Thursday, September 18, 2008
The "cute" factor and the gender card
Michelle Obama is recommending that we not vote for a particular candidate because "she's cute."
I'm trying to imagine Laura Bush admonishing voters not to support John Edwards because "he's cute." He is, but that would not have happened in any case. Why? Because nobody serious would say such an obviously disrespectful thing about a male candidate.
The appalling thing is that the very people who normally scream in outrage at exactly this sort of condescension are silent when the Obamas and their allies direct it at Sarah Palin. Indeed, the "sweetie" comment dogged Barack Obama for days after he dropped it on Hillary Clinton. What will be the half-life of this bit of gender-baiting?
16 Comments:
By 
, at
Thu Sep 18, 06:01:00 PM:
I say Michelle's too cute by half.
So's her husband.
By , at
Thu Sep 18, 06:02:00 PM:
Imagine the uproar if Cindy McCain told people not to vote for Obama because he is Black.
By , at
Thu Sep 18, 07:19:00 PM:
I'd like to say Michelle is "cute when she's angry," but, problem is, she's angry 24/7/365.
By 
Donna B., at
Thu Sep 18, 08:30:00 PM:
Oh but I did make fun of Edwards because he was cute. There's an argument to be made that am not a serious person.
On the other hand, perhaps that was sexism too because the fun made of Edwards was all about his grooming habits.
Now, if he'd gone to a Sweet Magnolia type stylist, I doubt that would have come up.
There's been plenty of both sides making fun of the other candidates looks.
Obama - his ears, the mole
Michelle - her arms too long, she looks angry
Cindy McCain - too pale, brassy blonde, dazed appearance
John McCain - the protruding jaw, walks stiffly
Joe Biden - hairplugs
Sarah Palin - "needs a makeover"
Hillary Clinton - cankles, her hairstyle (closely watched since Bill was first nominated)
John Kerry - horseface, metrosexual
George Bush - surely you've heard he looks like a chimp?
Frankly, I'm impressed that Michelle got off a joke, even if it does imply co-presidency. And it was even a joke that was self-deprecating.
By Georg Felis, at
Thu Sep 18, 08:42:00 PM:
Newsflash: Obama campaign admits to a positive characteristic of a Republican. Film at 11 (provided we don’t have something like a cute kitten or the weather or something to show)
By , at
Thu Sep 18, 08:43:00 PM:
Don't be too impressed, Donna B. It wasn't a joke, and whatever it was, it certainly wasn't self-deprecating.
By , at
Thu Sep 18, 09:28:00 PM:
If I were as buttfugly as Michele, I'd be pissed at Palin too. Meanwhile, she's not complaining about the One being such a pretty boy.
By TigerHawk, at
Thu Sep 18, 10:52:00 PM:
I'm going to go out on a limb with at least some of my readers and say that I think Michelle Obama is very attractive, and would make the best looking first lady since, well, 1963. All the more reason that she should imply that Palin's physical attractiveness is the sum and substance of her merit. It was degrading, Michelle Obama knows it, and that is why she did it.
Now, that said, this was a low grade outrage, and I am not offended by it in and of itself. I am, however, offended by the rank hypocrisy of the left, which continues to throw every PC "truth" under the bus in service of Barack Obama's electoral fortune.
By JPMcT, at
Thu Sep 18, 11:33:00 PM:
Michele Obama has the typical respect for the intelligence of the American voter shared by most Marxists. After all, from their perspective, are we not all "useful idiots".
Besides, Palin is NOT cute....She's HOT!!
By , at
Fri Sep 19, 12:00:00 AM:
Well, if John Edwards had been the second ever man on a major party ticket and the first had been the attractiveness equivalent of Geraldine Ferraro (say, I don't know, Walter Cronkite? Daniel Patrick Moynihan?), I'm thinking someone might have made this same comment as a "for instance," as it was made here.
You know, in Amazonia or wherever such a thing might happen.
(Sarah Palin, incidentally, is not exactly hiding this particular light under a bushel.)
By , at
Fri Sep 19, 01:30:00 AM:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
By TigerHawk, at
Fri Sep 19, 06:50:00 AM:
Was that last comment really necessary? I think not, on the same principles that we have denounced unsubstantiated personal attacks on Sarah Palin.
By davod, at
Fri Sep 19, 09:05:00 AM:
Don't forget there are many women and men who think Obama is cute.
By JH, at
Fri Sep 19, 09:44:00 AM:
Well there are many men and women who think Obama is smart, doesn't make it so.
By Elise, at
Fri Sep 19, 10:53:00 AM:
There's a bit of a mismatch between what Michelle Obama said - don't make a decision based on "she's cute" - and the analysis paragraph in the article you linked to which says Michelle Obama is part of an effort to neutralize Palin's appeal to women voters. I would think that the number of women who would vote for Palin because she's cute would be pretty small. So I'll agree that Michelle's comment was a (mild) swipe at Palin but I don't think it was intended to influence women.
The other part of her comment was interesting, too - don't choose someone because "I like that guy". Does this mean no one should vote for Joe Biden who is the only one of the four candidates I regularly hear described as likable?
And I'm with TH on this: I think Michelle Obama is a very lovely woman. In fact, I think both the Obamas and both the Palins are above-average as far as looks are concerned. Of course, I also don't think either Hillary Clinton or Geraldine Ferraro is exceptionally unattractive - they're both just average looks-wise. (I do realize that is often considered an unforgivable sin for a woman.)
By Gordon Smith, at
Sat Sep 20, 08:40:00 AM:
It's really precious that Republicans are suddenly all feminists now, the kind of feminists chock full of outrage at every slight real or imagined.
I sure hope y'all keep this up even after Sarah Palin loses. I mean the feminism, of course, not the false outrage.
