Jeri Thompson calls on Wallace to apologize for Palin "lap" remarks; asks Fox to address
February 05, 2010 5:05 pm ET by Media Matters staff
From a February 5 post by the Politico's Ben Smith:
Thompson, the wife of the former senator and presidential candidate, told POLITICO's Jonathan Martin that the remark, to Fox Business's Don Imus, amounted to misogyny, and that she was tired of seeing it from "these dirty old men" on Fox, a network that she said ought to be respectful of conservative women.
"Sarah Palin is now part of the Fox family," Thompson said on the show. "She deserves you all watching her back -- and I do not mean it literally."
Wallace, she said, "owes her an apology."
"Not only is she a national figure - she deserves the respect that any other man would get in that situation," Thompson said, saying that her inbox was full of complaints from conservative women over the segment, and that the Palin group Team Sarah, as well as the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List, were dismayed by the segment.
"I hope that Fox does something about this, and they actually take this on, because it is not funny," Thompson said.
From the February 5 edition of Westwood One's The Fred Thompson Show:
J. THOMPSON: This is a good example of -- I'm sorry, we're going to have to say it. Old school, old men, mentality. And I can speak to that. So clever -
F. THOMPSON: Wait a minute --
J. THOMPSON: So cute, so contagious when it's such a, you know, such a guy talk thing. If Deirdre Imus was talked about that way, Don Imus would have, number one, either a nervous breakdown on his hands, or probably a divorce.
Not only was I insulted, you know, by the entire conversation here, I mean, I wonder how Chris Wallace, Mr. Newsman, feels about being chastised by Brian Kilmeade, the, you know, Fox & Friends sports guy down at the Super Bowl with a bunch of girls running around in, you know, spangles and he's the one being lectured for his not only inappropriate sort of jocularity, but then instead of actually taking ownership of it, he makes the classic mistake of going ahead and attacking [Fox & Friends co-host] Gretchen [Carlson] for saying that it's, you know, that it's irresponsi -- 'what would you do?' Well, Chris Wallace, I can think of several things that I would have done, and it would not have been any of the things that you've said.
Not only is she a national figure, she deserves the respect that any other man would get in this situation. In addition to that, Chris, I might point this out. If I were Sarah, I would not give you that interview. And I would say this to you, sir. Sarah Palin is now part of the Fox family. She deserves you all watching her back, and I do not mean it literally. I think he owes her an apology, and I hope Fox, actually takes him -- you know, we went after [Sen.] Arlen Specter [D-PA] for his lady comment to [Rep.] Michele Bachmann [R-MN]. I really think that Fox -- I want better from Fox. I want, we deserve better from them if we're going to give them the attention and the audience that we give them. And I want them to do something about it.
I'm not the only one. Team Sarah and the Susan B. Anthony List, I know they're upset about it. We -- this stuff, it's so cute. It's so fun. 'Ah-ha.' 'No, it's not really women-hating, it's not really misogynistic, it's just kind of silly.' It's this sort of insipid behavior that keeps someone like Sarah Palin from actually being vice president or president. It keeps Hillary Clinton from actually -- for the success and the good things that she's done, whether you agree with her or not, it keeps her from being in a different place. It is not a glass ceiling here. It is this sort of stuff that we just cannot tolerate, and I -- I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. My email box was full this morning from people that saw that. They said, 'you know, Chris Wallace, you put yourself out there to be a journalist.' You need to do something about this. And I hope that Fox does something about this and that they actually take this on because this is not funny.
Previously:
Wallace on whether Palin will be "sitting on [his] lap" during interview: "one can only hope"
Jeri Thompson on Wallace's Palin "lap" remarks: "are you a journalist or not?"
A person, dude or dudine, can vote how they please. The consequences of that vote, and who gets in, is the rub.
"Said Chris Wallace's Credibility to the Thief"
"There's too much Confusion"
"Can't get no Fox News relief"
"Beck & O'Reilly they drink my Wine"
Fox & Friends pollute my Earth"
"Murdoch won't ley it on the line"
"Nobody of it is worth, Hey"
All of her winking, and nodding, and come hither stares at the camera, so does try to sell herself that way.
Imagine where we would be. I could not have listened to either one's speeches.
Second, and I know it's terrible to say this, but Chris Wallace does not come across as an awful sexist, he comes across as a hopeless dweeb who's got an uncontrollable crush on Palin.
Women, in spite of your misogynist conditioning, are not responsible for what men do.
In case you didn't notice, that Stupak fella is a Dem.
Tell me again about women voting against their interests.
the pity of it all is that palin would gladly do it for 20 bucks. wink.