Buns of Politics

And I said Thanks, But No Thanks....

Damn Skippy Brown

Is Shielding Sarah Palin Sexist?

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Viewers of CNN’s prime-time program, “Campbell Brown: Election Center,” might have been surprised last night to see the host rip into the McCain campaign.

Like an Arctic blast, Ms. Brown slammed the campaign for sequestering Sarah Palin from reporters — and blamed their behavior on sexism.

“I call upon the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower who will wilt at any moment,” Ms. Brown declared.

“This woman is from Alaska, for crying out loud,” she went on. “She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now.”

McCain aides had no comment Wednesday as they focused on the financial crisis.

Ms. Brown said in an interview that her commentary was part of a broader effort by CNN that includes fact-checks and truth-squads to “cut through the bull and the misinformation” that have permeated the entire campaign.

Asked whether CNN felt a need to be edgier, since it’s up against opinion on MSNBC and FOX, she said no.

“They are both partisan and bringing their partisan views into what they do, and that’s not what we’re doing,” she said. “I don’t see it as opinion. For me, it’s about accountability. I’m approaching this as a journalist,” she said, adding that she would take on Senator Barack Obama when she thinks he crosses the line.

And yes, by the way, she does think that the McCain campaign is being sexist about Ms. Palin. “The McCain campaign says that if she were a man, the media would not be treating her this way,” she said. “So it’s fair of me to ask, if she were a man, would they be coddling her this way?”

Readers who posted comments on the CNN Web site had mixed reactions. “If it’s provocative,” Ms. Brown said, “that’s a good thing.”

Just A Thought

I got this email - sorry for the simplification I can elaborate if you need me to but I thought this was great!

COMPARE AND CHOOSE: I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic,
different."  Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.  Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first
black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive
that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law
professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with
over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human
Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a
state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the
Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs
committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.  If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to
become the country's second highest ranking executive.


* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2
beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real
Christian. If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your
disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.


* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the
proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society. If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a
prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community,
then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent
America 's. If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI
conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age
25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska
from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.


OK, much clearer now.