Bernie takes a pass on supporting women too

[heyjude]

Bernie Sanders Gets Grumpy When Reporters Ask Him About His Hair

Bernie Sanders Gets Grumpy When Reporters Ask Him About His Hair

Just like everyone else.

In an interview with the New York Times Magazine, Democratic presidential hopeful and grumpy old hippie Bernie Sanders became especially grumpy when interviewer Ana Marie Cox asked him about his tufts of cottony white hair.

“Do you think it’s fair that Hillary [Clinton’s] hair gets a lot more scrutiny than yours does?” Cox asked.

“Hillary’s hair gets more scrutiny than my hair?” Sanders responded. “Is that what you’re asking?”

“O.K., Ana, I don’t mean to be rude here. I am running for President of the United States on serious issues, O.K.? Do you have serious questions?”
In his initial disgust, Sanders revealed that he has been largely uncoached in what it is like to be a female candidate—or a female anything, for that matter—in 2015. He also, rather offputtingly, revealed that he doesn’t necessarily trust that a female reporter will ask him worthwhile questions.

Cox defended her question as important, noting that “there is a gendered reason,” before he cut her off:

“When the media worries about what Hillary’s hair looks like or what my hair looks like, that’s the real problem. We have millions of people who are struggling to keep their heads above water, who want to know what candidates can do to improve their lives, and the media will very often spend more time worrying about hair than the fact that we’re the only major country on earth that doesn’t guarantee health care to all people.”

“It’s also true that the media pays more attention to what female candidates look like than it does to what male candidates look like,” Cox added.

“That may be,” Sanders conceded. “That may be and it’s absolutely wrong.”

I think Clinton and Cox alike also wish they didn’t have to humor questions about hair. That said, it’s probably not the best look for ultra-progressive white dudes to proclaim which issues are worth talking about.

[heyjude]

(That headline was inflammatory but I need eyeballs somehow)

[ttt]

I guess Bernie doesn't read our board.

It must be nice to not have to pay attention to the kinds of things that women deal with.

[heyjude]

He decided the very real biases against women was a unworthy discussion point. Strike 1.

He made a female reporter look dumb and mansplained "important issues" to her. Strike 2.

He missed an opportunity to show support of women generally when his main opponent is a woman. Strike 3.

It was a fail on his part all the way around.

[Deleted]

I'm not sure whether it's his fault that he didn't take the time to absorb and answer what was a serious issue or her fault that she couldn't get to the damn point and ask a straightforward question.

Thumbs down to both I think. Communication fail.

[heyjude]

And the only reason this is coming up at all or even on my radar is because the Bernie fans in my life are all over FB with a "how dare this woman ask Bernie such a question?!??!!!!" The martyr brigade is strong.

[ESF]

I'll concede that the question was poorly worded and a little strange.

That said, you don't throw a shit fit because you don't like the question. That's what Rand Paul and Sarah Palin do. He had an easy opening to say that yes, the media is sexist, and it's unfortunate because the sexism and focus on shit like hair detract from real issues. Instead, he blew her off.

This is the NY Times magazine, and the interviewer is well-known for covering feminist issues. What exactly did he think was going to happen?

I'm sure Bernie Sanders is not an oaf. But he's really tone deaf.

[bourbonfan]

I think the person who wrote this is making a lot of assumptions about whether or not Bernie trusts female reporters based off of him missing the point of a badly asked question. I mean, seriously, the dude is regularly made fun of because of his hair and appearance; even I initially assumed that's where she was going with her question.

Edited to add: I also find it interesting that the person who wrote this left out the part where Ana responded "Yeah" after Bernie asked her if that's what she was really asking. To me it seems like she may have purposely played coy in hopes of getting him to respond a certain way? Otherwise, why respond "yeah" when he asked if that was actually her question? Why not just clarify what she was asking since it was apparent he wasn't getting the point?

What @kcpokergal said: communication fail on both ends.

[bourbonfan]

I wish my work computer would let me copy/paste stuff into this board. The WaPo (Hunter Schwarz) did a piece in April titled "Great moments in Bernie Sanders's Hair." It's pretty amusing.

[gpw]

Aug 17, 2015 19:40:22 GMT -5 nursecramer said:

Somewhere, Trump is shouting at the computer screen "YES, can we PLEASE stop talking about candidates' HAIR?!"

......wait.  Aren't you the nurse that loves Cecil the Lion?



  I'm sorry(notsorry), for some reason, I couldn't resist today.  

[msmerymac]

Bernie Sanders was on Meet the Press yesterday, too. And while Trump came across better than I imaged he would, I was inwardly cringing for Bernie. He was really tone deaf. Chuck Todd asked him about an email his campaign sent out apologizing over the Black Lives Matter thing, and he said, "I didn't send that out, staffers did." And then proceeded to talk about how he had nothing to really apologize for.

You know how people argue that Bernie's platform about wage equality and creating a strong middle class and reforming wall street will help everyone, and therefore women and minorities will get their due? Honestly, I can't say that's something Bernie Sanders is really good at promoting. I don't think he's thought about how his platform might trickle down to others or create a domino effect of things like equal wages for women and therefore more family-friendly policies in the workplace, etc, etc. If he did, he would be using those things in his campaign. He just continues to fall back on, "but Americans want middle class economic security."

So while I actually like his platform and ideas more than any other candidate, I can't say that he has the best solutions to a LOT of social justice issues.

[ESF]

Aug 17, 2015 20:51:07 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Bernie Sanders was on Meet the Press yesterday, too. And while Trump came across better than I imaged he would, I was inwardly cringing for Bernie. He was really tone deaf. Chuck Todd asked him about an email his campaign sent out apologizing over the Black Lives Matter thing, and he said, "I didn't send that out, staffers did." And then proceeded to talk about how he had nothing to really apologize for.

You know how people argue that Bernie's platform about wage equality and creating a strong middle class and reforming wall street will help everyone, and therefore women and minorities will get their due? Honestly, I can't say that's something Bernie Sanders is really good at promoting. I don't think he's thought about how his platform might trickle down to others or create a domino effect of things like equal wages for women and therefore more family-friendly policies in the workplace, etc, etc. If he did, he would be using those things in his campaign. He just continues to fall back on, "but Americans want middle class economic security."

So while I actually like his platform and ideas more than any other candidate, I can't say that he has the best solutions to a LOT of social justice issues.

I saw that.  It was painful.  He said his staff screwed up and sent that out without his permission.  So he managed to throw both #blacklivesmatter and his own staff under the bus in one fell swoop.

There is a difference between staying on message and being a one trick pony.  He's really not comfortable talking about anything other than economic security and wages. He knows how to vote the party line, but I think he's going to struggle during the debates.

[bourbonfan]

Aug 17, 2015 21:00:48 GMT -5 ESF said:

Aug 17, 2015 20:51:07 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Bernie Sanders was on Meet the Press yesterday, too. And while Trump came across better than I imaged he would, I was inwardly cringing for Bernie. He was really tone deaf. Chuck Todd asked him about an email his campaign sent out apologizing over the Black Lives Matter thing, and he said, "I didn't send that out, staffers did." And then proceeded to talk about how he had nothing to really apologize for.

You know how people argue that Bernie's platform about wage equality and creating a strong middle class and reforming wall street will help everyone, and therefore women and minorities will get their due? Honestly, I can't say that's something Bernie Sanders is really good at promoting. I don't think he's thought about how his platform might trickle down to others or create a domino effect of things like equal wages for women and therefore more family-friendly policies in the workplace, etc, etc. If he did, he would be using those things in his campaign. He just continues to fall back on, "but Americans want middle class economic security."

So while I actually like his platform and ideas more than any other candidate, I can't say that he has the best solutions to a LOT of social justice issues.

I saw that.  It was painful.  He said his staff screwed up and sent that out without his permission.  So he managed to throw both #blacklivesmatter and his own staff under the bus in one fell swoop.

There is a difference between staying on message and being a one trick pony.  He's really not comfortable talking about anything other than economic security and wages. He knows how to vote the party line, but I think he's going to struggle during the debates.

I wish I could argue this isn't true, but I can't.

[ttt]

Aug 17, 2015 21:00:48 GMT -5 ESF said:

Aug 17, 2015 20:51:07 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Bernie Sanders was on Meet the Press yesterday, too. And while Trump came across better than I imaged he would, I was inwardly cringing for Bernie. He was really tone deaf. Chuck Todd asked him about an email his campaign sent out apologizing over the Black Lives Matter thing, and he said, "I didn't send that out, staffers did." And then proceeded to talk about how he had nothing to really apologize for.

You know how people argue that Bernie's platform about wage equality and creating a strong middle class and reforming wall street will help everyone, and therefore women and minorities will get their due? Honestly, I can't say that's something Bernie Sanders is really good at promoting. I don't think he's thought about how his platform might trickle down to others or create a domino effect of things like equal wages for women and therefore more family-friendly policies in the workplace, etc, etc. If he did, he would be using those things in his campaign. He just continues to fall back on, "but Americans want middle class economic security."

So while I actually like his platform and ideas more than any other candidate, I can't say that he has the best solutions to a LOT of social justice issues.

I saw that.  It was painful.  He said his staff screwed up and sent that out without his permission.  So he managed to throw both #blacklivesmatter and his own staff under the bus in one fell swoop.

There is a difference between staying on message and being a one trick pony.  He's really not comfortable talking about anything other than economic security and wages. He knows how to vote the party line, but I think he's going to struggle during the debates.

This is why, while I like Bernie, I don't want him to be president. I think that he's much more effective as a one-issue agitator, much like Elizabeth Warren. Those issues are important and they need powerful people who can laser-focus in on them. A president just can't do that. A president is necessarily focused on multiple priorities and also has a limited time in that role when he/she is expected to accomplish many different things. After the end of term 2, they're done, finished, end of the line. 

I adore Elizabeth Warren and ideally, I'd like her to be Queen of the US, but practically and realistically speaking, I don't actually want her to be President (though I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't vote for her were she on the ticket). 

[ESF]

LOL Wonkette is on it.

wonkette.com/593003/bernie-sanders-refuses-to-answer-sexist-questions-about-his-luxurious-mane

I forgot that Cox was the original Wonkette.