Is the Treatment of Janet Napolitano Sexist?
January 4, 2010
by The New Agenda
|9 Comments
Is Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano on her way out the door?
And if so, would it be for her lack of ability to do her job or sexism? Is she being held to a different standard because she is a woman? Comment and tell us what you think (examples please).
The Sunday talk show The McLaughlin Group did their best guess as to who else might not be around at the end of 2010. Here’s their take:
Tell us your prediction(s)!
I think that Janet is being criticized for something job related, which is fair game as long as the criticism is not presented in a sexist way. But here in Massachusettts I have to wonder why the media has not made a bigger deal about our GOP senatorial candidate, Scott Brown’s, nude centerfold for Cosmopolitan when he was 22. Imagine the field day they would have if Martha Coakley was the one who had posed nude? I do hear about how “hot” he is from friends, but it seems to be a plus for him. As far as predictions go, I think the Republicans are going to gain more seats than is usual in a midterm election, but maybe not enough to take control of either the House or the Senate. If Obama runs in 2012, I think Joe Biden may decide to “retire” instead of running for VP again.
I think Napoletano isn’t very good … but I do think that, should she be broomed, the weapons of sexism will be launched against her, and we have to watch out for that.
Nit picking her job performance is okay. Cranking up the “that ugly bitch/thatbimbo” noise machine is not, and if it happens, it must be resisted.
And samanthasmom, I love it how Sarah Palin is shredded for the crime of “using her looks” when all she does is walk around being pretty … while a man who outright poses nekkid is given a pass. Talk about using your looks!
Men. Can get away. With ANYTHING. Up to an including rape and murder.
I haven’t seen anything sexism motivated against Napolitano. So far everything I have seen is fair game criticism, but if she is out the door in 2010, I hope she is replaced with a woman.
ITA.
It is important though, to make SURE that the following sort of conversation doesn’t happen:
“That fucking Napoletano chick, man what a dumb bitch! Throw that ugly dyke out on her ear!”
“That’s not acceptable language. Stop talking about her that way.”
“What, you like her?”
“Well … no … ”
“You agree with her job performance?”
“No, but … ”
“So then why shouldn’t I call her a dumb bitch if she is a dumb bitch?”
Do not allow them to get you to waffle. Should she be attacked in a sexist fashion, her job performance is IRRELEVANT. The proper response to, “What, you LIKE her?” is:
“That’s beside the point. No woman is fair game for that sort of sexist attack.”
“Yeah, but … !”
“NO WOMAN IS FAIR GAME FOR THAT SORT OF SEXIST ATTACK. PERIOD.”
Women really need to learn how to plant our heels and keep them there. Take your position and do not budge one inch. YOU MAY NOT TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY. Calling Alan Keyes a n*gger is unacceptable no matter how offensive he is, and we need to use that analogy if need be. Don’t let ourselves get backed up, softened, or lose ground if the conversation comes up.
My prediction:It seems to me that Obamas is getting ready to give the Secretary the boot. He blames the problems on “systemic problems”( meaning not him or his decisions) and has not owned the error as an administration problem. When he has to own up he will do so by not accepting blame himself but putting it on the secretary.
I think HRC and Geithner will go too…HRC will get the blame for Afgahnistan, Iran,etc when the Obama appeasement foreign policy fails and Geithner because of the economy, unemployment and the failure of the stimulus bill to do anyting positive.Obama will take none of the blame on himself.
Concerning the Secretary of Homeland Security her recent comments about how the system works and its failure are the reasons she is garnering the present attention. To date I have not heard any sexist talk, but then again she isnt a conservative woman. If she were, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and the rest would be having a field day.
Bruce if they boot her, they will lose big time in the eyes of a lot of people, I think … It depends on how tone-deaf they are, and they’ve proven themselves to be VERY tone-deaf.
I’m thinking of how a lot of people expected Condi Rice to be the fall guy for the Bsuh administration’s idiocies. She shilled for them yes, but they did stand behind her and she kept her job.
If Napoletano shills for her bosses and loses hers nonetheless … Hm. The comparison will be made. They’re burning through their goodwill capital pretty quickly in the WH lately, and people won’t be so quick to volunteer to help push the Hope Wagon anymore if they don’t feel that their bosses will be there for them. Republicans are ruthless bastards, but their stonefaced tribalism means that they are often there for the members of their team. Not all the time; they hung Palin out to dry. Had she won office though, they would have set their jaws like rocks and been behind her 100%.
That’s always been the biggest difference between the two parties; Repubs never lose sight of who the other team is. Dems do — all 2008, they pursued a scorched earth policy against half of their own party and then conciliated toward Repubs … and they wonder why almost half of their party is talking about refusing to vote in the next election cycle. Republicans are much better at telling who’s wearing the same uniform.
The class of people who run the government generally feel that a good way to solve any problem is to find a woman to blame it on. They do this in government and they do it in the military. Yes it’s sexist, it is also breathtakingly stupid.
I also have always felt it was stupid of the Democrats under Obama’s direction to strip women representatives out of their elected positions to put into Obama’s appointed positions. They just destroyed their farm team of female candidates because they were to short sighted to value them.
I lived in Arizona for a while when Napolitano was governor and neither heard nor read much criticism of her with the exception of a massive Latina/Latino street demonstration against [if I recall correctly] U.S. immigration policies. I found Obama’s choice curious considering how “State” driven Arizona’s politics are–the border with Mexico, significant Latina/Latino population and over 60 population from colder climates, the cowboy gun culture that permits citizens to carry guns and resulted in the death of a law enforcement officer because the shooter had been ticketed as a result of the cameras recently installed to observe traffic violations–just one example of the expressions of anger resulting from the cameras, large numbers of murders and kidnappings related to drugs, and the outrageous sheriff who was featured in (I think) both the New Yorker magazine and on “60 Minutes” but remains in office, and on and on, –mixed with a friendly down home culture of helpfulness.
Perhaps Obama chose Napolitano because she knows how to govern in a chaotic culture. I certainly hope he keeps her on. The only thing calmer than Napolitano is a rock.
Janet Napolitano is doing a terrible job, and stating this is not sexist while not stating it would be sexist. She is the Secretary of Homeland Security and her performance is putting this country at risk. She should be fired immediately, and replaced with someone better.
And this goes for the whole of Washington. Women and men alike.
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