No, actually. No girl fight.
As most of us know, Minnesota Congresswoman and American history mangler Michele Bachmann is running for President. She’s announced this two or three times now and she’s on the road either announcing it more or raising money in primary states as we speak. That’s a good thing because while she’s out of DC announcing things, she’s not in DC trying to horn in on the debt ceiling talks. Michele Bachmann is one of those legislators who’s better at her job when she’s not doing it, ya know?
Anyway, Representative Bachmann is a reliable conservative mouthpiece who’s fond of talking about Tea Party stuff on the floor of the House, on tv, and on the radio. She’s a prodigious fundraiser and darling of the anti-tax, socially conservative, far right. And she gives the appearance of being batshit crazy. But she’s a US citizen and she’s over 35 years old so she can run for Preisdent and no one can tell her not to. So nyah.
What’s disgusting is how the media is covering the Bachmann Presidential run. For one thing, they’re covering it at all. Bachmann is basically a fringe candidate who’s like a right-wing Dennis Kucinich in her policy positions. Candidates as far out of the mainstream as she is usually get treated like sideshow attractions by the press. The attention Bachmann is getting is far outsized considering her minimal role in the actual national legislative process thus far: she’s never chaired a committee or subcommittee, most of the legislation she’s introduced has died before committee consideration, and she doesn’t hold any sort of party leadership position. She’s a noisemaker, not a wave maker. So why is she being covered so avidly?
Well, she’s good looking. And she’s a woman. She’s a loud, conservative, good-looking woman. Is the media biased in favor of pretty people? Yes. They are. And they’re showing it with every clip of Bachmann they run.
The other aspect of the Bachmann-mania is her similarities and associations with another loud, conservative , good-looking woman: Sarah Palin. The media has been stirring the pot, hoping for a Palin/Bachmann catfight for weeks. Even Bachmann knows that’s true and said as much this week. Admirably, Bachmann isn’t looking to fuel that fire (and mark this as a rare moment of me saying “admirable” and “Bachmann” in the same sentence). The Palin camp, however, is making forays into the mud-wrestling ring with Bristol talking about how Bachmann “copied” her mom’s style. Not her political style. Her clothes. As if they’re running for Miss Republican Party.
No. No, no, no. Nonononononono!
No political girl fights! No, no, no! This is not Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton, here. This is a Member of a Congress and a former governor, both of whom wield some influence in national discourse, no matter how weird and misguided their positions may be. They are ostensibly serious people taking on serious tasks and we need to analyze them under that light. If we are going to criticize them, compare them, discuss them in the same breath, we need to focus on their records and their proposals, not their hair or the color of their clothes.
And if they’re both moonbat crazy and unfit for office (hint: I think they are), we need to acknowledge that upfront and IGNORE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THEM. Nothing matters except the content of their characters, ok?
Women have been working for a hundred years to get a seat at the table in this nation. They finally have it. There are women in politics, both Democrats and Republicans, who are smart, accomplished, and good servants to their constituencies. And you don’t know their names because they’re not hot enough or not loud enough or not controversial enough to get coverage. Instead you get fawning attention paid to the pretty girls. You think I’m over-reacting? You think I’m seeing sexism in the media where none exists? OK. Name one average-looking female elected official who gets the kind of attention Palin and Bachmann got, even before 2012 GOP Bingo started. Yeah. that’s what I thought.
DC used to be called Hollywood for ugly people and that was a good thing. This town should be a meritocracy, where people rise based on their accomplishments. Looks should not matter here. Gender should not matter here. Ideas should be the currency we use, the media should seek out the smartest of the smart and follow them from room to room in the hopes that we’ll catch a glimpse of higher-level thinking in action. We should not follow the most camera-ready and encourage their thoughtless babble hopes of catching an entertaining soundbyte. Ratings may drop but maybe, just maybe, the country would be better for it.
On my way to work this morning, NPR said that they’re considering Bachmann a close second to Romney. I almost gagged on my coffee because I thought people in the world are taking her seriously as a candidate (or at least more seriously than the other GOP nutjobs and clowns that are running). Then I thought that they might just be saying it to stir the pot and I gagged on my coffee once again.
THANK YOU!!
Someone recently said to me about Donald Trump “and the worst thing about him is….His Comb Over!!”
I was like “ok. really…There are a lot of things wrong with Trump but, let’s not judge a guy based on his hair….??”
They just stared at me like I was being so ignorant and mean…
I mean really we all need to wake up…these politicians aren’t getting any smarter apparently…so let’s not encourage them!
“she’s never chaired a committee or subcommittee, most of the legislation she’s introduced has died before committee consideration, and she doesn’t hold any sort of party leadership position…”
Arguably, this was true of Obama too (though he was chair of some committee, he never sat in and never lead the committee because he was ‘too busy campaigning”). And the legislation he said he passed, he didn’t (the Exelon affair: http://nyti.ms/9QHhnN )/all of his state stuff were bills that others worked on that he took the credit for ( http://bit.ly/mR43eA ).
But that’s the Big O (FTR I am neither D nor R, nor Libertarian for that matter, I’m just pro-fairness/justice), and it’s not relevant to this hideousness that’s happening right now.
“The other aspect of the Bachmann-mania is her similarities and associations with another loud, conservative , good-looking woman: Sarah Palin.”
As a red-blooded man who appreciates the female aesthetic, I can tell you that I don’t think she’s “good looking”, at least not like Palin is. I.e., I wouldn’t tap that ACH!mann dumbass with a ten foot pole.
The media also tried to set up a Hillary/Condi catfight too, as did some creepy authors…I saw the books at Barnes & Noble well before the election. It was gross. It is a gross thing when the media intentionally tries to create “female conflict” when there isn’t any (like how the media constantly refers to Selena Gomez as “Justin Bieber’s girlfriend” and pokes/prods “Beliebers” with that).
I hate her.
THe media does dwell on the pretty and the hoopla of a dumbshit idiot who can’t say an intelligent thing. Oh wait make that 2 dumbshits, Palin and Bachmann. Between the 2 of them you have pretty women who will set back all that we have accomplished just by talking.
Thank you for pointing out the media’s short-sightedness of pretty.
Among other things:-)
What is interesting that the most qualified candidate the Republicans have, Mitt Romney, will not even get a bid. Moonbat crazy trumps the Angel Moroni every time, apparently.
TechGoat,
Yo stole the words out of my mouth about the similarities between Obama and Bachmann! Thanks for saying it for me. It is amazing how people of both parties will point out a weakness in the opposition and overlook it in their own brand of crazy.
As far as pretty girls getting more attention, it is true. Is it fair? Probably not. But it starts to make up for all the girls who hated us for no freakin’ reason except for how we looked. In the end, people will vote for who will lead the country the best.
If they cannot know that (because they refuse to do research), they will vote for hope, change and charisma…It wouldn’t suck if that went in the right’s wing this time.
I love your insights. Spot on.