(TargetLiberty.com) – Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) started her run for President of the United States (POTUS) with hope and enthusiasm. Now that she has dropped out, leaving two white male septuagenarians as the only viable candidates, some have started talking about possible misogyny in presidential elections.
Media Talking Heads
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow called on Warren in her home to discuss her experiences during her attempt at winning the Oval Office. Maddow’s premise centered on how Americans are “always” faced with choosing between two old white guys for president at the end of the day. The interview went forward blithely ignoring the facts that one, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is still there to support and two, President Barack Obama took office as a younger black man.
Maddow went on to tell the senator her decision to fold her campaign “feels a little bit like a death knell in terms of the prospects of having a woman president in our lifetimes.” Warren reacted in (probably) mock-horror at the mere thought of that being true.
Over at ABC, Joy Behar and Meghan McCain discussed the matter on The View. Their theme didn’t focus on Warren, per se, but more on male vs. female public perceptions and media coverage.
McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), opined that some of her fellow news-media cohorts treated women candidates differently than the men who run for office. Rather than highlighting the platform they’re running upon, they pinpoint things like their fashion sense. She went on to say that as each election-cycle approaches, she hopes that will change but always ends up “disappointed.”
Behar, who wears her Progressive Liberalism and anti-Trump feelings as badges of honors, voiced her agreement. She very bluntly addressed her perception of double standards between the sexes saying:
“In the patriarchy that we find ourselves, a man can be angry, a woman cannot be. Bernie is always angry. I like him very much, he’s a good guy, but he always comes across as angry. Elizabeth Warren can’t come across that way.”
At the very least, these women are unafraid to express their opinions. And, they’re well placed to push for reforms regarding how the media present candidates to the public as they’re inside the institution itself.
The Politicians
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) entered the fray after Warren’s exit from the race. From her point of view, she doesn’t feel it’s aimed at Warren or any specific candidate, but rather it’s almost subconscious in the collective mindset. She also stated, perhaps in a bout of bravado, “any of the women who ran in the ongoing election could have beaten President Donald Trump…”
President Trump, on the other hand, thought factors related to Warren’s personality had more to do with her failed bid than sexism did. He believes her abrasive personality was the main culprit. Although he did offer her a left-handed compliment, giving her credit for blasting apart former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg during their debate.
Whether or not gender bias worked against Warren in this primary race and Hillary Clinton in 2016 is something only future historians can decide. However, their campaigns are bringing the question to the forefront of American minds, and that’s a good thing. Any society that refuses introspection will find itself residing in the dustbin of history.
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