« Previous | Main | Next »

Sexism, Sexism, Sexism

Share

September 03, 2008 5:30 PM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports from St. Paul, Minn.: Six Republican women, including the former governor of Massachusetts and Sen. John McCain's top adviser accused Democrats and supporters of Sen. Barack Obama of what they called demeaning, sexist smears against the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

In arguing that Palin should be judged on the merits of her executive experience (she's not currently, they said), the women, in a press conference at the Republican convention, used the word "sexism" or "sexist" no fewer than 12 times, and invoked what they called the sexism suffered by Sen. Hillary Clinton and several others.

McCain top adviser and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said she has talked to Democrats about how "disappointed they were in their own party for not standing up to the sexist smears suffered by Hillary Clinton" during the Democratic primary race.

Fiorina complained that Democrats are trying to write Palin off as a "showhorse, not a workhorse."

"Liberal Web sites are accusing Palin with faking a pregnancy ... being a nazi sympathizer ... associating with fringe groups ... and supermarket tabloids shout about babies, lies and scandal."

Asked later why it was sexist to question her political affiliations, Fiorina said those things in themselves aren't all sexist, but she wants to have a debate on Palin’s track record. In the meantime, she said the word "sexist" again.

Asked if she would have hired Palin to succeed her as CEO of HP, Fiorina said the point is that Palin's executive experience trumps Obama's. "The size of the company, just like the size of the state, is less important than ... Sarah Palin has made executive decisions. Barrack Obama has not."

Former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift said the women were not asking for Palin to get votes just because she is a woman.

"I don't think anybody is saying you should vote for her because of this," Swift said, adding, "but the good people of America won’t stand for the sexism that is being applied to Gov. Palin."

Swift invoked the failed vice presidential bid of Geraldine Ferarro in 1984, saying, with a little help from a staffer on the math, that it has been "24 years since we’ve had a woman run ... and if more women had stood up 24 years ago ... there might have been more women running in the interim."

She noted, in Palin's speech before the Republican National Convention tonight, Americans will see a woman who is "just doing her job."

Fiorina was pushed on the Clinton question later, after again accusing Democrats of being sexist toward the New York senator. A reporter asked if Clinton had ever suffered sexism from Republicans.

"No, I think the Republican Party took her on her stand on issues," Fiorina said. "Took her on hard on her stand on issues. I have differences with her stands, but I have great respect for Hillary Clinton. All women owe a debt of gratitude to Hillary Clinton."

Swift said she was speaking as a working mother "who sent her daughters off to the Massachusetts public schools for the first day this morning."

Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn said there is a special expertise that working mothers gain in their experience as a "PTA chair or a girl scout cookie mom."

Blackburn said it is unfair "the way the media continues to attack conservative women to demean their record."

September 3, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (160)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

if it wasn't inevitable before, it is now: obama will lose in November, thanks to his horrendous judgment and hypocrisy and the ignorance, arrogance, naivete, sexism and racism of many of his supporters...."Change" is not about switching out one arrogant leader for another....

Posted by: chris | Sep 3, 2008 5:51:58 PM

I guess now they will have to include PEGGY NOOMAN to the list of those sexists.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Noonan_Murphy_trash_Palin_on_hot_mic_Its_over.html

Oh, I guess Mike Murphy, the former McCain adviser, as well.

Hypocrisy at it best.

Posted by: Lance D. | Sep 3, 2008 5:52:27 PM

mike M. - "since the Presidential campaign"......i guess that means obama is qualified then....

Posted by: chris | Sep 3, 2008 5:53:06 PM

lance....actually, hypocrisy at its best is barack obama....why is he the best? because he has the millions of you fools fooled....

Posted by: chris | Sep 3, 2008 5:54:14 PM

Luvguv....and you would agree then:

Why won't Obama release:

-- his real paper birth certificate? Sure he has a birth certificate? And not a copy, but the real one?
-- His Illinois state senate records?
-- His full medical records?
-- Why was access to the Annenberg Challenge records initally blocked?

What is he hiding? And aren't these MUCH more relevant to our country's safety than Palin's birthing records? Have you all gone insane?

Posted by: liberati | Sep 3, 2008 5:54:39 PM

Fiorina lies all the time about Obama and McCain's tax plan.

From the POW card to the sexist card. The McCain campaign issued a press release about Bristol being pregnant, which put it open to discussion. Bristol should not be discussed, but Gov Palin's non-support for birth control and for taking support for pregnant teenagers out of the Alaska budget is open to discussion.

One reason pro-choice people are discussing the issue is because the holier than anyone else attitude of many Republicans.

Unmarried teenagers has been a problem for centuries. To bury their head in the sand and say only teach abstinence does not help reduce abortions.

Discussions about whether a woman with children should be VP/President is somewhat sexists. Being a VP/President is not a part-time job. I do think Mr Palin should become a full time dad because one of the parents need to be there for the children. I stayed home with my children when they were young by living a very meager life style. I cannot imagine having someone else being the primary care taker for my children. The children might forget who their mother is.

Michelle Obama is on a leave of absence from her job.

Posted by: Julie | Sep 3, 2008 5:55:00 PM

Weeks ago, I thought this election would be generational.....I now know that it will be male/female, and 54% of female population might very well make this a McCAIN/PALIN WIN!!!!!
HILLARY SUPPORTER FOR John Sydney and Never Barack Hussein....Gov. Palin a great choice.

Posted by: Debra | Sep 3, 2008 5:55:55 PM

why did obama subject his daughters to the hateful rants of their pastor, even if they didn't occur everyday?

Posted by: chris | Sep 3, 2008 5:56:34 PM

Gimme a break. Anytime anyone asks anything about Palin that is not cleared by the Republican Party (Rove) will be labeled as sexist. And that "liberal" media is owned by people like Rupert Murdock, about a conservative a scoundrel as has ever lived.

Posted by: algwriter | Sep 3, 2008 5:57:22 PM

Mike M. -- you are grossly incorrect. Voting "present" is done, but it was unprecedented that Obama voted so many times, much more so than any of his other colleagues. He was criticized for it by his hometown newspaper, as well as his democratic opponents, including Clinton and Edwards in one debate. Obama had no reasonable defense for it whatsoever. It simply means that this is a man who refuses to commit and make a decision, in fear of offending one party or another.

Can you imagine Obama with his finger on the red button? Scary.

Posted by: decentAmerican | Sep 3, 2008 5:57:31 PM

if the mccain camp thinks democrates will vote for him with this bs----he has another thought coming----women that supported hillary --REALLY ARE NOT THAT DUMB AND STUPID---wonder if his buddy rove thought this one up.

Posted by: rodney | Sep 3, 2008 5:57:43 PM

is that the same michelle obama who essentially implied that Senator Clinton was unfit to be President because Bill had extra-marital sex?

Posted by: chris | Sep 3, 2008 5:57:44 PM

What about former McCain VP candidates Portman and Meg Whitman?

Today, they both said there has not been sexism in the media coverage.

Portman even praised Obama and Biden for saying children are off limits in politics.

Posted by: Dan | Sep 3, 2008 5:58:29 PM

For over a year there's been a steady stream of lies and distortions spread about both Obama and Clinton. Then the neo-cons screamed "why aren't questions being asked" now the media looks at an unqualified, extremist candidate and the neo-con's scream "sexism". Pack of hypocrites, one and all.

Posted by: JA | Sep 3, 2008 5:59:07 PM

Hockey moms,all of you pregnant at 16 or 17, kids on the internet meeting who knows what, pierced to the hilt! Think Palin with a disabled child and one pregnant is running to be VP with out taking care of her brood. Look at the pictures of Bristol with the balnket trying to conceal her stomach, she carried that baby all day, and 5 months pregant! SHAME ON PALIN! This will stop the talk that only minorities get knocked up without marrage, and with out a HS diploma. The Palins are white TRASH! This chicken came home BIG TIME! Center stage!

Posted by: lions2tigers | Sep 3, 2008 5:59:37 PM

JustMyObservation, are you not familiar with our three branches of government? No "experience" you listed for Obama counts as an EXECUTIVE BRANCH qualification. Let me repeat, since the Obamabots are especially slow today, Palin has more EXECUTIVE DECISION-MAKING experience at the bottom of the Republican ticket than Obama does at the top. Period. It's simply not debatable. Obama's educational "experience" does not trump Palin's. Many Washington politicians were educated at elite schools and look at the mess their "enlightened" educations have created for the rest of us. Obama is just more of the same. I know many brilliant business leaders who were educated at public universities and they can run circles around Obama. One of the wealthiest executives on the planet, Bill Gates, was a college dropout for crying out loud and look at the magnitude of his contributions to society.

Posted by: Jim in OH | Sep 3, 2008 5:59:50 PM

"Sexism sexism (Palin) sexism"

Ha ha ha!

As McCaint's Republi-con adviser, Phil Gram, might say, "McCaint campaign is a campaign of WHINERS!" lol

Bush IS National Disaster Personified.
Name ONE thing constructive the wild bush has created in 8 years of Presidency?

And McCaint is 90% National Disaster Bush!

Posted by: Patriot | Sep 3, 2008 6:00:25 PM

liberati
i have a question for you-------WHY ARE MCCAINS MILITARY RECORDS SEALED----DO YOU THINK MAYBE HE HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE------

Posted by: rodney | Sep 3, 2008 6:00:36 PM

Hillary has been given scrutinized for everything she has done by the right wing. Well, Sarah Palin, if you can't stand the heat, then GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN! This just goes to show once again that Palin is no Hillary Clinton.

Posted by: NoToGrandpaMunster | Sep 3, 2008 6:01:09 PM

obama was against off-shore drilling before he was for it; he was against NAFTA, then he was for it; he was committed to pull all troops out in 16 months before he uncommitted; he needed his church in illinois for his political career until 20 years later, when he needed to leave it for his political career; he was against FISA before he voted for it;......i guess obama has to be a great speaker.... you can't support him based on his positions on the issues because you're not sure what they might be tomorrow.....

Posted by: chris | Sep 3, 2008 6:01:37 PM

Post a comment