

I don't know these fundies - can someone steer me in the right direction to learn more? He sounds frighteningly effective for a fundie!

Stephen and Meredith Hammer. Lots of older FJ threads & related materials are here: http://www.freejinger.org/forum/253-meredith-amp-stephen-hammer-amp-the-alexanders/

[chaotic life]

Stephen creeps me out. Frankly, I want to know what he's hiding. His entire life from his faith conversion to his wife to his career choices, they are all meticulous plotting for politics. He has to be a lawyer and start getting in front of audiences. He wants to be in political office before he is 40 and I would be shocked if he doesn't have his sights set on 1600 Pennsylvania as his ultimate goal.

[hoipolloi]

To me, the scary thing is that Stephen was brought up UU, one of the most liberal denominations in this country. The way he's been mapping out his life is calculated and insidious: Prestigious education--check. Conversion to conservative Presbyterianism--check. Hand-picking an under-educated fundie wife because she'd be as "above reproach" as Caesar's Calpurnia--check. Military career--check.  Neocon Republican golden boy in the  works. It's something out of Heff Sharlett's "The Family," about the influential C-Street house.

And according to someone who claimed to have known him well in high school, (http://www.freejinger.org/topic/2625-meredith-had-her-baby/?do=findComment&comment=66874), he was NOT a virgin when he got married:

 

Damnit, I'm just going to go for it and deal with the consequences if and when they come. This is way too entertaining.

 

No, Steve was not a virgin when he got married. This is absolute fact. He even lived with a girlfriend for a summer while they were both doing internships in DC.

 

One time he made fun of a girl for believing in Saints while in chemistry class and made her cry. He later apologized and I don't think he actually had any ill will, but that's just the kind of guy he was. Always one with a quick, pointed, and most likely judgmental comment

 

He did drink a few times I believe, but not often at all. One time he said his blood was "too pure" for alcohol. I really don't know if this was a joke or not. Definitely an elitist.

ETA: according to Meredith, the Harvard article left out the best paragraph: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207835597757097&set=a.2239163507811.2131556.1509721634&type=3&permPage=1

[Rosie]

Stephen wins the conniving creep prize, in my book. He's also a weasel boy, considering the bolded portion of this statement, which had to have come from him: "During his time at Oxford, he met and married his wife; today, they have three young children."

No, Harvard, Stephen did NOT meet his wife at Oxford, which is the implication here. He found his wife after trolling the internet for a naive SAHD he could marry so as to shore up his fundie cred. 

 

That's what struck me most.  Lies, lies, lies.

[campused]

WHAT are those children wearing in her facebook profile picture?! Some sort of pink cleric robe with green embroidered whales?!

 

ETA: these are the WASP-iest looking fundies I've ever seen.

[atheistjd]

I find it interesting that his fellow interviewees were a woman and a Mormon - he must love that.

I really wonder what his HLS classmates who google his name must think if/when they come across the FJ pages on his courtship story with Meredith...

[Sydney Fox]

I find his ambitions frightening. He certainly seems to have his future planned out and I'm sure that includes the White House. Meredith must feel the pressure to appear perfect at all times. He's not the typical uneducated right wing buffoon with political aspirations; he has real educational and career cred, which will make him an even more dangerous opponent to liberal America.

[MissBitters]

He is totally going into politics, and Meredith is grooming herself to be the perfect politician's wife beside him. She is probably going more for an Ann Romney or Laura Bush type instead of Michelle Obama or Hillary Clinton. I've said before that their situation reminds me a lot of Betty and Dan Broderick where she is supporting his career aspirations while playing the perfect wife and mother with the promise of being rich and successful after he finishes his education. I definitely do not think it will be a tragic ending, but there is the same unequal power in the relationship that is troubling. Stephen just seems so calculating.

[Rosie]

I find it interesting that his fellow interviewees were a woman and a Mormon - he must love that.

I really wonder what his HLS classmates who google his name must think if/when they come across the FJ pages on his courtship story with Meredith...

I think we should ensure that we mention Stephen Hammer's name in connection with that story as much as possible.

[hoipolloi]

I think we should ensure that we mention Stephen Hammer's name in connection with that story as much as possible.

Yes, this is why it's important to put older info & links into these threads. The creeptastic courtship of Stephen and Meredith Hammer should NOT sink into oblivion. 

ETA: Here's a link to their courtship story that Meredith contributed to Shining Stars - http://shiningstarsmagazine.com/?s=Meredith

[Palimpsest]

As i said above, I don't know this family - and no one has given a surname so can't google! But this seriously sounds like someone who began planning a political career at about the age of 16.......and is very carefully getting all his ducks in a row.

My very tongue in cheek synopsis of the great romance from SOTDRT. http://www.freejinger.org/topic/13695-the-alexandersmeredith-steven-hammer/

Yes, Steven J. definitely has political aspirations.  He scares me deeply.

Hasn't he been at Harvard Law for over a year now?  I wonder where he's parked the family for the duration.  I can't see Meredith fitting in with other grad students and their wives.  It can be brutal.

[nausicaa]

Yes, and remember how Meredith bragged that one of the things that Stephen liked was the fact that she *wasn't* going to college.

How does that work? "Oh, wow, look, this girl is pretty and she won't be college-educated! Perfect!"

It's so infuriating. 

And frankly, short sighted. Nowadays prominent Republican male politicians have wives who are educated, sometimes more educated than they are. Even Jeri Thompson, Fred Thompson's wife and someone who is commonly labeled as a trophy wife, has a college degree and had a considerable career in politics before meeting her husband. Ann Romney went to an elite private high school and got a degree in French (including studying abroad in Paris). Laura Bush has a master's degree from UT at Austin and worked as a librarian. 

Meredith, who I think is nice enough on top of being a really hard worker, will most likely feel and be out of place at political schmoozy events. And trust me, people will ask where she went to school. I live just outside DC and people can be education snobs. People look at me as if I'm functionally illiterate when I tell them I don't have a master's degree, just a B.A. And if Stephen likes to keep his little miss out of his affairs, she will also most likely put her foot in her mouth in conversations. Political wives function as campaign ambassadors. 

If Stephen has his sights set on a prominent position, this freaky courting story will come out, and it will totally turn off centrist voters and a lot of conservatives as well. The internet is forever. He definitely ain't from around these parts. 

 

[hoipolloi]

My very tongue in cheek synopsis of the great romance from SOTDRT. http://www.freejinger.org/topic/13695-the-alexandersmeredith-steven-hammer/

Yes, Steven J. definitely has political aspirations.  He scares me deeply.

Hasn't he been at Harvard Law for over a year now?  I wonder where he's parked the family for the duration.  I can't see Meredith fitting in with other grad students and their wives.  It can be brutal.

He started this fall.

Thank you, BTW, for linking to your excellent synopsis! 

[MissBitters]

 

And according to someone who claimed to have known him well in high school, (http://www.freejinger.org/topic/2625-meredith-had-her-baby/?do=findComment&comment=66874), he was NOT a virgin when he got married:

 

ETA: according to Meredith, the Harvard article left out the best paragraph: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207835597757097&set=a.2239163507811.2131556.1509721634&type=3&permPage=1

Meredith came off as incredibly smug in her comments about the article. She obviously thought Harvard was too scared of the evil liberals to print saintly Stephen's thoughts on Jesus.