Opinion, Submitted Opinion - by Keith Olsen on Monday, September 15, 2008 0:00 - 7 Comments
Hey MSM, Stop With the Sexist Palin Coverage
The Following Editorial was submitted to the NYU Local opinion section. Anyone with an nyu email address and a full name can post to this section.
Since Sarah Palin was nominated as Vice President on the Republican ticket weeks ago, she’s been subjected to a barrage of misogynistic media criticism. But does any of this anti-woman talk sound familiar? Why of course! Just when I thought we left the days of Hillary’s pearls, cleavage and cackle in the dust, the media got me again.
Obviously, we all know that John McCain chose Sarah Palin for political reasons. She’s the most popular governor in the country, with an 80 percent approval rating. And yes, she is a woman.
With so many Hillary voters left behind after Barack Obama inexplicably chose the long-winded plagiarist Joe Biden over a successful, experienced, strong woman who received more popular votes than Obama himself, John McCain chose Palin to try to snatch up some of those voters. Obama did the same when he picked Biden. He was looking to shore up his national security shortcomings and grab the blue-collar, Catholic voters who supported Hillary … the same voters he denounced just months ago as those who “cling to their guns and religion.”’
Immediately, the media tore into Palin for having no relevant experience and being unqualified to be Vice President, let alone President. Where has the media been the last 19 months, in questioning Barack Obama’s qualifications for President, though? All during the primary season, Obama’s Democratic opponents, including his own running mate, Biden, said unanimously: Obama isn’t ready to be President.
In perhaps the greatest line of the primary season, Hillary noted Obama’s inexperience: “Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the White House. I will bring a lifetime of experience. And Senator Obama will bring a speech he gave in 2002.” Ouch.
How exactly is Obama more qualified than Palin, who has been in elected office years longer than he has? Well, according to Obama, he has more executive experience … even though he’s never been a mayor or governor and she’s been both. And that executive experience, according to him, is that he runs a campaign of 2,500 and oversees a multi-million dollar budget.
He’s qualified to be President…because he’s running for President! Talk about audacity. Thanks to Obama, I now know that there’s one career I don’t have to check off my list of possibilities after I graduate and have no clue what I’m doing with myself: President. All I need is some cash and a few staffers and I too could be the next President of the United States.
Instead of focusing on her 17 year old pregnant daughter or her husband’s DUI twenty years ago, the media should be focusing on Palin’s record. Palin has taken a strong position on abortion and drafted key legislation for her state, unlike a special someone who voted “present” over 130 times as a state senator and has written two memoirs, yet not a single piece of important legislation.
I beg of the MSM: please, just please, try to feign the smallest bit of integrity when covering the rest of this election. We’ve moved on to old sports reels and baby daddies. Let’s talk about the real issues here; we have a country to get on track after 8 years of misguided leadership and failed policies.
Photo by Flickr user NewsHour used under a Creative Commons license.
This post was submitted by Keith Olsen.
7 Comments
And by “people” I mean journalists, not you.
Marcus Ellison
I don’t think Hillary wanted her gender to be the reason she was elected. She ran as a qualified candidate. I don’t see the same similarity with Palin. i.e. Palin uses her gender as a manipulation tool. Palin doesn’t have a clear understanding of the bush doctrine, has no foreign policy experience, and has lied about earmarks. For a reputable source check out this article in the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122143893857134389.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news
Does honesty and transparency matter in a political office?
It seems her major attraction to voters is ephemeral at best. I’m looking for substance, and would love to see it somewhere. I just can’t see how she is any different from the average small town politician. Trooper-gate anyone?
@Jessica Roy: On SNL “Hillary Clinton” said, about sexism, “this is an issue I am, frankly, surprised that people care about all of a sudden!”
True that, Hills, true that.
Chris Kennedy
Republican propaganda is characterized by smart people lying so well that uninformed or ignorant people can’t tell the difference. You’re falling for it.
There are much better ways to criticize Obama than just summarizing meaningless Republican talking-points from the last few months.
From the article you linked on Obama’s “denunciation” of blue-collar people:
“Obama made a problematic judgment call in trying to explain working class culture to a much wealthier audience.”
He goes on, but the article is correctly describing how Obama’s “guns and religion” quote is just misinterpreted by those who don’t understand it.
You should read the article before you link it.
Chris - I inserted that link because I felt like the quote needed attribution. That was my citation, not Keith’s.
Chris Maggio
For the record, calling Hilary a “strong woman” is sexist. And LOL @ Palin having “taken a strong position on abortion”. Let’s put that in the No Spin Zone for a second so everyone knows that she is against abortion in cases of rape, and is only for it if the mother’s life is at risk. Isn’t that nice of her! And I haven’t checked the election rules too thoroughly but I’m pretty sure that if McCain gets elected HILARY WILL NOT BE VICE PRESIDENT. Sarah Palin will, and the media criticizes her because she’s a fucking idiot, not because she is a woman. Your bitterness stemming from Hilary’s loss will be nothing compared to mine if people vote this simpleton into office.
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It’s funny to me that people are pretending to care about sexism in the media now. Where were these outraged folks when Hillary was running? Probably calling her “manly.”