The journalists at NBC’s Today on Tuesday jumped on a comment made by John Kasich, highlighting “mockery” from Hillary Clinton after the Republican said that, decades ago, women “left their kitchen” to support him. Correspondent Peter Alexander warned that the governor is “potentially shooting himself in the foot, describing how he first won public office nearly 40 years ago.”
Building up the remark, Alexander highlighted, “The Clinton campaign pouncing. ‘It's 2016. A woman's place is wherever she wants it to be.’ Kasich later apologized for what he called an inartful comment.” An NBC graphic screamed, “Kasich's ‘Kitchen’ Comment Mocked.”
So, the comment was “mocked” by Kasich’s potential Democratic opponent? And that’s news?
This was too much even for Alexander’s MSNBC colleagues. On Morning Joe, the liberal Mika Brzezinski scoffed, “There's obviously nothing wrong with that comment....That was a desperate stretch for a story.” Co-host Joe Scarborough raged, “This is such a stupid non-controversy.”
For context, here is what Kasich actually said:
JOHN KASICH: How did I get elected? I didn't have anybody for me. We just got an army of people who — and many women who left their kitchens to go out and go door to door and to put yard signs up for me all the way back when, you know, things were different. Now you call homes and everybody is out working. But at that time, early days, it was an army of the women that helped me get elected to the state senate.
NBC allowed only a snippet of the Republicans actual comments.
A partial transcript of the February 23 segment is below:
7:04am ET
ALEXANDER: Despite speculation that a Rubio-Kasich ticket could prove formidable, John Kasich’s aides tell NBC News, no chance. The Ohio governor picking up support of his own, including former head of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, and potentially shooting himself in the foot, describing how he first won public office nearly 40 years ago.
NBC GRAPHIC: Kasich’s “Kitchen” Comment Mocked: Apologizes for Remark About Women Voters
JOHN KASICH: We just got an army of people who — and many women who left their kitchens to go out and go door to door, and to put yard signs up for me. All the way back when, you know, things were different.
ALEXANDER: The Clinton campaign pouncing: “It's 2016. A woman's place is wherever she wants it to be.” Kasich later apologized for what he called an inartful comment.
