McCain's man-crush on Todd Palin comes off as sexist to me

[Anonymous]

On Meet the Press this morning, McCain asserted, for the THIRD TIME, that Todd Palin is one of Sarah Palin's qualifications.

Today-- 15 seconds into his recitation of her qualifications, Todd Palin works 3d shift on the North Slope
In the debate-- And her husband Todd is pretty tough too
Another press appearance-- not only did Todd win the snowmobile race, but one time he won it with a broken arm.

Possibilities:
1) McCain has a serious man crush
2) Palin's qualifications are so thin, having an outdoorsy husband makes the list
3) Without realizing it, McCain is giving voice to an internal hope that if a foreign leader is mean to Sarah Palin, her stud-man will stick up for her
4) In McCain's view, a first dude plays a greater role in a female office-holder's decisions than a first lady does, because, you know, women are used to being on the sidelines of men's careers but men are usually the career people.

Can you imagine Barack Obama saying that Joe Biden would be a great vice president because Jill is a school teacher? Or McCain saying that Mitt Romney would be a great vice president because his wife, Ann, is a top-notch dressage rider (she is)?

For that matter, what's with this "I'm proud of her" stuff? Senator McCain, she's your running mate, not your daughter. You didn't raise her (except from obscurity). If it doesn't tweak you as it does me, try this:
"I'm proud of Joe Lieberman. He's a role model."
"Mike Huckabee knows a lot about public health, and his wife is really something, so he'll be a great vice president."
"Mitt Romney is a role model for white men with really resilient hair."

Didn't think so.

[Anonymous]

PP, apparently you don't know much about public relations, so let me enlighten you.

I agree that all of these statements by Sen McCain are clumsy and out of place, at best. But if you're trying to get behind a motive for them, I think you're over-thinking this. He's simply trying to paint her as an "every woman," married to an "every man" raising the typical American family. It's more of that anti-intellectual, Joe Six Pack thing that has become all the rage in the Republican party. Do you think that if Todd's hobbies were polo and wind-surfing (a la John Kerry), McCain would be touting that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, apparently you don't know much about public relations, so let me enlighten you.

I agree that all of these statements by Sen McCain are clumsy and out of place, at best. But if you're trying to get behind a motive for them, I think you're over-thinking this. He's simply trying to paint her as an "every woman," married to an "every man" raising the typical American family. It's more of that anti-intellectual, Joe Six Pack thing that has become all the rage in the Republican party. Do you think that if Todd's hobbies were polo and wind-surfing (a la John Kerry), McCain would be touting that?

I do political communications for a living, and what you wrote is not enlightening. There is a difference between the basic image that you craft around a candidate, which you then display at rallies and let that candidate develop and demonstrate herself, and the answer you give to Tom Brokaw on "Meet the Press" in answer to a direct question about credentials, or in response to a debate question on the candidate's competence to serve as president. It's possible that McCain is not really sexist; it's possible that his advisors are as ham-handed with public relations as the PP, and don't understand when to trot out "Joe Sixpack" and when to step up and answer the serious question of whether their ticket is fit to lead the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's possible that McCain is not really sexist; it's possible that his advisors are as ham-handed with public relations as the PP, and don't understand when to trot out "Joe Sixpack" and when to step up and answer the serious question of whether their ticket is fit to lead the country.

When you have a serious answer, you give it. When you have a sow's ear, you put lipstick on it.

I know it's a mixed metaphor, but I really enjoyed it.

[Anonymous]

I saw that section of Meet the Press and it looked to me that McCain just threw a list of things at Brokaw like he was exasperated at having to keep answering the question and like he was really really tired and ready for the campaign to be over. He seemed to be struggling -- so to me the statement about Todd was like someone trying to come up with as many answers as possible to throw at a question they didn't really like and couldn't adequately defend against.

[Anonymous]

I can understand McCain’s outreach to the average Joe’s by bringing up Todd Palin as the man’s man to the Joe Sixpack, however, I find it a little sexist. Todd has sat in on Alaska state gov. staff meetings and has been cc’d on internal communications when his wife is doing her governor duties. That suggests to me that Todd is Sarah’s keeper and she is incapable of managing and making official decisions on her own.

McCain’s praise of Sarah’s husband is anachronistic by praising her decision in a husband. What other VP candidate has his spouse noted as a qualification for being VP and 2nd in command of a nation?