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- Jul 20, 2005
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Democrats portrayed Sarah Palin as an idiot in 2008. I always thought this was a bit unfair; she certainly didn't do herself any favors in her media appearances, but I thought that she was never really given a chance. Republicans did the same thing to Hillary Clinton from 1992 all the way up until today. She wasn't branded as an idiot; she was branded as a conniving bitch, or some variant thereof.
Nancy Pelosi has long been regarded by Republicans as an extremist. Not to be outdone, Democrats did the same thing to Sharron Angle in Nevada this year. And for some reason, everyone was obsessed with the bizarre musings of Christine O'Donnell, who lost her election by 16 points and never deserved national attention in the first place.
What do these people have in common? They're all women. I'm certainly not suggesting that the opposing party wouldn't try to portray a man with Nancy Pelosi or Sharron Angle's opinions as out-of-touch...but I don't think the label would stick in the voters' mind nearly as successfully.
This seems horribly unfair to female politicians, and quite a sad commentary on our politics. Ask yourself this: How many female politicians of national stature are NOT widely regarded as extreme, crazy, dopey, or bitchy by the opposition? I can't think of a single one.
Nancy Pelosi has long been regarded by Republicans as an extremist. Not to be outdone, Democrats did the same thing to Sharron Angle in Nevada this year. And for some reason, everyone was obsessed with the bizarre musings of Christine O'Donnell, who lost her election by 16 points and never deserved national attention in the first place.
What do these people have in common? They're all women. I'm certainly not suggesting that the opposing party wouldn't try to portray a man with Nancy Pelosi or Sharron Angle's opinions as out-of-touch...but I don't think the label would stick in the voters' mind nearly as successfully.
This seems horribly unfair to female politicians, and quite a sad commentary on our politics. Ask yourself this: How many female politicians of national stature are NOT widely regarded as extreme, crazy, dopey, or bitchy by the opposition? I can't think of a single one.
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