Sex(ism), Lies and Videotape

Before the media scrutiny of the Palin wink, there was the open criticism of the Clinton cackle.



Shuster was later suspended by MSNBC for referring to the Clinton's as "pimping-out" their daughter Chelsea to campaign for her mother.

The New York Times reported in June on the charges of sexism in the coverage of Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Cable television has come under the most criticism. Chris Matthews, a host on MSNBC, called Mrs. Clinton a “she-devil” and said she had gotten as far as she had only because her husband had “messed around.”

Mike Barnicle, a panelist on MSNBC, said that Mrs. Clinton was “looking like everyone’s first wife standing outside a probate court.” Tucker Carlson, also on MSNBC, said, “When she comes on television, I involuntarily cross my legs.”

The establishment news media were faulted too. The New York Times wrote about Mrs. Clinton’s “cackle” and The Washington Post wrote about her cleavage.

Ken Rudin, an editor at National Public Radio, appeared on CNN, where he equated Mrs. Clinton with the actress Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction.” “She’s going to keep coming back, and they’re not going to stop her," Mr. Rudin said. He later apologized.

The question of sexism in campaign coverage is debated in this clip from MSNBC's Morning Joe:



Carly Fiorina (before her being exiled from the campaign) addressed sexist coverage of Sarah Palin just prior to her convention address.



(In retrospect, the decision on the part of the McCain camp to restrict the media's access to Palin had much less to do with charges of sexism and much more to do with how well they knew how little she knew.)

During coverage of Palin, MSNBC chose to frame the question that would never have been raised had the VP choice been a man:

"SOME WORKING MOTHERS WORRY THAT PALIN IS TAKING ON TOO MUCH"
"SOME VOTERS CONCERNED IF PALIN, A MOTHER OF FIVE, HAS TIME TO BE VP"

A Wikipedia search turned up an unexpected reference to Dick Morris, a former (Bill) Clinton surrogate and current Fox News contributor. Morris, with his anti-Clinton and pro-Republican perspectives, seems to be able to conveniently argue both sides of the question:

On November 5, 2007, when asked about Hillary Clinton's claim of experiencing sexism during the Democratic Presidential Primary debates in the months prior to the Iowa Caucuses, Morris commented that "when a woman wants to be President, she shouldn't complain based on gender. I'm going to go home because the big boys are picking on me. What happens when the boys in the Middle East or the boys who run Russia or the boys who run China start picking on you? Are we going to have a President of the United States saying the boys are picking on me? This is what Hillary always does. Whenever she gets under fire, she retreats behind the apron strings."

On September 2, 2008, during the Republican National Convention Morris said, in reference to personal attacks on 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her children, that "a man would never have had to go through this." Morris elaborated that the attacks on her ability as a mother of five to balance family life and the duties of the Vice Presidential office reflected a "deep sexism that runs through our society."

From the Times article, Katie Couric said of Clinton and sexism:

Like her or not, one of the great lessons of that campaign is the continued — and accepted — role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media.