Monday, September 1, 2008

The scandal double standard

The sexism: Sarah Palin is being held to a different scandal standard. Things that would hardly create a ripple for other politicians are magnified to crisis proportions (with sly implications that maybe she'll be ousted from the ticket - Newsday.com: So far anyway, it doesn't look as if news that Palin has a pregnant teenage daughter is enough to knock her off McCain's ticket.)

Ousted from the ticket because her teenage daughter is pregnant? Why the heck is this even being raised as a possibility?

Barack Obama has the Tony Rezko scandal and his affiliations with former terrorist William Ayers and his longtime attendance at Jeremiah Wright's church. Joe Biden once praised the first African-American nominee for president as "clean" and "articulate" and made inappropriate remarks about Indian Americans. Hillary Clinton had Travel-gate, etc. etc. etc. Ted Kennedy spoke at the Democratic National Convention despite Chappaquiddick. It goes on and on. There are endless examples of far more serious issues that did not result in such a feeding frenzy in the media.

Three days after Sarah Palin's nomination, the media are piling on Palin, writing stories implying that she wasn't properly vetted and maybe she won't last because of a series of minor issues with questionable relevance to the race. New York Times' story here.
La Times' story here on McCain's big "gamble." (But not Obama's...)
  • Palin's daughter is pregnant. (This is relevant to the presidential race, how? The media are saying that McCain should have vetted Palin better. But McCain says he knew about this and just didn't think it should exclude Palin. Obviously - why should it?)
  • Palin's husband was caught drunk driving 22 years ago. (This is relevant to Palin's candidacy - how?)
  • Palin's sought to get her brother-in-law off the state patrol. (The media never seem to print the details - that some allegations against him were substantiated, and that he had tasered her young nephew, among other things. Furthermore, if Bill Clinton's Troopergate didn't disqualify for the presidency, why should Palin's?)
  • Palin once belonged to a party advocating Alaskan secession back in the 1990s. (a legitimate issue but no more radical than Wright's church)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Palin's husband was caught drunk driving 22 years ago."

Rebuttal - No one died, and besides, it did not disqualify Ted Kennedy.

jay stevens

Ron Ray said...

simply put, all the things you cite v. obama were reported extensively. they're old news.

similarly, how much have you read in the mainstream media about the keating 5 and mccain?

Palin's new. reporters have to report.

besides, as long as rush and co. rant about Obama the secret muslim, nothing is off limits in terms of scandal.