Lather, Rinse, Repeat
I think I’ve started to notice a trend among conservatives: they like good-looking women. They like to hear what they’re thinking come out of the mouths of good-looking women – it’s sort of like money-laundering, idea laundering or something. Here is how it’s done:
1) Find good-looking woman who leans conservative, make sure that she does not possess a lick of sense or an ounce of compassion. Also make sure she professes to be Christian.
2) Put her through the political training process.
3) On the other end out comes a political icon in training with a healthy ego and little self-awareness and still very little sense or compassion.
4) Place her somewhere in your political machine, either as some kind of spokeswoman for family values (Carrie Prejean, Anita Bryant), as a talking head/pundit (Megyn Kelly, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham) or as a politician (Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann).
Palin claims in her new book that she agreed to sit down with Couric partly because she felt sorry for her, after senior McCain adviser Nicolle Wallace told her that Couric suffered from self-esteem problems. It’s understandable that Palin would try to deflect blame for the interview: It was a disaster that hastened her unmasking as unqualified for the presidency.
The McCain/Palin feud has been vastly entertaining. Palin’s book will not calm the feud. Everything is someone else’s fault and if she had just been in charge things would have been so much better. Of course, the McCain people beg to differ.
“She lacked the knowledge base to stand in front of the press corps that was traveling with her and answer questions,” the adviser said delicately. “Because of the success of the convention speech, the feeling was that she should be exposed to as many people as possible directly, not through a media filter. The way to do that was to do interviews with the anchors.”
“The truth is, she refused to prepare for the Katie Couric interview,” the adviser continued. “She refused to engage in any preparation. And it was a disaster.”
The adviser also mocked a contradiction at the core of Palin’s claims: She’s simultaneously saying she was muzzled and kept from the press, even as she’s claiming she only did the Couric interview at the urging of McCain aides.
One commenter summed it up perfectly:
Anyone notice how perfect Palin is? It’s just her bad luck to run into so many mistake prone people.
I think there is a term for the sentiments expressed in this post. It is MISOGYNY.
And if you doubt it, imagine your reaction if a conservative were to suggest that white liberals like to hear their ideas coming out of the mouths of good looking black men with no sense — and using Barack Obama as an example.
I’m surprised you didn’t accuse me of being jealous of Saint Sarah.
Yes, the reason conservatives don’t feature Virginia Foxx more is?
and Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy didn’t?
Rhymey, so I understand, are you saying conservatives don’t like good-looking women?
Tom S. – Monica? Hillary?
Ah, but beauty is a fleeting thing for it doth charm then disappoint. I suggest all good conservatives (and the rotten evil ones as well) back Palin and Michele Bachman with all thier time and money.Go ahead, you diserve it!
Anonone, exactly the point…beauty is in the eyes of the beholder…and isotope chooses to spin it as sexist, based on his def of beauty.
Some say that Ann Coulter is a skank with little floppy tits, cigarette burns all over her arms and a wicked case of venereal warts. (Don’t shoot the messenger!) Anyway, what is she doing on the list of good looking women?
Tom, I am a she, not a he.
I spin it as sexist because the women who have risen to the top are in this system are incompetent.
Sorry for the mistake,
but are they good looking? Does being good looking make you incompetent?
UI, these Republican women are even at the top – that’s the scary part. You hardly ever hear Republicans mention Jan Brewer, Jodi Rell, Linda Lingle, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Mary Bono Mack, Ginny Brown-Waite, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lynn Jenkins, etc.
Being incompetent makes you incompetent. It has nothing to do with looks. My point is that the women at the top of the Republican party have a few things in common: the willingness to say outrageous things, especially beliefs pushed by the far right fringe, a huge ego and in general, good looks.
Nemski pointed out there are way more accomplished women in the Republican party like Jodi Rell, who until recently was the most popular governor in the nation and some of the others he pointed out.
The problem is part from our sexist culture and part from the misogyny of the right. Pandora wrote just last week about another article from a conservative “our women are good looking and your women aren’t, neener neener.” Perhaps if conservative punditry would stop saying things like that we might take their arguments about women a little more seriously.
Jason,
Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but you can’t seriously argue with me that Ann Coulter didn’t rise to prominence because she was willing to act as a female misogynist (she once argued women shouldn’t vote) while having long blonde hair and wearing black cocktail dresses. She hasn’t aged all that well but that is how she came to be noticed.
Republicans bring up how “hot” their candidates and media personnel are frequently. That makes one stop and ponder: why? What does that have to do with running the country, a business or the media?
And, during the campaign, it was the right that brought up Palin’s “Hotness” over and over and over.
Take, for instance, neo-con radio host Chris Baker who said, after the Palin-Biden debate, that Palin “shouldn’t had a little cleavage going….”[d]istract [Sen.] Joe Biden a little bit,” and added: “[S]how your stuff, you know what I’m saying? Use all your assets.” He then said: “By the way, I noticed a panty line on her. … When they turned to walk to the podium, I saw a panty line.”
(h/t: media matters)
When Republicans say this stuff, it’s support for Palin; when Democrats say it, it’s MISOGYNY. In all caps.
Remember the guy from one of the national conservative magazines who wrote that he got sexually excited when Palin winked during the debate.
Rich Lowry, from the National Review:
Starbursts!
I remember when she winked; I threw up a little in my mouth.
These are also the same people who get excited when they look at the picture of Reagan in his cowboy hat and his lopsided grin. I think they are a little bisexual.
“when Democrats say it, it’s MISOGYNY. In all caps”
Republican definition of misogyny: Failure to appreciate how Sarah Palin’s hotness outweighs her empty-headedness.
Well, much as I love a post that’s all about the hotness of female politicians… I’d say the trend toward ‘telegenic’ is true for both parties, and, increasingly, for both genders.
It’s sad.