UPDATED
ST. PAUL - Carly Fiorina and other women supporters of Sen. John McCain blasted “the media” for what they called sexist coverage of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, and denied that the Republican party had inflicted its own sexist attacks on Hillary Clinton.
“The Republican Party will not stand by while Sarah Palin is subjected to sexist attacks,” Fiorina said.
She singled out a column by The New York Times’s Maureen Dowd that referred to Republicans’ “tradition of nominating fun, bantamweight cheerleaders from the West” as a glaring example of gender stereotyping.
When asked what was sexist about examining Palin’s experience or judgment, Fiorina said she objected to the media “trying to portray her as a show horse, not a work horse.”
She also denied that Hillary Clinton had been subjected to sexist attacks by Republicans, drawing a few sarcastic chuckles from the audience.
Fiorina said she had stepped up to defend Clinton by going on television to express her outrage over sexism.
Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn thought the media was to blame for Republicans not doing more to support Clinton, arguing that, “Had we been more vocal, you all would have chosen not to report it.”
UPDATE:
However, not everyone in the McCain camp appeared to be on the same page. When asked on Fox News whether there was any sexism in the reaction to Palin, Meg Whitman, McCain’s national campaign co-chair, said, “I wouldn’t say there really has.”
“I actually think it’s completely fair for the media to vet Sarah Palin, just as they did Barack Obama, and John McCain and everyone else who’s running for office,” she said. “I mean you are running for the second highest office in the land.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: REUTERS/Rick Wilking. Carly Fiorina speaks at a press briefing at the Republican National Convention, Sept. 3, 2008.
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After watching Palin speak, I have no doubt that she will be great! Let’s elect her.
Like Rush Limbaugh says, she embodies Guns, Babies and Jesus. What else do we need? Who gives a hoot if she does not have a clue about foreign policy, global economics or diplomacy. Yeh to McCain and Palin…..and if that happens at least have the sense to be “short on US economy”.
- Posted by EddieCarly Fiorina is McCain’s “top sconomic adviser”?! She nearly wrecked a great, two-guys-in-a-garage-home-made American corporation, Hewlett-Packard, and pushed another one, Lucent (formery Bell Labs and Western Electric), to the edge of the toilet. And she had the chutzpah to demand (and get) a multi-million-dollar “golden parachute” when she was kicked out after 2 yeats by a disgusted board of directors. What a wonderful advisor she must be. Too bad Jeff Skilling isn’t available. He’d be perfect for Chairman of the Federal Reserve in the McCain administration.
As for Sarah Palin… If the White House is ever attacked by terrorist moose, I coulc sleep well knowing she’d have the situation well in hand.
- Posted by Jack CurtisLEAVE SARAH ALOOONNNNE!!! WAAAHHH!!!
- Posted by Chris CrockerScrew Carly Fiorina and everything that comes out of her mouth. This joke of an EX-CEO ran HP into the ground, was forced out by the board and still walked away 21M. No wonder she is a GOP stalwart spokesman and wants to keep the status quo for corporations.
- Posted by donnmonkatie rocha
Forbid the thought that she has to make a foreign policy decision on the spur of the moment, while a family crisis is occuring at home. Do you think this is just a game? This position requires someone of exceptional qualities (be it man or woman). Not a risky unknown with no knowledge of what the duties are of even the vice-president of the United States. If you opened your ears and heard her statement regarding family, you would understand that for her, FAMILY COMES FIRST!!!!
- Posted by germanguyfacts:
Palin admits taking her baby of 4 months to work and tucking her away under her desk.
palin admits to not knowing what the duties of a vice-president are. Yet she is a governor and has a vice-president under her, called a lieutenant-governor. Doesn’t she even know what the job of the lieutenant-governor is in her absence???
When asked about potentially being president someday (while governor) she stated that she really wouldn’t consider it, because she wouldn’t want to leave Alaska. Although, she said that maybe ’someday’ it may be in the cards. This was primarily because of family obligations. Had family values changed???
Palin’s statement regarding members of her cabinet acting without her knowledge in the firing of her brother-in-law. Is there a mismanagement issue here??? Why would they make statements without her knowledge???
Palin’s job as mayor, when she fired the sheriff and other officials as a result of their not supporting her when she requested that bars close at 2a.m. instead of 4a.m. Given the fact that the church she attended was vocal against the consumption of alcohol.
I can go on and on, but the facts are the facts. We as voters must decide how Palin as president (God forbid) would operate in the highest office in the land.
- Posted by germanguyTo all who keep bringing up the fact that Palin has a special needs child and should be at home with him… whatever happened to women’s lib?
- Posted by Katie RochaWhy aren’t you suggesting her husband stay home and take care of the family while she has a career? I personally think she is quite capable of handling family and career in harmony with each other.
Also, covering her families struggles is only making me like her more. My mom was pregnant out of wedlock. My grandmother is a staunch supporter of abstinence-only education.
Dare you to come tell my grandmother that she can’t be a role model (she was one to me) when it comes to abstinence. She isn’t as polite as Palin and will promptly tell you where to shove your foot.
1. Sarah Palin appears to have more experience in governmental management than does Obama, McCain, or Biden. 2. Clinton and Reagan went to the presidency straight from state government. 3. Private matters related to teenage pregnancy are proof neither for nor against parenting skills; check the stats. 4. If parents can not legitimately run for and hold national office, then only single men and women could involve themselves prior to retirement. 5. Where, oh, where are all the typically vocal feminists; are not all women IDed first as females, and only secondly as party members. 6. Neither working nor non-working mothers can control teenage pregnancies -check the stats. 7. Furthermore, and finally, the math is simple. Sarah’s daughter is four months old. Bristol is five months pregnant. Enough said.
- Posted by bj smithI have been dissapointed with G. Bush and I was hoping the democrats will going to nominate some decent canditate…,but I will never vote for Obama.
- Posted by AnnaDMcCain - Palin is Great Choice, for me and my family.
Annamarie, are you kidding? You want the McCain campaign to give dish dirt about their choice in VP? Kinda’ like when Obama says he wants to change the way politics are done in Washington but picks a 30+ year senator deeply entrenched in the ways of Washington? How about the way Obama says he wants to get special interests and lobbyists out of the decision making but his VP pick’s son (Hunter Biden) is on of the biggest lobbyists in the capitol? Where is the journalistic duty to report on the bank payments to Hunter when his father was voting on banking legislation? Something stinks and it ain’t Palin’s fishing boat. Seriously folks, use Google and educate yourselves.
- Posted by davidAskig her back ground is not sexism get a clear mind first if you want to sink with her in quick sand that is your choice but we are not going to let our country sink with these two candidats one self centerd selfish who cares about his election and she is lier and hypocrat..
- Posted by jojoQuestioning her credentials is not the complaint. The problem is some are questioning her readiness because of her young children. No one questioned Obama’s ability to split his time between the president’s duties and family duties. Why is Palin questioned on this other than she is a woman? That is sexism. Many of you here have decided already that the only quality that leads to her being chosen is her gender. That is sexism when you look gender rather than substance. And she has more substance to speak of than Obama who would take office the first day, much less a breath away. Funny how the libs all of a sudden are worried about experience.
- Posted by davidUnfortunately, there’s just enough of a germ of truth to the sexism thing to give it legs.
Current morality says that it’s okay for both husbands and wives to spend time in the workplace. If you don’t support that view, you’re out of the mainstream. So don’t jump Palin because she’s a woman bailing out on her kids. She’s doing no more or less than millions of other women.
The problem here isn’t about Palin’s femininity; it’s about a handful of other important issues:
- Don’t we currently have a president that makes uninformed, gut decisions? Do we like the results? Doesn’t the Palin selection process demonstrate a tendency to shoot from the hip?
- Do you really want leaders who are so stubborn and stupid as to gamble on abstinence-only sex education when they can’t even get it to work in their own homes, or who are so hypocritical as to preach abstinence-only when they know it isn’t effective?
If you can read any sexism into my comment, you’ve got to be wearing some very special Republican glasses…
- Posted by DisFisConThe media isn’t “doing Palin because she’s a woman”, the media is DOING ITS JOB: to report on the campaign’s vice presidential pick, Gov Sarah Palin. Especially since little information was provided by McCain’s campaign, and that which was provided was all flattering ‘talking points’and not particularly truthful.
Whatever heat the Republicans are getting right now on Palin is of their own seeking. They should have vetted her properly, and should be giving the voting public reliable and truthful facts about her now.
Admirable though she is, she is not who they have set her up to be and, thank god, we voters have the media otherwise we’d still be in the dark about all the dubious facts that are leaking out.
- Posted by Annemarie(3:31) Tracie, where do I start? The McCain camp put out the information about Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy! Apparently, you hadn’t noticed the Republican treatment of Hillary. Or, how about McCain’s joke last month about why Chelsea is so ugly? If you cared about the issues that Hillary represents, there’s NO WAY that you’d vote for a conservative pro-lifer like Palin. If you just wanted to vote for Hillary because she’s a woman, well, then YOU are the sexist! What does it matter? You’re a troll pretending to be a former Hillary supporter. You would have voted Republican anyway, so stop pretending.
- Posted by bartonizerI’ve voted Democrat for every president since 1972,
- Posted by LaLiveOakand was teetering for McCain because of a shared theater of service…but this had done it. I’ve never seen such a media-involved ambush of a candidate, even when Karl Rove was pulling his stunts. It’s sick - the family and personal attacks carried over and over by the media…and I’m a journailsm graduate myself, who worked in the vocation for 11 years. Bye-bye Barack.
Hillary broke the glass celing, Sara is gonna grind the pieces into dust. Its a brave new world and the lib/left better get used to the fact that right wingers are able to change depending on the conditions on the ground. The dogma and political correctness of the left make them unfit to lead.
- Posted by johnI can’t help but feel that Republicans are promoting the UNWED TEENAGE PREGNANCY issue to make some twisted pro-life point. This is irresponsible. Most people cannont afford a teenager with a child, much less the teenager being mature enough. Unwed teenage pregnancy is not good and this is a bad message to send to nations hormonal teens.
- Posted by GnosticAs a responsible voter, I am very interested in any information available with regards to Palin. Her name was made public by the GOP less than one week ago, and we are to vote in 2 months. What could be expected with the surprise element of the choice McCain made? I would feel the same way had McCain chosen a relatively unknown male for this position. As was made evident 8 years ago, every vote is extremely important and the process should be taken very seriously. It belittles our democracy to think we should blindly chose our leaders based solely on party affiliation.
- Posted by S Hughes