John Berman has been at ABC since 1995, and allowed to appear on television since 2001. He covered the 2008 campaign extensively, following John McCain and Mitt Romney during the primaries and then Barack Obama in the general election. He also spent more than 20 months chasing George W. Bush around the country as a producer from 1999 until 2001, earning the clever nickname, "Pain in the Ass," from our 43rd president. He is a frequent and sometimes welcome contributor to all of ABC's broadcasts.
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Jane Swift: “Nobody Asks Those Questions of the Guys”
September 03, 2008 4:36 PM
Rick Klein, from ABC News’ The Note, Reports: Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, earlier this year became the second sitting governor in US history to have given birth while in office.
Former Gov. Jane Swift, R-Mass., was the first. In 2001, after ascending from the office of lieutenant governor when Paul Cellucci became ambassador to Canada, Swift gave birth to twin girls, her second and third daughters.
(As a reporter for The Boston Globe, I was at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston waiting for those bundles of history to be delivered.)
I caught up with Swift in St. Paul this afternoon, thinking she might have some interesting insights on what Palin is going through these days.
She said she definitely detects “sexism” in the media’s coverage of her candidacy -- particularly when commentators have wondered aloud about how she’s able to balance her parenting duties with governing.
“Nobody asks those questions of guys,” said Swift, who left office in January 2003, after Mitt Romney elbowed her out of the 2002 GOP primary and won the governor’s office. “The ‘good mom, bad mom’ stuff is ridiculous, and there’s no place for it.”
“I think there have been some aspects of the coverage where she’s been held to a different standard,” she added. “People have used tired old gender stereotypes to describe her, and where that happens, women who see that I think have an obligation to stand up and call folks on it, and hopefully that creates a better atmosphere for my daughters.”
Swift, whose oldest daughter is now 9, and whose twin girls are 7, said she and her daughters were rooting for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to win the primaries -- even though she endorsed McCain early in the primaries.
“My daughters are old enough now, they actually have been following the campaign, and we rooted for Hillary Clinton to do well -- absolutely,” Swift said. “We don’t want her to win,” she added with a laugh.
“But that was great for my girls, to see someone of Sen. Clinton’s accomplishments and strength out there every single day. It’s a great role model for my girls -- role models are important.”
As for what Palin is facing now, Swift said she has sympathy for the way her life has been turned upside down in the space of the past week.
“The level of scrutiny and the reality that your entire life becomes an open book,” she said. “There’s no doubt that there were times when the focus on my private life prevented me from talking about the important issues I was working, and that was frustrating.”
She said she made plans to come to the convention without plans to play an active role -- but felt compelled to join other prominent Republican women in speaking up, with her girls in mind.
“There haven’t been enough of us where we could get a good research group,” Swift said. “These are things that, hopefully -- when we don’t continually have firsts -- we’ll start to be able to change and address.”
Sam Donaldson and I will be chatting with Swift during out ABC NewsNOW coverage from the convention tonight, starting at 7 pm ET. Check out abcnews.com/politics for the link to live, gavel-to-gavel coverage.
September 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (26)
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I am a woman in a high pressure job. I have a daughter. I was asked those questions. They are absolutely right to ask those questions. In 95% of the families where there is a mother and father living together the majority of the child responsibility is with the mother. That is a fact. If the VP candidate were a single father or divorced father with custody then those same questions should and would be asked. There is nothing sexist about the questions. It's called reality.
Posted by: Marika | Sep 3, 2008 5:01:50 PM
as someone who has met jane swift
she is a self serving moron...who ki$$ed a$$ to Romney of all people
lol
she's a joke...as she uses her helicopter...uhm I mean the state of massachusetts helicopter to fly back and forth from her home to the State House...
self serving moron.
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:02:25 PM
Life is tough. Obama's bloggers are mean and cruel. That sums up the Obama presidenc1ial campaign and his followers adherence to their master's sexist attitude.
Posted by: Aston | Sep 3, 2008 5:03:41 PM
It is a perfectly legitimate question to ask if Palin will pleade to not get pregnant if elected. Someone please ask her!
6 weeks of maternity leave is OK for most jobs, but not president. 3 months bed rest in the third trimester because you are over 40 is OK for most jobs, but not president.
And if so, what means does she intend to use?
Posted by: GreggW | Sep 3, 2008 5:03:59 PM
swift thought the critique of her helicopter use was "sexist"
women who claim sexism when it isn't...hurt the woemn and the cause that actually have to do with sexism.
and should be ashamed.
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:04:09 PM
GreggW - you are pathetic!
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:07:10 PM
she can be the governor of alaska forever.... its a small state with small issues. congrats to her
but the vice presidency and possibly the presidency
come on people. get a grip.
talk to "focus on the family" and see what they have to say.
Posted by: Omentum | Sep 3, 2008 5:10:55 PM
It doesn't help McCain that his own people are talking about paternity tests for the LuvGuv's last baby.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/212778.php
What a trainwreck!
Posted by: LuvGuv | Sep 3, 2008 5:11:48 PM
i think this is wrongly being called sexism...
i would ask male or female who is staying home with the kids...
and i woudl especially ask someone who has a special needs child how they plan to balance all the extra attention that child needs to have...
she had the child, now you cant just forget about it...
male or female these questions should be asked...
obama whos going to raise yoru daughters
"my wife"
mccain (if you were young enough to have little ones) whos going to raise your children? "my wife cindy"
i mean... cmon same with biden were he young enough to have little ones himself
why cant these questions be asked..
the republicans fight for so called family values and when we ask about these values they cry foul!
its just pathetic... smear and attack others but cry when it happens to you.
if obama had picked palin the repubs would be all over this siting family values and this and that the childs not going to get enough attention
Posted by: Bhrandon | Sep 3, 2008 5:14:19 PM
Swift used the helicopter to return home when her daughter was ill; not as a routine ride home.
Her routine ride home was in a car driven by a State Trooper; she continued to work during the ride whether it was by phone or responding to memos. Contrast that to Palin driving and being on a cell phone at the same time...
Posted by: kyber04 | Sep 3, 2008 5:15:50 PM
GreggW - you are pathetic!
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:07:10 PM
I'm asking a fair question, "Mrs. Palin, will you pleadge to not get pregnant if elected."
Posted by: GreggW | Sep 3, 2008 5:17:09 PM
if i raise questions about obama, does that make me racist?
Posted by: pat | Sep 3, 2008 5:17:26 PM
Bhrandon
you are absolutely right
The repubs would notice it if they weren't so dizzy from trying to spin everything.
from the party of lincoln
to the party of bush
what a sad state
Posted by: Omentum | Sep 3, 2008 5:18:52 PM
if i raise questions about obama, does that make me racist?
Posted by: pat | Sep 3, 2008 5:17:26 PM
That depends on the questions doesn't it? Like maybe, "Does he like fried chicken?"
Posted by: GreggW | Sep 3, 2008 5:22:54 PM
GreggW
And I repeat, if that's really important to you, then you are truly pathetic!
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:22:57 PM
raise some questions pat....
Posted by: Omentum | Sep 3, 2008 5:23:23 PM
GreggW - you are pathetic!
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:07:10 PM
I just realized why you don't want the question asked. Becuase the answer mingt be, "That's up to God's will."
No it's not!
Posted by: GreggW | Sep 3, 2008 5:24:51 PM
Actually, if Todd Palin was the Alaska Governor, not Sara, I would still wonder if a young father with 5 kids-and 2 "in distress"-should put aside his political ambitions and take care of his family.
Finally, I noticed the new baby got passed down to the second daughter-not the Gov.-to hold for the McCain airport greeting. Surprisingly bad image control for Republicans.
Posted by: B. Wood | Sep 3, 2008 5:28:31 PM
GreggW
You're pathetic and full of it. Now you think you can divine my intentions and beliefs.
Still, I have respect for most people on the other side of the pond. I find the others rather open minded.
Posted by: Aston | Sep 3, 2008 5:28:47 PM
i mean honestly greggw... if i try to find out about a candidate's past who the public barely knows.. and it happens to be a woman, they're saying it's SEXIST. how dare we ask such questions of the potential heartbeat away from the presidency.
therefore, according to the Republican way of thinking, if i try to find out more about a candidate who happens to be black, then i must be RACIST.
the obama camp obviously doesn't have sink this low.
Posted by: pat | Sep 3, 2008 5:28:53 PM
And I repeat, if that's really important to you, then you are truly pathetic!
Posted by: dl | Sep 3, 2008 5:22:57 PM
It is fair before hiring someone to wait for John S. McCain III to die to ask if they are going to do the job.
Posted by: GreggW | Sep 3, 2008 5:29:04 PM
B. Wood
Now that's a desperate smear indeed!
Posted by: Aston | Sep 3, 2008 5:29:57 PM
We ask these questions of people who have NEVER RECEIVED SINGLE PRIMARY VOTE!
And we'd should.
Posted by: andyd | Sep 3, 2008 5:30:14 PM
How sick is it that the mainstream media have told us more about Bristol Palin's out-of-wedlock baby in the past 5 days than they have told us about John Edwards' out-of-wedlock baby for more than a year!
Posted by: Elizabeth Springer | Sep 3, 2008 5:35:27 PM
How sick is it that the mainstream media have told us more about Bristol Palin's out-of-wedlock baby in the past 5 days than they have told us about John Edwards' out-of-wedlock baby for more than a year!
Posted by: Elizabeth Springer | Sep 3, 2008 5:35:27 PM
John Edwards is not running for office. That was 2004. When you are ready to live in the present, give us a call!
Posted by: GreggW | Sep 3, 2008 5:38:46 PM
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