Kristol, who previously said "[w]hite women are a problem ... we all live with," is “appalled” by the “sexism and misogyny the Democratic primary voters demonstrated”

Written by Andrew Seifter

Published

On Fox News Sunday, Bill Kristol, who previously declared that "[w]hite women are a problem ... we all live with that," stated of Sen. Hillary Clinton: “She's put behind her the horrible sexism and misogyny the Democratic primary voters demonstrated, which I'm appalled by, personally. Never would have happened in the Republican Party. You know, we're -- Republicans are much more open to strong women.”

On the June 29 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, while discussing a campaign event in which Sen. Hillary Clinton joined Sen. Barack Obama, panelist and New York Times columnist Bill Kristol stated: “I think Hillary Clinton was gracious. She's put behind her the horrible sexism and misogyny the Democratic primary voters demonstrated, which I'm appalled by, personally. Never would have happened in the Republican Party. You know, we're -- Republicans are much more open to strong women.”

As Media Matters for America documented, on the February 3 edition of Fox News Sunday, Kristol said the only people supporting Clinton's presidential campaign were “the Democratic establishment and white women.” Kristol then asserted that “it would be crazy for the Democratic Party to follow an establishment that's led it to defeat year after year,” and added, “White women are a problem, that's, you know -- we all live with that.” After fellow panelist Brit Hume responded, “Bill, for the record, I like white women,” Kristol said, “I know, I shouldn't have said that.” Also, Media Matters documented that during Fox News' coverage of the New Hampshire primaries, Kristol attributed Clinton's victory in the Democratic primary to “the tears,” saying, “She pretended to cry; the women liked it.” Hume asked Kristol, “You think she pretended?” Kristol responded, “I do,” to which Hume replied, “I don't.” Kristol added, “The women were sorry for her, and she won.”

From the June 29 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday:

CHRIS WALLACE (host): Bill, how important the Clintons, and will Bill Clinton stop sulking in his tent like Achilles and behave?

KRISTOL: Psychoanalyzing Bill Clinton is a tough role, a tough task. I think Hillary Clinton was gracious. She's put behind her the horrible sexism and misogyny the Democratic primary voters demonstrated, which I'm appalled by, personally. Never would have happened in the Republican Party. You know, we're -- Republicans are much more open to strong women. And that's why McCain's going to put Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, on the ticket as vice president.

WALLACE: Is that your prediction?

KRISTOL: That's my -- I'm moving from [Louisiana Gov. Bobby] Jindal to Palin. I'm being even bolder. She's fantastic, yeah. You know, she was the point guard on the Alaska state championship high school basketball team in 1982. She could take Obama one-on-one on the court. Be fantastic.

Anyway, I do think -- I actually think Sarah Palin would be a great vice presidential pick, and it would be interesting to actually -- to have a woman on the Republican ticket after Hillary Clinton has come so close and failed on the Democratic side.

JUAN WILLIAMS (National Public Radio correspondent and Fox News contributor): Well, I think -- how about Colin Powell on the McCain ticket? Don't you think that would be a winner?

KRISTOL: No, no, no.

WILLIAMS: No?

KRISTOL: That's, again, misogynist thinking. You're not --

WILLIAMS: Misogynist thinking.

KRISTOL: I think you've got to go for the gold here with Sarah Palin.