Sep 4, 2008 11:39 pm US/Central
In The Know: Buzz About Sexism
(WCCO)
Before John McCain's speech Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center, the buzz in the convention hall was about Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. Don Shelby, who has spent the last four days at the RNC, said most of the buzz is about sexism.
The charge that the media has been sexist is overboard. There's just too much media out there. Cable, talk radio, Internet blogs, mainstream TV and radio. The charge sticks, based on my sampling of many of them, but not so much among the networks and major papers.
So, today, I turned to somebody who knows something about sexism -- Katie Couric.
"I think that the questions we've asked, because of course I'm highly-sensitized, especially to charges of sexism, have been perfectly legitimate," Couric said. "And I always say, 'Well, gee. If the governor of Alaska was a male and been in office 20 months and had been the mayor of Wasilla, population about 7,500 people, would we be asking some of the same questions? Absolutely I would and I feel perfectly comfortable with that."
Ms. Courics's point, and mine -- anything less than tough but fair questions for a woman candidate is simply sexism in disguise.
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