Hillary and sexism. Couric and Matthews. Showing and telling
06/13/08 11:28 AM
By ED BARK
Did sexism help to undo Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign? Or did she just bungle things entirely on her own?
There's much ado about this lately. Embattled CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, whose bosses say she's being penalized because of her gender, weighed in this week with a video "Notebook" commentary on her network's web site.
One of the "great lessons" of the hotly contested Democratic presidential campaign is "the continued and accepted role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media," Couric said in part.
There's a poster boy to buttress her argument. He is, of course, Chris Matthews, MSNBC's hee-hawing, braying jackass. In much-criticized comments after Clinton's New Hampshire primary victory, Matthews said on the network's Morning Joe program that she wouldn't be a senator from New York or a candidate for president if her husband hadn't "messed around."
"She won because everybody felt, 'My God, this woman stood up under humiliation, right?' " Matthews blathered while others tried and failed to interject.
Matthews later more or less apologized in typical rambling fashion. Meanwhile, he continued to swoon at the sight of Barack Obama, memorably telling Keith Olbermann on the night of the "Potomac primaries" that he "felt this furrowing up my leg" after watching his speech. "I don't have that too often."
Here are videos of Matthews' take on Clinton and Couric's contention that sexism fouled the presidential primary season. Maybe Couric's being more than a little sanctimonious. Perhaps even Matthews has a bit of a point. See for yourself.
Did sexism help to undo Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign? Or did she just bungle things entirely on her own?
There's much ado about this lately. Embattled CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, whose bosses say she's being penalized because of her gender, weighed in this week with a video "Notebook" commentary on her network's web site.
One of the "great lessons" of the hotly contested Democratic presidential campaign is "the continued and accepted role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media," Couric said in part.
There's a poster boy to buttress her argument. He is, of course, Chris Matthews, MSNBC's hee-hawing, braying jackass. In much-criticized comments after Clinton's New Hampshire primary victory, Matthews said on the network's Morning Joe program that she wouldn't be a senator from New York or a candidate for president if her husband hadn't "messed around."
"She won because everybody felt, 'My God, this woman stood up under humiliation, right?' " Matthews blathered while others tried and failed to interject.
Matthews later more or less apologized in typical rambling fashion. Meanwhile, he continued to swoon at the sight of Barack Obama, memorably telling Keith Olbermann on the night of the "Potomac primaries" that he "felt this furrowing up my leg" after watching his speech. "I don't have that too often."
Here are videos of Matthews' take on Clinton and Couric's contention that sexism fouled the presidential primary season. Maybe Couric's being more than a little sanctimonious. Perhaps even Matthews has a bit of a point. See for yourself.