More Sexist or Racist? Do Dems Answer Famous Sawyer Question?

Has "Good Morning America" host Diane Sawyer finally answered her now infamous question about whether America is more racist or sexist? On Tuesday's program, she discussed how being a woman effected Hillary Clinton's run for the White House and wondered, "...Is it an argument that she can make, that in some sense, sexism has cost her the race?"

For the last year and a half, Sawyer has been fascinated by this question. On November 13, 2006, she asked Senator Barack Obama if America is "secretly, I guess, more racist or more sexist?" The very next day, on November 14, she quizzed liberal New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd about America's hidden prejudices : "Let me ask you, do you think that there is secret sexism, secret, secret genderism in this country?" On February 16, 2007, Sawyer darkly proclaimed that the 2008 presidential race is turning "a spotlight on questions about race and what Americans really feel inside."

Of course it should be pointed out that on Tuesday, Sawyer was interviewing long time ABC journalist Cokie Roberts and political contributor Matthew Dowd specifically about Democratic primaries, rather than the country as a whole. So, she asked about efforts to "unify the party" and queried Roberts, "So, tell me, Cokie, what does Senator Obama have to do to win those women over to him?" Answering another question, Roberts asserted that "certainly the blogosphere was exceptionally sexist" to the New York senator.

A transcript of the segment, which aired at 7:04am on May 20, follows:

DIANE SAWYER: [Off of Kate Snow report] What you were talking about there, the effort to unify the party brings us to the question: What about her most impassioned support group? Older women. This morning, Senator Clinton herself is quoted in the Washington Post, a Lois Romano article, citing sexism in the race. And here's what she said: 'There should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head. It does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments by people who are nothing but misogynists. It's been deeply offensive to millions of women.' And here's what one Clinton supporter said she felt. She felt betrayed by her own party.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN [Technical problems. Could be the wrong clip.]: The longer she stays in, the more she risks losing-- and they just never did.

SAWYER: What she's saying there is she didn't feel that the DNC, the Democratic Party had risen up to fight the racism, the little digs in the race. So, joining us from Dearborn Michigan, is ABC's Cokie Roberts and from Wimberley, Texas, ABC News contributor Matthew Dowd, President Bush's former top strategist who has also advised Democrats. Thanks to you both for being with us. There's also an ad, Cokie, in the paper this morning, the New York Times, which says 'not so fast.' It's from a women's PAC. And it says 'Hillary's voice is our voice. Let her finish this race.' My question is, are these women about to do battle with their own party?

COKIE ROBERTS: No, I think these women will eventually come back around. But they are angry. And you're seeing that all over the country, and particularly in the states that are still coming up. You saw it in West Virginia and now in Kentucky. Women voters, one after another saying, why are people pushing her? Why are they saying sit down and shut up? And there's a lot of resentment about that. Because a lot of those women had the same thing happen to them.

SAWYER: And Matt, is it an argument that she can make, that in some sense, sexism has cost her the race?

MATTHEW DOWD: Well, I think there's obviously in the country, there are people that use racism. There's people that use sexism. But in the end I think she gained more by the fact she was a woman than anything she lost by it. I think it's something new. I think people were prepared to vote for a women candidate. She was 30 points ahead in this race six or seven months ago. And so there was no problem with being a woman six or seven months ago. She raised more money than anybody else. I think the problem was the message that she had and her campaign didn't fit where reality was today. I tell people that I think the country was ready for a mom, but she kept giving the country a dad. And they wanted somebody that -- they wanted somebody that was nurturing, but not somebody that was a strong leader. I think she overdid it on that part of it.

SAWYER: Cokie.

ROBERTS: Except, Diane-- Except, Diane, I think that the commentary, the columns, and certainly the blogosphere was exceptionally sexist, and the terms that were used, the cartoons that were out there, all of that. Words were used about her that would never be used about a minority because --

SAWYER: Did that cost her -- what did that cost her in the race?

ROBERTS: I think it does-- I think it does cost. I think it does get people sort of having a second thought about, is this really something that we're ready for now? And there's some evidence of that in the exit polls. But, you know, Matt is basically right that she made a lot of mistakes in her campaign, and so did President Clinton, but, former President Clinton. But I do also think the tone of this campaign has been something very upsetting to a lot of women.

SAWYER: So, tell me, Cokie, what does Senator Obama have to do to win those women over to him?

ROBERTS: Well, they -- women tend to vote Democratic under any circumstances, and so -- and this year in particular, when there's such unhappiness with the economy and the war, I think that that's, they're likely to come around. But some of them are going to be, you know, very uncomfortable and unhappy for a while. And he's got to find a way to speak to them that is not condescending, and there's been some -- he has not been the person guilty of the sexism, but he certainly, at times, has seemed condescending to Hillary Clinton.

DOWD: And, Diane, I think it's going to take two things. It's not only going to take what Barack Obama does in unifying the party if he does ultimately win the nomination, which it looks like he's going to, it's going to be what he has to say. But it also is these women and Hillary Clinton voters are going to have to get a signal from her that this is-- I'm part of this. I'm energetic about it. He's the candidate. He's the one we want. So, it's going to take both of them. It's going to take Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sending messages to these folks that now is the time and we can take back the White House.