Bonnie Erbe Rails Against Men for Sexism in Opposing Caroline Kennedy

Photo of Ken Shepherd.
By Ken Shepherd (Bio | Archive)
January 5, 2009 - 18:16 ET

Is that? [sniff] No, couldn't be. [sniff][sniff] Yup, I thought I smelled paranoid liberal.

Taxpayer-financed journalist Bonnie Erbe smells a rat, namely the plurality of men in a recent poll who dared declare Caroline Kennedy unfit for serving in the U.S. Senate. From the PBS "To the Contrary" host's December 31 blog post at US News & World Report:

No one should feign surprise at a new poll showing women more supportive of Caroline Kennedy's bid to replace Hillary Clinton as New York's junior U.S. senator. But what is interesting about this poll is why men are less likely to support her:

Fifty-seven percent of the women taking part in the new CNN-Opinion Research Corp. Poll said that Kennedy is qualified to be a senator from New York. But only 47 percent of men agreed.

...

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

CNN's polling director, Keating Holland, says that the gender gap reflects dramatically different perceptions of Kennedy's record.

"Men may think of qualifications for public office in terms of work experience, while women may be looking at a candidate's life experience," says Holland. "Caroline Kennedy has a personal history that may be compelling to many women, but her resume is not very long, and that may be a mark against her to some men."

Do I smell a bit of sexism in men's decision-making processes? Would those same men have held it against Barack Obama that he had only two years in the Senate when he started running for president? What about Arnold Schwarzenegger's long legislative career or that of Ronald Reagan when he ran for governor?

Caroline Kennedy is certainly not qualified for the office she seeks. But qualifications seem to be much less important to men when male action stars seek office.

So let's get this straight. The men in the CNN poll are a whole lot closer to being 50-50 on the question of Caroline Kennedy's qualifications and Erbe herself thinks Kennedy is not qualified for the job. Yet it's men who are sexist, not women, for disagreeing with Erbe?

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Makes perfect sense to me.

January 5, 2009 - 18:23 ET by SpaceManSpiff

Makes perfect sense to me. CNN doesn't know whether it's coming or going.

"CNN doesn't know whether it's coming or going..."

January 5, 2009 - 22:57 ET by PrairieSky

Personally, I'd love to see them GOING!!!! LOL!! 

"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan~ January 20, 1981

Oh, no you don't sister.

January 5, 2009 - 18:23 ET by Chris Norman

Oh, no you don't sister. That "sexism" argument is way past threadbare.

The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.

I know of so many women against her

January 5, 2009 - 18:28 ET by StarAZ

 

She is giving us a bad name!

Nothing to do with sexism,

January 5, 2009 - 18:34 ET by mostlymoderate

Nothing to do with sexism, has EVERYTHING to do with Kennedy's living in glass-houses while screwing EVERYTHING up for the average American since the 1960's.

Sorry, but the women who

January 5, 2009 - 18:36 ET by motherbelt

Sorry, but the women who think she is being discriminated against ar the ones who don't care how incapable she is; they think she should have the seat just because she is a woman (and a Kennedy)!

In addition Erbe

January 5, 2009 - 18:38 ET by okiehawk44

I'm also against the male Kennedy who has several DUIs.

I'm also against the male Kennedy who went on a rape spree with Uncle Teddy in West Palm Beach.

I'm also against the male Kennedy who raped and killed the girl in Greenwich, Connetticut.

I'm also against the male Kennedy who flies around the country in his jet screeching at us slubs for driving our jalopies to work.

I'm also against the male Kennedy who got caught chasing his kids' babysitter around for sex.

I'm also against the male Kennedy who killed his wife and sister-in-law flying a plane in conditions he was not qualified for.

Should I go on Erbe or is this short list enough to get you started?

 

Also against all these male

January 5, 2009 - 18:58 ET by midnight cowboy

Also against all these male Kennedys 

The male kennedy who commited vehicular homicide.

or the male Kennedy who got butt f*cked in front of the whole world with the bay of pigs fiasco not to mention coming close to starting WWIII.

How about the male Kennedy who paid off the officials who was a major bootlegger during prohibition.  The same Kennedy that was a Nazi sympathizer.

Again male Kennedy hubris who loaded up his aicraft with so much explosives only to become a suicide mission because he couldn't let his brother have the headlines.

Not to mention the male Kennedy who with the typical Kennedy hubris that killed John jr., plays football while skiing down a mountain and does a header into a tree.

 

 

Screw all that, just look at

January 5, 2009 - 19:28 ET by mostlymoderate

Screw all that, just look at Ted Kennedy's active role in changing American immigration policy to something the founding fathers NEVER had intended.  Se Habla Espanol????  Meanwhile, the Kennedy's live in their little "fantasyland" compound, in the suburbs far away from the overpopulated city conditions they created.

Bonnie is wrong

January 5, 2009 - 19:13 ET by RD King

I didn't like her dad, her uncle Bob and I think her  uncle Ted is one of the biggest pieces of S**t  in govt today, except for maybe AA OtJEC. She just doesn't do it for me YOU KNOW.

My dad who was part of the

January 5, 2009 - 20:13 ET by misterbee241

My dad who was part of the Greatest Generation never talked politics.  I dont know if he ever voted.  This much I do know - he hated and feared the Kennedys.  Maybe he had his reasons.

 

She's right--is isn't fair for women!

January 5, 2009 - 19:22 ET by JeffC...

After all, if a man with an Ivy League education and no real world experience can get elected president, why can't a woman with an Ivy League education and no real world experience get appointed Senator?

Boy, I guess its a good thing that Caroline Kennedy isn't black.

January 5, 2009 - 19:36 ET by R D Helm

If she was, not only would the male respondents to that poll be fending off charges of blatant sexism, but the dreaded racism charge, as well.

All that matters to the Bonnie Erbes of the world is not the qualifications of the democrat in question, but their gender and/or race.  

-Dave

“Them that’s going get on the wagon. Them that ain’t get out of the way.” -Because enough is enough.

Ah, Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie . . .

January 5, 2009 - 19:53 ET by Galvanic

Like many in the MSM, her analysis runs shallow and crooked.   She's a walking, talking campus-feminist zombie --- the whole world is focused through Naomi Wolf's lenses.

 

 

I think the most concerning

January 5, 2009 - 21:34 ET by thebutlerdidit

I think the most concerning part is that they found this many people, 47% and 57% respectively, that supported her! I guess I shouldn't be, considering O's numbers, but dang!  And I hate all this sexism carping. It is as bad as the race card. I think I agree with Coulter, sometimes, women shouldn't be allowed to vote. I'll give my right up, if it weeds out some of the nuts.

TBDI

January 5, 2009 - 22:56 ET by choselife3x

I'm with ya on that. I'd do it in a heartbeat. Colossally stoopid weemon are a major part of this country's ills.

If we really want to get things back on track we'd have to get rid of the black vote too though. *oh no she di'int!!*
Oh yeah, she did! Who else has seen that Howard Stern video?! If white people were that blatantly racist the media sh!tstorm would be epic.
Anyone who votes based on race shouldn't be voting. I don't care what color you are.

In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.

Well you know

January 5, 2009 - 22:43 ET by NorthCoaster

We ought to give the rich elite a pass and just appoint them to whatever position they fancy.

Just another connected good looking empty suit!

 

Bonnie,

Why was the MSM against Sarah Palin who was eminently more qualified to be VP than the PEBO is qualified to be Persident?

Hey ...Not that I disagree with...

January 5, 2009 - 22:46 ET by PrairieSky

the opinion expressed a couple of posts above, but can we try to watch the language a bit?

"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan~ January 20, 1981

Good evening Prairie

January 5, 2009 - 22:51 ET by cocodrie

My sentiments exactly. Have a Blessed Year.

Hi coco and Happy, Blessed New Year to you and yours...

January 5, 2009 - 22:54 ET by PrairieSky

too! Thanks! 

"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan~ January 20, 1981