While the early Wednesday morning portion of MSNBC’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) coverage wasn’t quite the spectacle it was from the day before, AM Joy host Joy Reid provided two noteworthy instances denouncing Hillary Clinton critics as sexist who complain about her not wearing skirts and predicted that she’s “going to teach us” a lesson about sexism by the end of the election.
In her first diatribe about Clinton facing sexism (or just vaguely “gender” in Reid’s words), she told Hardball host Chris Matthews that “we haven't had a woman try to” become president “because I think that people react more negatively to a woman seeking power than a man seeking power.”
Matthews was not having it as he snapped back that Reid would not be “turn[ing] her into a victim” since not only will it not work, but “[a]mbition is common among all politicians.”
Before Matthews could cut her off to go to commercial break, Reid mocked Clinton opponents as being scared by Clinton wearing only pantsuits instead of skirts and baking at home: “Her pantsuits, it’s horrifying. She won't put on a skirt. I mean, she won't bake cookies. This is the narrative about her.”
Reid resurrected this argument in the next hour that was prefaced by her definition of a history lesson about Clinton’s history since she became First Lady:
Before you get to a vision, you have to get past the fact that remember how Hillary Clinton was introduced to the world in the first place. She was the woman who was two for the price of one who was going to be an anathema to what they believe a First Lady should be. She comes into the White House. She’s the pushy First Lady who’s trying to do health care and try to force it on the men with Congress.
The MSNBC host then complained that her critics “need to reel her back” and did so by making her tout the narrative about it taking a village to raise a child as part of a different image: “She went to softer, nicer Hillary. She went to not saying oh, I won’t bake cookies to I will bake cookies cause I’m sorry, but we keep on rediscovering who we are as Americans.”
Arriving at the gist of her comment, Reid lectured that “Barack Obama made us rediscover that we still had still have issues with race” and so Hillary Clinton has been tasked with a similar mission so to speak: “We still have issues with gender, and Hillary Clinton is going to teach us that issue now as she runs to president.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from the 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Eastern hours of MSNBC’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) coverage on July 27 can be found below.
MSNBC: Democratic National Convention
July 27, 2016
12:29 a.m. Eastern
JOY REID: But none of them have been women, Chris. None of them have been women. It’s not — we haven't had a woman try to do it and because I think that people react more negatively to a woman seeking power than a man seeking power. They react more negatively —
CHRIS MATTHEWS: That may be true.
REID: She has to — and by the way, she — she —
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well, here it goes. You lost the room. You lost the room.
REID: No. I’m wrapping up.
MATTHEWS: You’re not going to turn her into a victim. Do not victimize Hillary Clinton. It's not going to work. Ambition is common among all politicians.
MICHAEL STEELE: That’s so true. No. Had that conversation today.
REID: But women get more grabble for it than men.
MATTHEWS: It’s true, but that’s not the point I’m making.
REID: Her pantsuits, it’s horrifying. She won't put on a skirt. I mean, she won't bake cookies. This is the narrative about her.
MATTHEWS: We'll come back with more of this line of thinking.
(.....)
1:07 a.m. Eastern
REID: Before you get to a vision, you have to get past the fact that remember how Hillary Clinton was introduced to the world in the first place. She was the woman who was two for the price of one who was going to be an anathema to what they believe a First Lady should be. She comes into the White House. She’s the pushy First Lady who’s trying to do health care and try to force it on the men with Congress. So what did they do when they needed to reel her back? She went to children. She went to It Takes a Village to raise a child. She went to softer, nicer Hillary. She went to not saying oh, I won’t bake cookies to I will bake cookies cause I’m sorry, but we keep on rediscovering who we are as Americans. Barack Obama made us rediscover that we still had still have issues with race, and you know what? We still have issues with gender, and Hillary Clinton is going to teach us that issue now as she runs to president.
