Media continue to promote sexist notion that Biden must soften behavior during debate with Palin
SUMMARY: Several media figures have echoed the sexist notion that Sen. Joe Biden will have to soften his tone and manner in a debate against Gov. Sarah Palin, in contrast with the tougher tone he could take if the Republican vice-presidential nominee were male.
Following Sen. John McCain's announcement of his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, Media Matters for America noted that on the August 29 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell and NBC News political director Chuck Todd suggested that Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden bears the burden of having to adjust his behavior in a vice-presidential debate so as not to appear to be a "bully" with Palin. Others in the media have since echoed this sexist notion that Biden will have to soften his tone and manner in a debate against Palin, in contrast with the tougher tone he could take if the Republican vice-presidential nominee were male.
For example:
- On the syndicated program The McLaughlin Group, conservative radio host and Fox News contributor Monica Crowley asserted that Palin has "got the sort of Hillary [Clinton] effect working in her favor, where Joe Biden cannot go in and bludgeon her to death because she is a woman. He's got to be very careful in how he handles her in a debate." Host John McLaughlin replied, "You mean his problems are greater than hers in a debate for those reasons alone -- that he's debating a woman?"
- An August 31 Chicago Sun-Times editorial asserted: "Until McCain chose Palin, Biden's debating skills ranked high as an asset. Now, he'll have to keep his cutting wit in check or he'll look more like a bully when he debates this suburban hockey mom with her own sharp elbows."
- In an August 31 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette column, columnist Jack Kelly asserted: "Mr. Obama picked Mr. Biden in part because of his reputed skill as a hatchet man. But if Mr. Biden comes on too hard in the vice presidential debate, he'll look like a bully. And Alaska is littered with the bodies of those who tried to bully Sarah Palin and failed."
- An August 30 editorial in The Buffalo News, asserted: "When the vice presidential candidates debate, Democrat Joe Biden will have to be careful not to come across as a bully. But he could well find a way to say to Sarah Palin, 'Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton.' "
- On the August 29 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, CBS News political analyst and former Bush adviser Dan Bartlett said "Joe Biden's going to have to be very -- I wouldn't use the word delicate, but he's going to have to have a strategy as well to deal with somebody who is new to the scene like this. He can't be seen as a bully himself."
Media Matters has noted that during MSNBC's April 26, 2007, coverage of the first Democratic primary debate, host Chris Matthews asserted that "[y]ou can't be aggressive against a woman candidate on stage, or you're in big trouble," and wondered how the male candidates would overcome such a challenge. Then-MSNBC host Tucker Carlson asked a Clinton campaign spokesman whether Clinton had an "unfair advantage ... because of her sex."
From the August 31 edition of the syndicated program The McLaughlin Group:
McLAUGHLIN: What about the Palin-Biden debate? What do you think's going to happen there?
CROWLEY: It is going to be very interesting, because here she's got the sort of Hillary effect working in her favor, where Joe Biden cannot go in and bludgeon her to death because she is a woman. He's got to be very careful in how he handles her in a debate.
McLAUGHLIN: You mean his problems are greater than hers in a debate for those reasons alone -- that he's debating a woman?
[crosstalk]
McLAUGHLIN: Next question: Does Sarah Palin give the Republican ticket more breadth than the Democratic ticket? [National Review editor] Rich Lowry? You wanna help on --
LOWRY: Yes --
McLAUGHLIN: -- can you help on this?
LOWRY: -- more life experience and some executive experience. And this is an election where McCain has to take risks if he is going to win. Every risk has its potential downsides, but this was a good one to take.
From an August 31 editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times:
Palin's complete lack of national experience, though, could be used to draw a sharp contrast between her and [Sen. Barack] Obama's vice presidential pick, Sen. Joe Biden, who has been in Washington for decades.
Until McCain chose Palin, Biden's debating skills ranked high as an asset. Now, he'll have to keep his cutting wit in check or he'll look more like a bully when he debates this suburban hockey mom with her own sharp elbows.
Palin is a true outsider who shook up the old boy network in her scandal-plagued state and uncovered ethical misconduct.
From Kelly's August 31 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette column, headlined "McCain's masterstroke: If I were Joe Biden, I'd be worried about Sarah Palin":
Whether this is a brilliant choice or a bad risk will depend on how Ms. Palin performs on the campaign trail. But if I were Joe Biden, I'd be worried. A former journalist, Sarah Palin is careful about what she says and says it well, qualities for which Mr. Biden is not reknowned. Mr. Obama picked Mr. Biden in part because of his reputed skill as a hatchet man. But if Mr. Biden comes on too hard in the vice presidential debate, he'll look like a bully. And Alaska is littered with the bodies of those who tried to bully Sarah Palin and failed.
From an August 30 editorial in The Buffalo News, headlined "McCain's unlikely choice: Selection of Palin could alienate women but appeal to conservatives":
Palin stands firmly on the pro-development side of the western political divide. Her husband works in the oil fields, and she is among those who most strongly favors drilling for oil in the Alaska [sic] National Wildlife Refuge and opposes listing the polar bear as an endangered species. Whether those are stands that will attract the votes of women is questionable.
When the vice presidential candidates debate, Democrat Joe Biden will have to be careful not to come across as a bully. But he could well find a way to say to Sarah Palin, "Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton."
From the August 29 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric:
KATIE COURIC (anchor): Back now from St. Paul. Dan Bartlett is a Republican strategist and a CBS News consultant. Dan, I'm curious. What are your Republican friends saying about this choice?
BARTLETT: Well, the people I've talked to are both excited and a bit anxious, Katie. This is a real, you know, bolt out of the blue, as Bob Schieffer [host of CBS' Face the Nation] was saying earlier in the broadcast. This was vintage McCain. So, in some respects, we probably shouldn't have been surprised.
They like the profile, they like the story and narrative, but you're going up against a real pro in Joe Biden, and I think there's some reluctance or anxiety as to whether she can step up to the plate. We'll see very soon.
COURIC: And in fact, a McCain official I spoke to this afternoon, Dan, said that they had -- they conceded they have a lot of work to do when it comes to these upcoming debates, and -- especially because they're going to be opposing two good talkers. How concerned would you be if you were on the McCain campaign and you had to prep Sarah Palin to debate Joe Biden, particularly on foreign policy?
BARTLETT: Sure. As somebody who participated in 2000 with President Bush when he first went through this debate process, it was a steep learning curve there, and he was much more exposed. So there's no doubt about it. They're going to have to do a lot of homework, crash course.
But at the same time, Joe Biden's going to have to be very -- I wouldn't use the word delicate, but he's going to have to have a strategy as well to deal with somebody who is new to the scene like this. He can't be seen as a bully himself. So both sides will have challenges, Katie, but they're gonna work hard at it.
COURIC: All right. Dan Bartlett. Dan, thanks.
Did anyone soften up against Hillary to avoid having "sexism" attached to them? Come on, gimme a break...
I think if there's any sort of "reason" (more like excuse), it's not so much sexism, it's because she's a beauty pageant winner, and no one wants to be vicious on someone who's supposedly hot.
It's not "sexism" but "sexiness" that's the core of this problem.
JMO
Um... I disagree. You don't remember the Clinton-Lazio debate in which Lazio stepped out from behind his podium and presented Clinton with a document that he demanded she sign? It was an ugly tactic by Lazio, but commentators quickly spun the confrontation and the negative reaction to it as a case of Clinton getting special treatment because she was a woman. They argued that it looked especially bad for Lazio to aggressively approach Clinton because it gave the appearance that he was trying to take advantage of the gender distinction and intimidate a woman.
As for sexyness... I really don't know how you're distinguishing this from sexism in this case. Obama's an attractive guy, but you don't hear people saying that he should be spared tough questions because he's handsome.
Doesn't it make more sense that after months of hearing their surrigates claim that the Democrats were going to nominate 'an affirmative action' candidate, McCain's team started to think they shoud get a woman or a minority on their ticket so they could enjoy the same perceived advantage?
As far as I'm concerned...... Biden should treat Sarah Palin no differently than if Grampy had picked Liebermann or any other man! PERIOD!
If the Republicans want to attempt to derail the obvious strength of Biden's debating skills..... then they need to come to terms with the very high posibility that Biden will or at least should attack, attack, attack!
The Republicans kept on making the claim that Hillary was whining about how she was treated....... well..... if Biden does what he should... putting this inexperienced, sad example of Republican pandering of a woman in her political place...... we ain't seen whining yet!
I can see it now...... the rightwing will claim that Biden was way to tough on her... or some other pathetic excuse making pukefest no matter how nice Biden may be.....
With that said..... Biden... knowing the inevitable anyways that will come from the rightwing.... might as well give them something to whine about!!
Nuff said!!
Agreed. If Palin cannot handle the nastiness inherent in politics, she should go back to sports journalism. She should get no special treatment. Biden is the most knowledgeable regarding foreign policy. He's the best pick for VP. The closest Palin got to foreign policy experience is the fact that Alaska sits across the Bering Strait from Russia. When the news media pushed that Russia/Alaska talking point, I almost peed my pants laughing. Palin with executive and foreign policy experience? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I hope Biden mops the floor with her, wrings her out, and mops the floor with her again. She deserves no pity because she is a woman. And no one should go easy on her. (But leave her kids alone...that's just not right). However, I do call her judgment into question. She should get her own house in order before trying to get the nation in order.
Women want and deserve equality. Playing down to her because she is a woman is insulting, not only to women, but even to male feminists.
All Biden needs to do is not look like a Jerk. He just needs to come off as the wise, old scholarly professor, standing next to the doe-eyed, fairly niave and not-yet=well-informed student. That should be failry easy for him.
Well, that's the double standard that's been noted before.
Hey, not wanting to get too OT, but has anyone else asked the question about why Palin thought it was necesaary to drag her own daughter into this baby issue, in order to prove that SHE was the one who delivered in May?
I mean, it wasn't necessary-- what about doctor's notes, pictures in the delivery room, affidavits, whatever? Why drag the poor girl into it as merely indirect evidence-- and that's all? It was atrocious.
Think a question like this will come up with Biden at the debate? Anything similar?
I agree that the way they handled it was kind of bizarre and callous. Even if it genuinely was their goal to refute the rumors, it was ridiculous to express it that way. A more sensible way, and one that would have been more compassionate to her daughter, would have been to simply make the announcement and state that they were simply doing so in the interest of disclosure, because it would soon become apparent anyway. It would have had the same effect without making it such a Sarah-centered announcement.
And if the pregnancy runs much past December, all of the rumors will pop back up again, anyway. Of course, by then Palin will be permanently back in Alaska, on her way to becoming a future trivia question.
Why does he have to "go soft" on her? If he becomes VP, would they expect Biden to go soft on Angela Merkel?
If the roles were reversed, would they have expected the Republican VP candidate to go soft on Senator Clinton?
If Palin does become VP, will they expect foreign leaders to go soft on her too?
Great, now come a bunch of posts from the broads who think it's unfair to use Palin's sex as a way to keep that cad Biden in check. It's a holiday, gals, don't worry your pretty little heads about it.
SF, I'm amazed, once again, that I'm apparently too subtle. Sorry, sometimes I can't come up with a way to react to our ridiculous media except by being even more ridiculous.
Please don't make me bust out the ;0)s or <sarcasm> stuff. It feels condescending.
He's a well-known misogynist and hast been posting this kind of stuff about you gals for days now. Don't just sit there and eat chocolate and cry - hen-peck the heck out of him.
Let him know that modern guys like myself recognize that many of todays broads have responsibilites beyond cooking and cleaning - that many hold real jobs. Some chicks don't ever snag a husband, but they somehow figure out what to think on their own. And let him know that a broads opinion often is as valid as most men's.
Thanks. Hope I didn't sound too condescending. It's a thin line between simplifying and sounding condescending. And we all know how women can get when their intuition tells them that we're being condescending.
You M-Fer, Neon. I have a really painful case of hiccups right now, thanks to you.
BTW, I've noticed an odd pattern of deleted posts recently. The scrubbed posts( a couple of mine, a couple of yours, several of others) were no more off-topic or offensive than many others, but they shared a common thread; blatantly pulling the pants of a certain poster down around the ankle zone.
Am I wearing a tin-foil hat, or do we have a comment monitor who doesn't like his slip showing?
Well, far be it for me to speculate on allegations based on circumstantial evidence. However, it would be fair to say that an uncanny coincidence of specific deleted comments and their relationship to the misguided ideas of a certain individual COULD possibly lead one to believe that there has been a scrubbing of threads which imbue said individual with a measure of well-deserved embarrassment.
That said, pass the Reynolds wrap...
Psst, he's just kiddin' around. He's a nice boy, really. I'm not kidding. He's one hundert percentile in the ladies camp. I mean it. He is pro female all the way. He loves all of us gypsies, tramps and vamps, hookers and Vaginal Americans. Really. I would NOT kid about this.
Did I mention that he's a very nice boy?
Great, now come a bunch of posts from the broads who think it's unfair to use Palin's sex as a way to keep that cad Biden in check
LOL
Well I know he's not talking to ME cause I'm usually referred to as the OLD broad!
I loveeee my frying pan!
I just gotta ask Juliajayne, were those Alaskans comparing the "Palin/unidentified baby's daddy" to black folks?
Contrast this to the reaction of the typical supersized ghetto she-boon whose 17-year-old daughter has an unplanned pregnancy. Instead of doing the right thing, they all go trundling down to the local welfare office and demand more Section Eight housing and more food stamps and an endless supply of other taxpayer-financed bennies. Gimme, gimme, gimme!!!http://alaskapride.blogspot.com/search/label/Sarah%20Palin
I'm afraid your fears might be justified, Pearlene. God help us all!
..."Advisers said Palin's daughter should be afforded privacy like the other candidates' children. Said Schmidt: "If people try to politicize this, the American people will be appalled."............"MSNBC AP 9-01-08
I have already heard that Senator Obama stated that the lives of the candidate's families will be off limits. However; it's interesting how the American people weren't so "appalled" when the right wing media felt it necessary to discuss Chelsea Clinton's looks, made fun of Mrs. Edwards during her cancer discovery, the attacks on Hillary Clinton when she was the first lady, and the attacks on Mrs. Kerry.
I have a feeling there will be some upcoming MMFA artlcles on their hypocracy in this case as well......but here iswhat I think is really going to happen.....THE RIGHT is going to bring this up themselves, over and over, just so they can use it to their advantage with the pro-life voters.
".... Focus on the Family founder James Dobson issued a statement commending the Palins for "for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances." He added: "Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord."...." MNBCC 9-01-08
Even worse, remember that it was PALIN today who dragged her daughter into this, unnecessarily, in order to establish that 'Trig' was her own baby.
There were other ways to do this, to establish maternity, not just shove your daughter into the public eye and say, 'she's pregnant now, so she didn't have the kid.'
What does "to bully" mean in debate terms?
Prosecutors are warned against "badgering" a witness, but are not doing their job if they do not extract the relevant facts from the witness.
I can tell you now, the RELEVANT FACTS are enemies of the GOP, so if Biden gets Palin caught up in contradictions, hypocricy, ignorance, and exposes her total lack of competence, it will be called "bullying" by the GOP.
If Biden resorts to discussing her favorite color, or fashion trends, then he lets down the entire nation, which desperately needs this woman put to the test of hard questioning ... and perhaps even harder answers.
McCain has told Republicans that NO OTHER REPUBLICAN ... not Romney, not Guilliani, not Huckabee ... is as WELL QUALIFIED as this woman to be PRESIDENT, should circumstances render him unable to fulfill his duties (should he win).
The "debate" is not so much Palin's qualifications for the job, but McCain's, for making such an obviously bogus choice to be "our leader" should he be elected and incapacitated. Really, she's uniquely "the best"? The entire Republican party should hang their heads if this is true ... or if it's NOT true. Either way, it's a horrendous reflection on the GOP and their top pick.
You nailed it.
This is the best the Republican party has to offer? Or is it what the Republican party thinks the American public deserves?
Thats just sad, Hillary supporters are not ignorant.
So the republicans lose, if they think they will get "ignorant" hillary supporters.
I think the feminists are largely feeling insulted by this. It reaks of tokenism in a way that Hillary's candidacy never even could have. It dismissed all of Hillary's positives (in the views of her supporters) and paints ALL OF THEM as 'just supporting Hillary becasue she 's a woman.'
The Right will learn how wrong they were with this pick. They will learn that NOT EVERYONE THINKS LIKE THEY DO! They will learn that 90+% of HIllary voters liked HILLARY. The likes her stands on women's ISSUES - an area in which that Palin is the opposite of Hillary in every way.
The only women who will support this ticket because of Palin were never Hillary voters in the first place. They were women who would have voted for McCain anyway. (I'll give him 10% of the 'disenfranchised Hillary base' TOPS. And unless they ALL live in NY or PN, or some other electorally significant state that McCain wouldn't have won anyway, it won't be NEARLY enough to change the election.)
She makes Dan Quayle and Barrack Obama look like Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin Roosevelt. She's patently unqualified, and the GoP should be insulted by McCain's insistence that she's the best pick.
These Teevee pundits are just so insulting to women. Joe Biden can't be seen as a bully? Well, I wouldn't think he should be seen as a bully if he were debating a man either. Being a bully shows a weakness IMO. Joe Biden knows what he is talking about and can articulate his positions and be effective all on his own regardless of who he debates. What's with this story about him having to be seen in a certain light regarding a debate with a woman?
But he could well find a way to say to Sarah Palin, "Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton."
Now I do agree with that. He should start with that line, use it in the middle of the debate and end the debate with it as well. But maybe that would be seen as bullying :-0)
So, what is the republican definition of "bullying"
Gee, what does that leave? She lives close to Russia and loves hunting? That'll draw the clinton supporters in droves, won't it?
Now, OT, but I'm hanging in the Houston airport waiting for my connecting flight to Nashville. Thought I'd check out the magazine selection. I saw the times Obama cover, and the newsweek Obama and Biden cover, both with overly positive cover statements. Only one McCain cover, the economist, with the leading question "will someone please bring back the real mccain?".
Ouch.
Beat me by a few!
But seriously (or not!) how can we expect Palin to keep terrorists from infiltrating our borders when she can't even keep boys from infiltrating her daughters? =0
I did hear a GOP spokeswoman (Debra Hossenpfeffer is as close as I can get from memory) at the GOP convention today, commenting on this.A clip was played of Obama condemning any attacks on family, followed by this woman saying "Shame on them (bloggers?) who would make a political issue of personal family matters!" (paraphrased)
My, how times have changed overnight.
Oh you just said a mouthful right there. Don't forget the ubiquitous use of corn syrup and trans fats in our prepared foods. And all the chemicals, insecticides, antibiotics and other crap in our meats, produce, etc.. Add to that unhealthy farming practices, and all the stuff you mentioned, and it's no wonder people don't have any real nutrition going into their cerebtal cortexes.
That's why I take whole food vitamins and buy only organic (when I can get it). People really do need to start paying attention to the abysmal condition of the food we eat. It is indeed making us sick, but making big pharma and other industries plenty rich.
Did some reading on dietary fats a few years ago. It was eye openning. I wonder if the damage done to the public by the use of artificial fats will ever be properly documented.
Childhood diabeties, obesity, and developmental problems are just the start of the damage they have done.
A good example of marketing forces in action. Thank you Agribusiness, thank you marketing public relations.
McCain says he knew all about it
And if he didn't know, do you think he would admit it? I don't think they did any vetting of her.
Richard Land has also been taking credit for asking McCain to consider Palin. (For all those who still doubt that the DS baby wasn't considered as a plus in her selection, read below)
CBSNews.com: Who’s on the list of people mentioned for VP that you think would most excite Southern Baptists and other members of the conservative faith community?
Richard Land: Probably Governor Palin of Alaska, because she's a person of strong faith. She just had her fifth child, a Downs Syndrome child. And there's a wonderful quote that she gave about her baby, and the fact that she would never, ever consider having an abortion just because her child had Downs Syndrome. She's strongly pro-life.
She's a virtual lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. She would ring so many bells. And I just think it would help with independents because she's a woman. She's a reform Governor. I think that, from what I hear, that would be the choice that would probably ring the most bells, along with Mike Huckabee, of course, who's a Southern Baptist.
Rove: Obama's inexperienced; Biden's a 'big, blowhard doofus'
Gee, but let's not pick on Gidget and Geezer, it might hewt deir widdow feewings...
It is all based on the negative reaction voters had to Rick Lazio trying to bully Hillary during that debate.
I would sincerely doubt that Biden would do anything so asinine during his debate with Palin.
The difference between Hillary and Palin, is that Palin won her governorship without having been the former "First Lady. In other words, Palin didn't ride the coattails of her famous husband to come in as a carpetbagger and win the election as did Hillary.
The difference between Hillary and Palin, is that Palin won her governorship without having been the former "First Lady.
Palin won because she was a republican who ran. No other qualifications are needed.
er
Alaska has been considered Republican territory for some time. Lyndon Johnson (1964) is still the only Democratic presidential candidate to win the state ever.
She won because she was the least corrupt Republican in Alaska when she ran. That status didn't last long.
I don't understand how anyone would advise any of the candidates to "soften his tone and manner in a debate", when the whole world knows that in these so-called "debates" the candidates are forbidden from addressing one another directly...
These things aren't debates: the candidates are not allowed (by their own stupid agreements) to even directly speak to one another, let alone ask questions of each other.
What are the media idiots advising Mr. Biden: that he "soften his tone and manner" while answering idiot questions from a celebrity media hack?
Or stranger still, that he "soften his tone and manner" while talking to a television camera?
Because that's all that the candidates are allowed to do (by their own stupid agreements), they answer idiot questions from celebrity media hacks, and they talk to a television camera... these things aren't debates.
(I'm not entirely sure when the cowards first agreed to make speaking directly to one another a forbidden thing to do... maybe it was caused by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, when he spoke directly to Danforth Quayle "you're no Jack Kennedy"... that could have been the genesis of it: that remark probably made the Republicans suggest that there be no direct addresses from any candidate to the other, and the stupid Democrats most likely would have agreed... that's probably when and why such a stupid term as that was reached in the agreement for these so-called "debates")
Good points, Demo. Real debates not only have moderators who, in addition to presenting questions, raise objections to outright falsehoods, and determine winners and losers.
I was pretty amazed the day after the Saddleback Forum, listening to am radio rightys discussing who had "won this debate". A venue where all that was required of McCain was to toe the line of the Religious Right that his party panders to, while Obama had to actually offer answers to the questions.
No, Snoop, I didn't catch any of that. I caught a bit of the tail end of the GOP convention earlier today on C-Span, and I hung in for wa while because I like those phone calls from viewers. Among the insights from callers;
One was struck by the biggest difference he saw between this and the Dems convention; the amazing diversity in the crowd.
Another caller wanted to remind viewers of the immense responsibility Palin has handled, being in charge of a region bordered by Canada and Russia. ( I didn't get any details about them being in cahoots,but I have my suspicions too).
I had to go out at that time, but being the glutton for the stuff that I am, I turned on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. He was apparently taking calls only from those who had not been very excited about McCain, but were fired up about the VP pick. I realize it's Hewitt Kool-Aid intravenous feed audience, but I heard the words "thrilled" and "brilliant". One caller described the former PTA leader and current home sausge crafter as "real" "one of us" and "honest", gushing over the "trials and tribulations" that Palin has endured.
If the average Hewitt listener represents a large enough group of Americans to swing a vote, FSM help us all.
I didn't know The Archies made a movie...
(just kidding)
What amazed me were some of the unbridled comments of the right wing commentators....that the hurricane was a blessing for McCain, because of the expected comparison to the DNC convention, and the fact that many Republicans didn't want to be there to express their excitement for the party's ticket.
In online articles/comments, many said the last thing McCain needed was Bush and Cheney there during Gustav as a reminder of the failure during Katrina. Others are saying that their sacrificing the convention for the hurricane couldn't be a better way to erase the Katrina/Bush fiasco...and supporters would praise McCain for sacrificing his convention spotlight.
that the hurricane was a blessing for McCain,
That's spot on mainly because Fearless Leader and his evil sidekick didn't get to speak. Actually I was looking forward to their revisionist history in explaining their incompetence/corruption/lies/crimes.
Snoop, one more-- I forgot my favorite Hugh Hewitt caller. Remember Obama's horrible comment about not wanting a person to be "punished" with an unwanted pregnancy? The Hewiit fan translated this into Pinheadese for us, figuring that Obama was referring to his own daughter getting pregnant, leading logically to "Obama would abort his own grandchild".
"Choice" and "education" morphed instantly into abortion (or "infanticide" for the hopelessly goofy), just for the pleasure of the wingnuts.
Stupid and hamhanded? wtf are you talking about?
He was asked a question about a ban on same-sex marriage. The fact that Cheney's daughter is gay was relevant. And it's not like he outed her or anything. Cheney himself during the campaign had talked about his "gay daughter".
The corporatist conservative Republican Party controlled news media wants Liar McCain-Liar Palin to get elected. That's why they're demanding that Biden and others go easy on the homophobic fascist racist theocratic white supremacist lightweight hate hag Palin for no other reason than she's a woman.
LOL ... Rove & Co. have teed it up with their talking points ... Now the narrative is set: anything Biden says will be under the 1000x microscope and Palin has wiggle room cuz she's a woman. Nice.
BTW, if they were running Obama's campaign, do you suppose the righties would have started their campaign off by saying, "look, he's black, so you better watch your step and not show racism". Probably, but the dems won't play hardball, so they would have turned it down and lost anyway.
I believe it's just sleazy political opportunism to warn off J Biden , by playing the gender Card . Gloria Borger of CNN said the same nonsense , "Biden has to be careful " .
It's just a cheap attempt to give her an edge to win the debate . Because on one hand they claim she's tough , a hunter and " takes on big oil ' , now all of a sudden she can't handle little J Biden during a debate .
Sarah Palin Isn't Ready To Be Commander In Chief.
- She has been Governor for 18 months of a state that ranks 47th in population. Only North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming have fewer people to govern than Alaska.- Prior to that, she was Mayor of Wasilla, Alaka for 6 years and sat on Wasilla's City Council for 4 years. Wasilla's 2005 population estimate is 8,471.
- Sarah Palin has no foreign policy experience. Physical proximity of Alaska to Russia doesn't count.
Sarah Palin is woefully out of the mainstream in her views.
- She opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. Only 18% of Americans agree with her that it should be illegal in all cases (source).- She opposes sex education in schools and is firmly behind abstinence-only programs (source). 69% of Americans think sex education in schools is very important, and 21% think its somewhat important (source - PDF, p. 6).
- She supports the idea of "school choice", or vouchers (source). 70% of Americans do NOT support vouchers when it means public school funding would be cut (source).
- She supports teaching creationism in science classes (source).
- She is skeptical of global warming and doesn't believe climate change is man-made (source). 85% of Americans believe the planet is warming and a full 70% believe that it is attributable to either BOTH nature and man (49%) or solely to humans (21%) (source).
Palin is hardly free of old-Washington influence and tactics.
- She was FOR the Bridge to Nowhere, before she was against it (source).
- She openly praises Hillary Clinton, but thinks Clinton is a "whiner" (source).
- She is under investigation for ethics abuses in the firing of Alaska's Public Safety Director (source - worth noting also that CNN just reported Palin has retained a lawyer on the same issue).
http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/1/15300/83349/410/582341
It's fair to point this stuff out, and it has nothing to do with her gender.
Breaking news on Palins' pregnant pre-teen!
Palin Blames Daughter's Pregnancy on Media
Posted September 1, 2008 | 05:15 PM (EST)
Coming out on the offensive after a day of controversy, presumptive GOP vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin said today that the media was to blame for making her daughter Bristol pregnant."My husband and I are well aware that Bristol is pregnant, and we know who made her that way -- the media," she told reporters in Pittsburgh.
It has become common in presidential campaigns for candidates to lash out against the news media, but Gov. Palin's attack was the first known example of a politician blaming the media for her daughter's pregnancy.
Gov. Palin went on to say that since the media had made her pregnant, it was now up to the media to "do the right thing and marry her."
Moments after the governor's statement, the National Enquirer said that it would marry Bristol Palin in exchange for exclusive rights to the wedding photos and the first pictures of the baby.
BTW, what's her birthday, and Palin's first son? Just wondering, about the son especially, because if he's as old as Palin claims she would have to gotten pregnant on her wedding day. Hmmm...
To answer Snoopy
Blog by Alan Colmes/Liberaland (bold as copied):
"in her speech in Dayton today, Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she and her husband are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, which means they were married on August 29, 1988.
On April 20, 1989 – less than eight months after they eloped – their first son, Track, was born."
But the important thing is the right wing will AGAIN say, is that she and her husband got married and chose to keep their son, and that we all sin. All of these "sins" are being excused away on Evangelical web sites, telling us that All of Palin's sins have been washed away by Jesus.
She is being set up as untouchable....immune from any serious questions, or pressure from the left, and that includes Biden. They want her to be all things...tough, tenacious, baracuda, Maverick, reformer, but they also want her to be a sweet little beauty queen, hockey mom, who loves Jesus, her family, and America.They want her voter group to connect to her fast, and verbaly stand up for her should she stumble in the next weeks.
Their biggest fear is that she will fall apart during tough debate, and show her inexperience, and that is one of her failings that have been discussed in past articles. If they keep talking about "what if Biden gets tough, or can he afford to get tough" when there is a debate, if she fails miserably they can say it was Biden being too tough.....after all she's "just a mom", and not used to the heavy handed politics.
And as a flip side, should she hold her own during a debate, they will still say, regardless of what Biden says, that she was given a rough shake from Biden, but her tenacity, or experience or personal strength has shown America that she is right for the job.
They are "setting the stage" for whatever may happen....and it's their use of her gender to do it that is so disgusting about all of this.
For those who are still undecided why the media is saying this, think about what they might say is the candidate was a wheel chair bound evangelist. It would play out the same, only they would ask if Biden could or should go tough on a disabled candidate.
You should have pointed out that that's by Andy Borowitz, and is satire.
Very funny satire, but satire nonetheless.
I would HOPE others realized Snoopy's article was satire! ;-)
But I agree, the writer should have been given credit.
Every time i hear this all I can remember is Chris Matthews saying over and over, on every show for awhile.
"when's he [OBAMA] punch her?" {CLINTON] "When's he gonna land a knockout blow?""What's he waiting for, when's he gonna draw blood?"
And this was long before HRC did anything remotely what would have been considered negative by any normal human being that was not the victim of Clinton Derangement Syndrome.
I supported O at that time and it was really starting to pis me off, particularly because he was landing punches but they were so masterfully (and passive aggressively embedded in his speeches that they were termed "swipes." (I thought kittens took swipes, not grown men.
Isn't it odd that everyone wants to warn off Biden, wants everyone to go easy but no one seemed to think they needed to go easy on HRC. In fact I've never seen any politician take the beating she took by the media and the other candidates in the debates and still come out standing and fighting. For Christ's sake Charlie Gibson asked her why she was so unlikable!!! (esssentially) ironically that is when I began to really start liking her. lol)
Anyway, I find it amazing that this is going on, this warning of Biden, of noone mentioning that HRC sure stood up to it and the other candidates were invited to and encouraged to, and castigated for not doing more!
AND no one mentions that this is a manipulative, pandering, insulting move on the McC campaign's part.
"We know he "doesn't speak for the campaign."
And how about the gas tax rebate or suspension or whatever the hell it is/was.
I remember clinton got torn apart from every direction about that, pandering, this, that, the other thing, but certainly pandering--- very little said about McC's support of it except to ssay he wanted it and he said it forst... Now it turns out palin is in favor of it as well.
Wanna bet nobody says "pandering" about it?
Go easy because she is new?
Does McC and the rest think Putin is going to go easy on her?
God, have mercy.
Please excuse all my typos, especially with the quotes, parenthesis etc. Its late, I'm tired, my keyboard is small and I don't really type.
LOL
'night.