Spring Break
Column: Sexism no longer a dirty word in the Republican party thanks to Palin
Bridgette Blight
Issue date: 9/23/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
09/23/08 - This just in: the biased news media is sexist! I sure am glad that I have advisers from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign to let me know.
Apparently, as a female, I should be offended that Barack Obama supposedly called Gov. Sarah Palin a pig. But, when Sen. Hillary Clinton was running for president and McCain used the same "lipstick on a pig" turn of phrase to allude to her campaign, it was O.K.
The media focus should be on the issues that will actually affect Americans. Palin agrees with this, and went so far as to criticize the Clinton campaign's claims of sexism.
"When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate … I think, 'Man, that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, or women in general, trying to progress this country,'" Palin said to Newsweek in March.
But McCain campaign policy adviser, Nancy Pfotenhauer, wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 3 that criticized Obama's treatment of Palin as sexist. I'm not here to debate whether this is true or not. I'm just wondering where this sudden outrage is coming from.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a great segment on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" that discussed this very issue.
There was a clip from Nov. 5, 2007. At that time, Dick Morris, a commentator for Fox News, was discussing Clinton's complaints of sexism on the campaign trail.
"When a woman wants to be president, she shouldn't complain based on gender," Morris said.
However, once Palin was announced as McCain's running mate, Morris, like many conservative commentators, changed his tune.
"A man would never have had to go through this," he said on Sept. 3. "It's a deep sexism."
So what happened in less than a year to cause this complete reversal of opinion on sexism in the media? The woman being attacked was a Republican.
This hypocrisy is not only ridiculous, it takes away from the actual issues. It is "controversies" like this that make T.V. news look so bad. Instead of focusing on the issues, the 24-hour cable news networks want to shock you so you'll keep watching and their ratings will go up. It makes journalism look bad.
Apparently, as a female, I should be offended that Barack Obama supposedly called Gov. Sarah Palin a pig. But, when Sen. Hillary Clinton was running for president and McCain used the same "lipstick on a pig" turn of phrase to allude to her campaign, it was O.K.
The media focus should be on the issues that will actually affect Americans. Palin agrees with this, and went so far as to criticize the Clinton campaign's claims of sexism.
"When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate … I think, 'Man, that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, or women in general, trying to progress this country,'" Palin said to Newsweek in March.
But McCain campaign policy adviser, Nancy Pfotenhauer, wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 3 that criticized Obama's treatment of Palin as sexist. I'm not here to debate whether this is true or not. I'm just wondering where this sudden outrage is coming from.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a great segment on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" that discussed this very issue.
There was a clip from Nov. 5, 2007. At that time, Dick Morris, a commentator for Fox News, was discussing Clinton's complaints of sexism on the campaign trail.
"When a woman wants to be president, she shouldn't complain based on gender," Morris said.
However, once Palin was announced as McCain's running mate, Morris, like many conservative commentators, changed his tune.
"A man would never have had to go through this," he said on Sept. 3. "It's a deep sexism."
So what happened in less than a year to cause this complete reversal of opinion on sexism in the media? The woman being attacked was a Republican.
This hypocrisy is not only ridiculous, it takes away from the actual issues. It is "controversies" like this that make T.V. news look so bad. Instead of focusing on the issues, the 24-hour cable news networks want to shock you so you'll keep watching and their ratings will go up. It makes journalism look bad.
