Sexy Sarah Palin: Leftist Sexists At It Yet Again–UPDATED, UPDATED AGAIN

November 16, 2009 / 1:58 pm • By Dr. Melissa Clouthier

How ribald can you be? Newsweek will show you:

1

The CBN’s David Brody says:

You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Newsweek. They have accomplished being biased and sexist at the same time. Quite a feat. This cover has got to be a new low right? They don’t use a photo of Palin on the campaign trail. No instead they take the sexy Runners World photo. Yes she posed for it but don’t tell me they didn’t purposely use that photo to make a point? I predict this cover will become a bigger story over the next 24-48 hours and let’s face it. This isn’t JUST about media bias. This cover should be insulting to women politicians. Where’s the sexy photo of Mitt Romney? Why not a picture of Tim Pawlenty with an unbuttoned shirt relaxing on a couch in the Twin Cities?

We see Obama with halos hovering over his head. We see Sarah in running shoes. The whole purpose is to diminish, denigrate and destroy a woman who differs politically.

As if fair-minded Americans needed more evidence of press bias.

Updated:

Sarah Palin responds to the cover from Facebook:

The choice of photo for the cover of this week’s Newsweek is unfortunate. When it comes to Sarah Palin, this “news” magazine has relished focusing on the irrelevant rather than the relevant. The Runner’s World magazine one-page profile for which this photo was taken was all about health and fitness – a subject to which I am devoted and which is critically important to this nation. The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now. If anyone can learn anything from it: it shows why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin. The media will do anything to draw attention – even if out of context.

- Sarah Palin

After this post got fed to Twitter, I got into an argument with a leftist feminist there about this cover. She brought up Hillary Clinton. She believes that Sarah Palin did this to herself by posing for Runners World. What serious politician or man would pose for that sort of cover?

What serious newsweekly would put a degrading picture, say of Obama frolicking in the surf or Bil and Hill dancing in the sand for the camera, on the cover of a magazine? Only conservative politicians need worry about being portrayed as trivial and sexy (Sarah), mean and old (McCain), mean (Cheney), mean and stupid (GWB). A Democrat gets gravitas-portraying treatment.

Always.

And that’s why conservatives view the press as biased. They don’t even attempt, even feebly, to hide it anymore.

UPDATED AGAIN:

Well, I knew this story had legs. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Anyway the feminists are coming out against Newsweek. It’s about damn time. It is heartening to see them facing this bias. Women should be evaluated on their content, beliefs and actions. When Sarah Palin is reduced to her legs, the men don’t have to evaluate her on her merit.

Julie Millican of Media Matters [!] says:

There are a lot of legitimate reasons to criticize Sarah Palin, her new book, and her policies, but you don’t have to stoop to sexism to do it. Newsweek’s November 23 issue, however, does just that by publishing on its cover a photo of Palin in short running shorts and a fitted top, leaning against the American flag. Making matters worse is the equally offensive headline Newsweek editors chose to run alongside the photo — “How Do You Solve a Problem like Sarah?” — presumably a reference to the Sound of Music song, “Maria,” in which nuns fret about “how” to “solve a problem like Maria,” a “girl” who “climbs trees” and whose “dress has a tear.”

When will the media stop this degrading nonsense? I think it’s when those within the ranks start holding them accountable. That’s happening, thankfully, at long last.

  1. 28 Responses to “Sexy Sarah Palin: Leftist Sexists At It Yet Again–UPDATED, UPDATED AGAIN”

  2. brewers_rule
    November 16 2009 / 2:08 pm
    Reply

    I guess the happiest explanantion I can spin up is that men always desire what they cannot have?

  3. DaveR
    November 16 2009 / 2:44 pm
    Reply

    As much as you “should” use an actual political picture of someone when you are doing a political story on them – having this cover will sell more of their magazine. And don’t think they didn’t have some LONG discussions about using this photo.

    And I’m glad I’m not a Democrat and having to see those “ladies” all the time. There’s a reason some women don’t like Gov. Palin – and it’s not politics…

  4. fuster
    November 16 2009 / 4:02 pm
    Reply

    Anybody complaining about the photo might ask why a serious politician would have posed like that. It’s not a shot that was taken without her consent and not something that she didn’t allow to be released.

  5. Paul_In_Houston
    November 16 2009 / 4:24 pm
    Reply

    Interesting how the destruction of someone who is supposed to be “stupid”, “irrelevant” , “a joke”, “whose 15 minutes are over” seems to be such a priority for some people.

    You don’t expend that much (and that kind of) ammunition on someone if you truly believe that about her. You save it for REAL targets instead.

    -

  6. DaveR
    November 16 2009 / 4:30 pm
    Reply

    Um…let see. It was for a story in a FITNESS magazine, so maybe the outfit was for the story?

  7. fuster
    November 16 2009 / 4:45 pm
    Reply

    The outfit if you really want to stretch the point, but the hipshot pose,the eyeglasses, the make-up, and the use of a flag as something to drape over a chair and lean her elbow upon, doesn’t scream exercise, does it?

  8. jimmy
    November 16 2009 / 4:48 pm
    Reply

    Since one of the biggest questions political punditry is focused on right now as it considers Sarah Palin is whether or not she is getting ready for a run – at becoming president. This pic is a play on that theme and seems obvious to me.

  9. USpace
    November 16 2009 / 8:44 pm
    Reply

    .
    The hypocrisy of the Left is sickening. If Sarah Palin was a ‘Progressive’ she would be celebrated as being ‘American as Apple Pie’.
    .
    absurd thought –
    our Supreme God says
    DESTROY ALL women

    who are conservative
    pro-life and independent
    .

  10. fuster
    November 16 2009 / 9:04 pm
    Reply

    If she was a Progressive there would be plenty of folks being just as derisive, maybe not quite as many, but still plenty.

    You ‘thought” isn’t absurd,it’s sickening.

  11. USpace
    November 16 2009 / 9:23 pm
    Reply

    .
    It’s an absurd thought. But that’s what the Left does, tries to destroy a real woman because she’s conservative, and pretty, and not from a big city, with an ‘elite’ college degree. That’s what they do to conservative minorities too. They just call them ‘gender traitors’ and ‘race traitors’.

    If that loony crow Pelosi was a conservative the media would rip her to shreds.

    Palin is so much smarter and totally more sane than Pelosi, it’s just no contest.

    She’s a lot more qualified to be President as well.

    And more importantly she KNOWS that Leftism is a lie, that it is bad for most people, especially the poor and middle classes; and it is racist and sexist at its core.

    That is what is actually sickening, the racism and sexism of the Left; it’s much, much worse than anything on the Right, and deep down you Lefties know it.

    More and more people every day are waking up to the lies of the Left, you will be defeated.

    absurd thought –
    our Supreme God says
    DESTROY your economies

    expand your welfare states
    until they ALL collapse
    .

  12. fuster
    November 16 2009 / 9:33 pm
    Reply

    Did you just call Speaker Pelosi a “loony crow” at the same time that you’re carrying on about how the left is sickly trying to destroy a “real woman”?

    You should think some more about this whole issue.

  13. Mark
    November 16 2009 / 9:47 pm
    Reply

    I’d vote for her if I could nail her in the ass then splooge on her glasses………….

  14. fuster
    November 16 2009 / 10:04 pm
    Reply

    Mark, are you talking about your mom or your grandmother?

  15. Mark
    November 16 2009 / 10:38 pm
    Reply

    About Ms. Palin of course……….

  16. Mark
    November 16 2009 / 10:43 pm
    Reply

    To USpace: More religious kooks—Who said “Turn the other cheek”, was it Jesus or Pat Roberts?? I can see Russia from here, (wink) and I don’t believe in that there evolyoution thing (wink) but shootin’ moose and sluttin my kids is ok, good ole American freedoms! Praise the lord and pass the napalm!

  17. O Bloody Hell
    November 17 2009 / 7:16 am
    Reply

    Mark blathers:

    To USpace: More …

    In order to demonstrate personally to all here that not only are many liberals crude, sexist pigs, but that they’re ignorant as well.

    Tell us, Mark — did fuster invite you over here to make him look good, because his worst qualities are merely a lack of common sense and rational argumentation skills?

  18. O Bloody Hell
    November 17 2009 / 7:36 am
    Reply

    Look, if some commentator picked out some liberal politician and started commenting, endlessly, on how she looked, rather than on what was said and done, the whining and caterwauling would be deafening. The calls for said commentator’s head would be loud and voluminous.

    The complaint would be (correctly) that the woman was being reduced to a sex object. That she was being denigrated into something that “looked pretty” but wasn’t good for anything else, that her abilities and skills were being ignored in favor of treating her as something to screw instead of a woman with ability and talent.

    You can’t tell me this isn’t so. You know it’s true — no matter your political persuasion.

    So this attempt to reduce Palin to nothing more than a sex object is just one hypocritical part of a widespread campaign to destroy a major threat to the Democratic party — an electable woman who isn’t under their control, and who actually stands for something, unlike just about every other left-leaning politician (the only lefties I’ll grant the concept of integrity to are Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman — but don’t think I overrate the Right on this, either, though).

    > Did you just call Speaker Pelosi a “loony crow” at the same time that you’re carrying on about how the left is sickly trying to destroy a “real woman”?

    Actually, fuster, you need to make a case for your argument rather than mindlessly naysaying it, but that’s a typical tactic for incomptetent arguers like yourself, so I’m not surprised.

    The case would be twofold, assuming you’re actually arguing both points.

    a) In what manner would you claim that Pelosi, is NOT a “loony crow”?

    b) How, exactly, do you disagree with the assessment of Palin as “a real woman” — she’s competent, resourceful, capable, at least moderately intelligent, and has handled a blatant Left-Wing “Attack Machine” far better than Hillary did, even though they went full-bore after Palin, and not Hillary. She has the kind of integrity that should be respected and rewarded in ALL politicians — she was put into office on the presumption of support of cronyism and she was having none of it — she saw what was wrong and did what was right, even when that was not supportive of her own party.

    If there were more female politicians like her, there’d be more women in Congress. And Congress wouldn’t be flirting with single-digit approval ratings.

    There — I’ve done a part of your work for you, by detailing a list of things for you to refute regarding Palin. Stick to actual facts, please, and a simple “Nu—UHHHHHHHH!” will be not be accepted as a valid response on any point…

    Time to put up or shut up, fuster.

  19. jimmy
    November 17 2009 / 1:41 pm
    Reply

    It is laughable that Mrs. Palin should be held up as a model of integrity when it is clear she opportunistically quit her job as governor in order to cash in ($7 million) on a deal to lend her name to a book that was actually ghost-written by Lynn Vincent.

    Please Please Please GOP, please nominate Palin for the 2012 presidential ticket. She is the gift that keeps on giving.

  20. Paul_In_Houston
    November 17 2009 / 2:18 pm
    Reply

    Jimmy:

    While I disagree with you as much as I do with fuster and mark, I will note that YOU do not hide behind total anonymity, and I respect you for that.

    Nice work on your blog, BTW.
    -

  21. fuster
    November 17 2009 / 6:16 pm
    Reply

    Paul,
    If I tell you to call me Fred in NYC does that make it seem like I’m not hiding?

  22. PunditMom
    November 18 2009 / 10:11 am
    Reply

    You know something is really bad when us progressives agree with conservatives on an issue! Seriously, the Women’s Media Center has also come out with a statement against this, as well. This isn’t even a close call. I’ll change my position on this if and when they show a similar photo of one of the C Street guys on the cover.

  23. fuster
    November 18 2009 / 10:50 am
    Reply

    Punditmom, do you think that other ex-governors or vice -presidential candidates allow themselves to pose like that?
    This photo was the closest that I could find,

    http://fapo.org/al-gore-academy-awards.jpg

    and even so, it was a more formal outfit and less of a pose. The make-up less blatant also.

  24. DaveR
    November 18 2009 / 12:35 pm
    Reply

    um…again fuster – it was for a Fitness Magazine YEARS ago. A VP invite or ANYTHING National was never thought of.

    It’s like all the press using OLD Rush pics when he was 85 lbs heavier as IF it’s what he looks like currently.

  25. fuster
    November 18 2009 / 3:09 pm
    Reply

    Dave, would you please re-check that?
    As far as I can tell, the photo’s appeared in Runner’s World in Aug 2009.
    The interview couldn’t have been years ago, because she’s quoted as saying that she wasn’t able to go running as often as she liked while she was campaigning for VP.

  26. fuster
    November 18 2009 / 3:51 pm
    Reply

    here, Dave

    http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-410–13221-0,00.html

    the photo is at the slideshow provided with the interview. It’s number 7.

  27. DaveR
    November 18 2009 / 3:57 pm
    Reply

    Yes, fuster I found that also. I was thinking of one of the other runners mags that did a story on her back in 2007 or earlier that some of the lib blogs tried to bring up to poo-poo her “qualifications” for VP with pics of her in her running outfit.

  28. fuster
    November 18 2009 / 4:14 pm
    Reply

    You get a point from me for standing up, Dave.

  29. Jeanna
    November 23 2009 / 11:50 am
    Reply

    Sarah Palin is a good leader. i can say that because she did some projects in alaska that helped lots of people .

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