BROKAW SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT…. Apparently, the Republican talking points this week don’t just include attacks on the media, but more specifically, attacks on the media for questioning Sarah Palin’s family burden.
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R) was on NBC earlier, telling Tom Brokaw that she’s been hearing from women across the country who are outraged by questions about how Palin can serve as vice president and raise her children at the same time. “She’s being questioned in a way that no man in her position would be questioned,” Lingle said.
Now, I’ll concede that I don’t watch television news, so I have no idea if news outlets are actually asking this question. If reporters are raising this argument, they’re wrong and clearly crossing the line.
But who is it, exactly, who’s making this argument? Which media figures are publicly speculating about whether Palin is capable of serving as vice president and maintaining her familial role? Are there Democratic officials raising this question? Is this a legitimate concern about irresponsible reporting, or is this some kind of manufactured victimization, intended to score some cheap points?
Brokaw, to his credit, set the record straight: “With all due respect, and said this earlier, I think that issue has not been raised at the highest levels. I think there have been many more concerns about foreign policy experience, for example, about some of her other views, if she’s going to appeal to the Clinton voters. She is after all, anti-abortion, not for choice. There are some questions about her real beliefs — creationism vs. evolution — and whether or not being the governor of a state like Alaska, with 600,000 people, and a budget that is underwritten by the oil companies, prepares her for stepping into the Oval Office.”
To hear some Palin allies tell it, any question at all is inappropriate and based on sexism. That can’t last as a defense for questions about her readiness for national office.
