Well, to stay fair, part of that negative coverage was brought on my Bill and Hillary themselves, and the media of course leaps on anything they can turn into entertainment-like Hillary's tearing up (which worked for her), and Bill's huge gaffe in SC. And it WAS a gaffe! I don't think it's fair to lay this totally at the foot of the camera. Barack seems to have avoided the glaring faux pas thus far (though he had one that I can't remember, just that it was on the news).
Something that struck me during the debate the other night-- did anyone notice Barack helping Hillary with her chair? I was interested in reactions. My husband (and our sons do this, too) was raised to open doors, pull out chairs, rise when a someone walks into the room or a woman leaves the table, all the old courtesies. When he was a young lawyer going to court as second chair to a female partner, he reached to carry the very heavy briefcase she was holding. She said, somewhat acerbically, "I can carry my own briefcase". I thought of that story reading Mary's post today. Women really have had to fight some of the oddest battles. Anyway, I wondered how Barack's courteous action was viewed- as intentional condescension, pointing out that she is a feeble older woman, or as the action of a traditionally raised, polite male. |
