As the hysteria winds down regarding the possible appointment of Caroline Kennedy to the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton (D-NY), a new wave of sexism allegations fills the liberal media. The last major claim of sexism in major American politics followed the Presidential election where critics claimed that "Hillary Clinton was made fun of for being too smart and Sarah Palin was made fun of for being too stupid." I contend that these are substantive examples of gender-bias in American politics. However, the claim that Caroline Kennedy did not receive the seat because she was a woman is beyond absurd. In a cnn.com video, some of the claims of sexism were outlined.
View the video here
The charges lofted in this video are beyond absurd and actually bring the quest for equality in American politics a step backwards.
The video first compares the "nanny and tax problems" of Caroline Kennedy to Treasury Secretary Nominee Timothy F. Geithner.
True or untrue, its apparently a plausible reason for a woman to bow out but not a man … tax and nanny problems seemed to be but a speed bump for Obama’s Treasury Secretary nominee.
Lets begin with the fact that the speculations about why Kennedy removed herself from consideration were just that, speculations. Kennedy's problems were much more complex than allegedly hiring an illegal nanny and to make the blunt comparison of Kennedy to Geithner is ridiculous. Another difference cnn forgot to mention was the fact that Geithner is extremely qualified for his appointment and Kennedy was attempting to ride the wave of her familial history into the US Senate.
Lets move on to the next accusation made by the cnn.com video. The voiceover explains
from the start Kennedy received rough treatment in the press, she was called unprepared for the job … but these men never held elected office before running for the US senate. That did not hold them back
However, those men ran for US Senate. They were chosen by the voters in their respective states, rather than appointed to the seat. Then they discuss the claim that Kennedy was inarticulate and compare her to President Bush. Last time I checked, Bush was continually beat up in the press for speaking like an uneducated 6 year old. To top off the insane feminist rant, the claim is made that if Caroline's brother, John F. Kennedy Jr. wanted the seat, he would get it without any question. These accusations give feminism a bad name and frustrate people like me, who think that women make it harder on themselves by claiming that every time a woman does not succeed or is treated harshly by the press, it is because of gender-bias.