CNN anchor Campbell Brown led her Election Center program on Wednesday with a critique of the “double standard” concerning the recent attention on the $150,000 that the Republican National Committee spent on vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin: “My issue: there is an incredible double standard here, and we're ignoring a very simple reality. Women are judged based on their appearance far, far more than men. This is a statement of fact. There has been plenty of talk and plenty written about Sarah Palin’s jackets, her hair, her looks....Compare that to the attention given to Barack Obama’s $1,500 suits or John McCain’s $520 Ferragamo shoes. There is no comparison.”
Brown spent more than 2 minutes on the matter, in which she related her own experience of how women “get scrutinized based on appearance” much more than men do: “...I speak from experience here. When I wear a bad outfit on the air, I get viewer e-mail complaining about it, a lot of e-mail, seriously. When Wolf Blitzer wears a not-so-great tie, how much e-mail do you think he gets? My point is, for women, unfortunately, appearance is part of the job. If Wolf or Anderson shows up on the air without makeup, do you think you would even notice? I show up on the air without makeup, trust me, you’ll notice.” The CNN anchor then defended the RNC’s efforts to help Palin appear visually good: “All women in the public eye deal with this issue, and it’s for this reason that I think the RNC should help Palin pay for hair, clothes, and makeup. It is part of the job.” She concluded her commentary by labeling the attention on Palin’s clothing a “peripheral issue” in the presidential campaign.
More than a half hour later, the Palin/clothing issue came again during a roundtable discussion. Brown asked Time magazine’s Mark Halperin about a possible backlash against the Alaska governor. Instead of answering her question, Halperin decided to get former Romney spokesman Kevin Madden’s take on the matter: “Kevin, tell Campbell and her audience what Republicans are really saying today about Sarah Palin and about the pick and about the effect -- this revelation about the clothes -- the clothing allowance the RNC gave her. Tell people what Republicans are really thinking.” Madden balked at first, but Brown insisted that he answer the question. He replied, “There are those out there who are, you know, in these battleground states that are really energized by the simple fact that they finally have somebody like them on the ticket, somebody they can identify.” Halperin then interrupted with a snark: “Only with a $150,000 clothing allowance.”
The transcript of Campbell Brown’s commentary which aired at the beginning of Wednesday’s Election Center program:
CAMPBELL BROWN: ...[F]irst, as we do every night, we’re cutting through the bull -- a lot of sniping and a lot of stories today about Sarah Palin’s clothes. Politico.com reports that the Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothes, hair, and makeup for Palin on the campaign trail.
Now, these are not your tax dollars. This is money given by Republican donors to the RNC. But the report questions whether it's legal to use campaign cash for quote,’personal use.’ My issue: there is an incredible double standard here, and we're ignoring a very simple reality. Women are judged based on their appearance far, far more than men. This is a statement of fact. There has been plenty of talk and plenty written about Sarah Palin’s jackets, her hair, her looks. Sound familiar? There was plenty of talk and plenty written about Hillary Clinton’s looks, hair, pantsuits. Compare that to the attention given to Barack Obama’s $1,500 suits or John McCain’s $520 Ferragamo shoes. There is no comparison.
Women get scrutinized based on appearance far more than men, and look, I speak from experience here. When I wear a bad outfit on the air, I get viewer e-mail complaining about it, a lot of e-mail, seriously. When Wolf Blitzer wears a not-so-great tie, how much e-mail do you think he gets? My point is, for women, unfortunately, appearance is part of the job. If Wolf or Anderson shows up on the air without makeup, do you think you would even notice? I show up on the air without makeup, trust me, you’ll notice. This doesn't just apply to TV. All women in the public eye deal with this issue, and it’s for this reason that I think the RNC should help Palin pay for hair, clothes, and makeup. It is part of the job.
Now, you may think that’s an awful lot of money to spend on clothes, hair, and makeup, or you may complain, as some have, it’s hypocritical to sell yourself as a small-town hockey mom when you’re wearing designer clothes. That's fine. Just don't ignore the fact that there is a double standard here and personally, I think, in this campaign, with so much at stake, this is a peripheral issue. I myself have raised plenty of questions about Sarah Palin, much to the annoyance of the McCain campaign. But those questions have been about her qualifications and experience, never her appearance. Let’s keep the focus on what really matters here.
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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What about Hillary's $6000 pantsuits
October 23, 2008 - 14:59 ET by MichiganManRush was talking about this on his show today and mentioned the $6000 pantsuits for Hillary that she gets for free from her "designer". No hyprocisy there...
Well, knock me over
October 23, 2008 - 15:20 ET by SickofLibsWow, there's even such a thing as a $6,000 pantsuit?
What are they, lined with $100 bills? 24-carat zippers? Platinum buttons?
Well, whatever, as long as they fulfill the mission of protecting the public from Hillary's legs.
pants savings
October 23, 2008 - 15:23 ET by tejanodiablodidn't have to spend money on razors, though ..
never look a gift skunk in the tail ..
»→ Refund Hillary
October 23, 2008 - 15:23 ET by Cool ArrowI thought maybe Chelsea made those things in Home Economics class and Hillary wore them to encourage her.
Hillary paid money for her canary and pumpkin outfits?
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Special Options For Hillary
October 23, 2008 - 15:52 ET by stratmanNuclear powered pit and panty shields plus the holographic derriere slimmer software supplied by George "Star Wars" Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic business.
Unfortunately for Hillary, Lucas was unable to help with the cankles.
For 2012, Hillary's posse is busy perfecting the plastic surgery as seen in the movie Brazil (Mrs. Ida Lowry) and the flying suit of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune (a vile, pestulent tyrrant who drinks blood from his living slaves).
Funny how fiction and fact sometimes collide.
expensive
October 23, 2008 - 15:22 ET by tejanodiabloor mzzzz carter's $1.50 wardrobe ... and they got their sweaters at goodwill ..
never look a gift skunk in the tail ..
Now the real question of course is...
October 23, 2008 - 15:03 ET by Prester John....will CNN and the rest of the usual suspects spend as much time on the assault on the McCain volunteer in Pittsburg as Palin's wardrobe? And will BHO denounce violence direct at McCain supporters?
MCCAIN VOLUNTEER ATTACKED AND MUTILATED IN PITTSBURGH
http://www.drudgereport.com/
Any bets?
It might make the "In
October 23, 2008 - 15:55 ET by motherbeltIt might make the "In other news...." segment...
And why isn't anyone demanding that Barack Obama denounce these attacks as a "distraction" (to quote himself) and the "same old politics" when Americans are worried about important things?????
Campbell Brown is a brain hag
October 23, 2008 - 15:10 ET by Lame CherryMaybe Campbell Brown should not be working at central couch casting CNN where perverts like Bill Maher not only look like their penis but talk like them for a better audience of fan mail who judge her on her clothes.
Never once have I thought of emailing Ms. Brown for the sack dresses she wears nor for her knobby knees. The woman disgusts me in her hag brain of no thought, but is like Cynthia McFadden, all prissy hate for the Conservative girl and like Mo Dowd in all moon eyes for the liberal boy.
So for Ms. Brown to devote a whopping 2 minutes on her pet subject of penis tease in how she got ahead in life and then complain about it AFTER SHE WAS POLITICALLY GANG RAPING Sarah Palin for the past 2 months is ludicrous.
Brown's view of the world would be like a white woman raped by a village of savages and staked out on plain which Brown cheered, but is now complaining that CNN dared take pictures of it and complain the woman's hair was messy.
I honestly don't know what a gentleman would do with such idiocy as Campbell Brown. She is so intellectually unattractive one would gag being around her and no one would have the stomach to invest enough time to reveal to her that beating the bajesus out of Sarah Palin for two months to get a black guy elected, which will destroy all women's chances for the next generation of them getting into the White House as they will be viewed as drags on the ticket........
Remember Brownie, it was your nose shoved up bashing Hillary and now Sarah ruining women which brought all this about. You destroyed women's chances for a liberal man.
You did this Campbell Brown with your catty Couric and that femmy Charlie Gibson with the bisexual tingler Matthews.
So don't b*tch about Blitzer's tampon size compared to yours as you made this the issue when you wore your short skirt into every fricking interview as a reporter and for those station letches you charmed to hire you.
You and all these liberal hags have been destroying women's advancement for decades. You went after Hillary and Sarah and now you complain the boys have the balls to make a point of it when you started the cat fight.
I honestly hope Ms. Brown you get back 100 times the sexism you have sown and that is your legacy attached to your liberal name.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
hmmm
October 23, 2008 - 15:16 ET by MeowMeowShocking. I always tagged Brown as a complete idiot. Now, she's moved up to "mostly idiot."
Obama: A glittering jewel of colossal ignorance. --RL
One of the many benefits of
October 23, 2008 - 15:23 ET by TD in FLOne of the many benefits of having Palin on the ticket is that as the media move into sexist destroy mode, it has to hurt somewhere deep down inside for the female media personalities. Even if they lean toward the liberal side, a part of them is probably seething with anger - but there really is no outlet with their elitist liberal friends. So, every now and then they speak the truth, but just in small enough quantities so no one in their circle will complain. This appears to have been one of those moments.
Really Campbell
October 23, 2008 - 15:25 ET by Southern voterEveryone knows Sarah Palin could wear a burlap sack and still look fabulous !!! and yes, I have to admit I love to see what she is wearing day today ....what style shoes today....what will her hair look like today ??/ she is a beautiful, classy lady ....think about it , have you ever seen her that she didn't have that beautiful smile ....I love it !!!....
I am so happy that John McCain selected Sarah Palin ....my family is very large , of all the children in our extended family, three of the children have Down Syndrom (niece,brother's grand daughter and a cousins grand son) their parents all chose to have these beautiful children ...so yes, we all know Sarah Palin doesn't need the make up, designer clothes, shoes etc....she represents the best in all of us ....the beauty is just the ribbon on the package...and isn't that truly what the MSM hates about her....it's the whole package ....protection of life...protection of values and being able to do what is right for all the people of this great country ...Sarah and John McCain provide true hope for America ...
Go Sarah !!!
A Burlap sack....
October 24, 2008 - 05:35 ET by MexNobamaHere is a famous pic of pre blonde Marilyn Monroe in a burlap sack:
http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_430xN.27059094.jpg
Now I could so totally photo shop Sarah's head onto this pic, but the point I think you are trying to make is that Sarah would look great in just about anything.
My wife, who is a very very good looking woman can walk into a thrift store, spend $10 dollars on an old baggy dress, redesign it and make it look like a Versace original. That happens to be one of her talents.
Sarah doesn't have that kind of time right at the moment. As Rush pointed out she was minding her own business running Alaska when the McCain campaign called her and said: "We need you."
If the RNC hadn't given her the money Cindy McCain would have written the checks herself. One of her dresses costs $300,000, and rightly so. She looks like a Million bucks in them.
Meanwhile we are forced to watch Michelle Obama mask her obvious eating binges in increasingly flattering but baggy dresses and say "Oh she looks just like Jackie Kennedy".
No she doesn't. She looks like an angry sour black woman with a big fat butt who wants to snarf down lobsters with butter on the DNC's tab just to get even with whitey for years of opression.
At least when Latina women get fat they have the good taste to blame it on the ethnic diet.
All of this is such a ridiculous farce and distraction. Meanwhile we have female McCain supports having B's carved into their faces, and the obvious sexisism racism and hatred of the act being ignored by the mainstream media. We hava a candidate who cannot even really prove that he is a natrual born American citizen. We have plans for socialism and one party rule that will be so draconian as to destroy the US constitution itself.
But lets snark about Sarah Palin's wardrobe....
Conjecture
October 23, 2008 - 15:29 ET by stratmanSomehow I'm left wondering if Brown isn't doing a preliminary strike to avert attention from her own clothing fetish.
If we were to look into Brown's closets, would we see outfit after outfit, shoe after shoe, of designer duds fit to engender jealousy from Imelda "Twinkle Toes" Marcos and Sara Jessica Horseface from Sex in the City? (apologies to horses)
There was no winning on this issue in the MSM. Another reason that McCain and Palin should not grant non-live interviews with those that would bury them.
Nothing wrong here
October 23, 2008 - 15:30 ET by Shadow_TwoSo what is being spent of all the upcoming elections, $5.3B? And what is wrong with looking good? I would not be at all upset with my contributions to the GOP going towards making a candidate look her best. Theoretically, a candidate cannot accept donations of cloths from anyone, including designers. So, are we saying that Obama's suits are from his own personal wardrobe? What about Hillary's pant suits? Those designers have to cover a multitude of sins.
Searching
October 24, 2008 - 09:28 ET by bschoomDoing a search of Campbell Brown references on this site reveals she has no sympathy for Sarah Palin, or the party Ms. Palin represents.
Her appeal for open mindedness in this case is more likely drawn from some life experience on her own behalf (as she states above) then for Sarah Palin.
Campbie isn't being magnanimous, just a selfish plea to cut her some slack when she's being less than perfect.
Has Wolf ever shared his not-so-great tie emails with her? If he hasn't, he sure needs to.
I guess the summary here is, don't use Sarah Palin for your convenience to get a personal point across regarding gender, when you're questioning her ability in every other mention of her.
$150,000 is a fine investment...
October 23, 2008 - 15:41 ET by aeroveloSarah is poised to bring far more than that to the RNC. Shes an up and comer and has revitalized the party. What do you figure thats worth?
---
Ask yourself: Do I want a good paying job, or do I want a government hand out. Its that simple!
»→ $150,000
October 23, 2008 - 15:46 ET by Cool ArrowAnd the money could have been spent on 15 seconds of ad time.
This was money well spent.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Brown does this why? We
October 23, 2008 - 15:44 ET by bigtimerBrown does this why?
We all know she seems to be in the bag for Obama... Could it be because she needs once in awhile to say see...I'm not biased...
You know the No Bias...No Bull line her show uses...which is a laugh itself.
Nevertheless...what she said is the truth...
What made me angry about all of this was Halperin and his snark...
I cannot stand the man.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Campbell vs. Wolf
October 23, 2008 - 15:45 ET by ArminiusThe difference, of course, is that Brown is an airhead who was hired because of her looks, not her ability as a journalist. The opposite is true of Wolf. No one cares if he wears an ugly tie because they're paying attention to his reporting.
Where are the "issues" police?
October 23, 2008 - 15:51 ET by nwahsSo all of a sudden the "just the issues" police are silent?
Barrak Obama's friendship William Ayers isn't an issue.
Obama's dealings with Rezko isn't an issue.
Obama's mentor and his obvious endorsement of Black Liberation Theology, isn't an issue.
Obama's lack of executive experience isn't an issue.
But Palin's clothing allowance is an issue?
Campbell Brown may be patting herself on the back, but she didn't even scratch the surface of the strategic double standard and propaganda that has infected the mainstream media in this election.
It isn't idiocy or culture gaps. Its simply nefarious. Its that simple.
$400.00 haircuts
October 23, 2008 - 17:56 ET by needleWell, at least John Edwards $400.00 haircuts turned a few heads.
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
Don't be Fooled
October 23, 2008 - 19:59 ET by wiseprinceDo not let this woman fool you. She is anything but fair and balanced. She is the queen of the Drive-Bys. She is not a journalist she is one of Obama's fist
http://www.voicesint...
Brown;s Voice
October 23, 2008 - 22:03 ET by BW222Campbell Brown has one of the most annoying voices on TV, Hers could curdle milk.
BW222
Just $150,000? was my
October 23, 2008 - 20:40 ET by SquonkamaticJust $150,000? was my reaction to this whole idiotic pathetic non-story. That's like, nothing. Hell my girlfriend has probably gone through that in shoes alone since she realized that you can buy them right off Amazon.com without even needing to demean yourself by going to a store. Sarah needs to loosen up with the checkbook a little & splurge, get herself something nice. Maybe a few new CDs too. As long as she isn't billing taxpayers for it, who gives a flying sh%$??
Ms Brown's Wardrobe
October 24, 2008 - 00:25 ET by Chattychitohow about we ask Ms Brown how much CNN spends on her yearly wardrobe? possibly alot more than $150,000 a year for how many years?
let us go into your Home Ms Brown a take a look at your lucritive lifestyle. maybe your not the one who should be asking Palin anything you hypocrate.
Cc... ...Yeah and we want
October 24, 2008 - 00:31 ET by bigtimerCc...
...Yeah and we want real answers Campbell...
We Call it.... NO BIAS...NO BULL!
Seriously...I do not care one wit what this big mouth woman says...and her and Shuster should/could be related, or kissing cousins...they have the same type of mouths...straight...a mile-wide...and full of leftist BS 99% of the time.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
prices please?
October 24, 2008 - 06:22 ET by fsteeleHow about some facts?
How many outfits, and their price tag on the rack? -- Compare to the price of Obama's suits.
Obama has been assembling his campaign wardrobe for months or years. Sarah has been working in Alaska doing a real job till the week before the convention.
Subtract the rack price of Sarah's clothes from the total -- the difference is the cost of getting someone to assemble a wardrobe for her on short notice.
Imo Sarah should attack this head on. Give the breakdown in cost of her wardrobe -- then challenge Obama to reveal the cost of his, and give a list of all the other things he refuses to reveal, including his individual donors and his birth certificate.
Then imo she should promise to later sell the extra clothes on eBay -- if Obama will sell his.
Are you serious? Candidates
July 29, 2009 - 02:27 ET by AlexaAre you serious? Candidates finances are always discussed. As a matter of fact, didn't you comment on John Edwards $400 haircut. Be quiet already.
women's jackets