Campbell Brown Rips McCain Camp's "Sexist" Treatment Of Palin

A prominent female news anchor chastised the McCain campaign Tuesday evening for engaging in sexism and insulting behavior in its attempt to shield Gov. Sarah Palin from members of the press.

In a fiery commentary, Campbell Brown laid into John McCain for casting a "chauvinistic chain" that ran over his running mate. Punctuated by a call to "Free Sarah Palin," the CNN anchor highlighted the attempt Tuesday by the McCain campaign to ban editorial reporters from covering Palin's visit with world leaders at the UN, as yet another gender-demeaning move in a campaign highlighted by sexist behavior.

"Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters... Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one."

This is, it seems, one of the strongest backlashes to the war that McCain and his aides have waged with the press. Critical articles the campaign can handle - easily chalked up to a "liberal media bias". And the lack of an organ to get out its message is really not a problem when media outlets are still covering the candidate's every move (though today, a near boycott occurred during Palin's trip to the UN). But charges that the campaign is insulting women voters by shielding its vice presidential nominee from the press are powerful and persuasive, especially when they come from a well-known female news anchor. Palin, it should be noted, will be taking questions from CBS's Katie Couric on Wednesday.

Related: Andrea Mitchell compares McCain campaign press treatment to North Korea, Syria

Comments

[RationalDubSteppa]

Ugh, Campbell Brown is such a mediocre journalist it is not even funny. She's accusing McCain Camp as sexist when she know damn well that she is on CNN Because she's just another pretty face. So Hearing this from her is quite hollow. She claims she is "No Bull" but her softball journalism and eagerness to acquiesce to even the dumbest of arguments. She needs to learn something from Rachel Maddow or Fareed Zakaria before she lectures the world with these pointless little commentaries she makes on her show.

[artemisia365]

Campbell I agree with you with regards to the double standard you mentioned in your passionate comment about Sarah Palin's make over. However, the issue is not that Sarah Palin shouldn't look her best in front of her supporters and the international media, but the disconnect in the positioning of the Sarah Palin brand as the champion of the working classes. There is an image issue here Campbell! There is no need for any woman, even in Manhattan, to spend $5000 for a hair cut - and shop at Saks to look professional (and to spend $295 to dress the youngest Palin kid) especially when most Palin supporters make less than $50K a year and shop at Wal-mart.

[Luvchi]

Campbell Brown is one of the MOST biased reporters, (if she can call herself a reporter). I am in the middle between the two parties and give me a break. The crap cnn puts out is a disgrace..­.Brown,,,g­row up , you are the problem not the solution!!!!!

[RationalDubSteppa]

I agree with you 100%. She if soft on her reporting and is reluctant for serious confrontation.

[Wyldkat]

For your sake...I hope you're right but I expect a deer caught in headlights and complete silence MORE than once. I hate to see this happen to ANY woman. The McCain Camp has proven to be VERY sexist after announcing Ms.Palin as his running mate. They have silenced her when she has deserved to express her automony. She has clearly memorized much of the content of the instructions she's getting. And the few interviews she HAS done with the media have been very sad indeed. Pitbull??? I don't think so. She's feeling the shame that comes with abuse of power.....­she's just hiding it. I am not sure I can watch the debate on Thursday. I feel great embarrasment for her. She simply is NOT V.P. material..­...yet she is willing to allow herself to look ridiculous in the eyes of ALL Americans. She has been used and this is not a laughing matter. I want her to withdraw while her self-esteem is still intact. This is horrible for ALL self-respecting women....a­cross the board!

[Nina28]

How moronic one must be to believe Sara Palin was ever qualified to take the serious position of VP and possible Presidential should McCain fall ill. I didn't need Brown to tell me what I already know. I have no ill wishes for McCain, he had my support in 2000 when he was credible. As for Ms. Palin, she has never proven to me to be fit for any job outside of the small remote and densely populated town in Alaska. And even that is now being questioned by her own press coverage of the hiring of a managerial team to do the work for her. She's proven to be nothing more than a tenacious opportunist who indulges in petty Republican politics herself and whose surroundings are crooked to the core as her Alaskan Senator is. It is the rot of the NeoCon movement that hijacked what credibility Republicans once had. It made me register Independent.

[shooter33]

Why is the media so biased for Obama. Lets think of how stupid this sounds Palin has won her own election as a mayor and governor. Do you really think that they are trying to shield Palin if anything they are trying to put her out front because she will change the election. Not to forget as the former mayor of New York has stated that she is more qualified than Obama. Everyone admits the McCain was more experienced during the debate. So what obviously what we are saying is we don't want experience just someone that has a charismatic personality. Quit coming up with dumb comments with media bias just to change a presidential election. I'm not even a republican. I vote for what is best for our nation.

[DreJoh]

Bravo Campbell Brown!! Anyone with their eyes open knows that Sarah Pailn is just a political pawn. And Maggsa, you're just wrong. Fox doesn't have new reporters, nor does it report news. It's part of the propaganda arm of the GOP. :-)

[songman]

Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqUv0jq8QIs for a Sarah Palin music/video parody. Very Funny.

[Palin Gets Serviced]

Palin is all "I want to do it" but can't. Whenever she opens her mouth, incomplete sentences, unfinished thoughts, shere nonsense comes out. It is all very sad and amusing. To think how a person could be in this kind of position and occupy this position. I guess you can sleep (aspire) your way to anything if you want to. But geez....Is there nothing between the six inches of her alaskan head? Would appear that those 400.00 may have cause a intelligence blockage of some sort. Oh yes there's the Bush Doctrine question, - Strike one, then the foreign relations question, - Strike two, and then the having an affair with that grizzly bear of a person which was her husbands friend - Strike three - and of course the bridge to now where - strike four, and on and on....

Its been amusing so far, but I think the American people now see Palin in the real light, and just want to turn away and scream at the top of her lungs...sa­ying... OMG... SHE IS SO DUMB! and she is supposed to be the republicans VP Candidate.­.. The rest of world is having a heart attack laugh!

[hopeforchange]

LOLOLOLOL

Cambell Brown is so transparent.

It might work better Campbell if Obama had chosen a female VP, or if you had not spent the election bashing Hillary.

McCain has shown more respect for women in a day that the Obama/Brown campaign has shown during the whole election.

[Daisy1111]

I agree -- ALMA (that's her real first name, Campbell is her Mom's maiden name), may as well pull an Ocamp paycheck. She's not a "newswoman­."

[maggsa]

Get real, I have been watching Fox News for 3 weeks straight and if you want to critisize any journo's you should start here. One wonders how they managed to get the job but it appears one criteria fits - You must be a Republican first and foremost. The reporting dribble is constant and they all seem to be one track minded. Fox News reporters do no report the facts and twist news to paint McCain & Palin as being saints. What a whole lot of crap!

[maggsa]

Straight talk express but the Palin maverick ain't talkin. Who are they kidding? Get the muzzle off the bullpit and let the fun games commence. Biden has been a target of foot in mouth for sometime but the cake goes to Palin and her explanation of the bailout, then there is I can see Russia from my window, then there is Washington needs reforming however she should look into her own house before opening that trap - it goes on forever...­.

[Mustang Sally]

wOw! She has really pleasantly surprised me. She did such fluff on the Today show that when she announced she was going to CNN I almost choked on my Cheerios I was laughing so hard. I'm not laughing any more. She is a serious presence who is not taking guff from anyone. You go, Campbell.

[mamacat]

The only chance the McCain camp has of getting him elected is to keep Palin away from activities in which she has to show her own mind. She knows how to read a script, and can even memorise talking points, but she doesn't have the basic qualifications that we need in a vice-president, unless one wants to insist that a vice-president needs nothing more than a beating heart.

They made a really, really bad choice when they chose an incompetent running mate for a not-really­-competent old-man, and now they have to fight to keep up the illusion that both McCain and Palin are fit for the offices they are running for. It is a battle they are losing.

I used to think that the movie "Idiocracy" was pretty much over-the-top, but Palin proves me wrong. We really are capable of choosing idiots to run for the highest offices in the land.

[tcwillis27]

Ok, yeah, but here's the thing Ms. Campbell - They're not being sexist as much as they're trying to save their asses because the more she is allowed to "speak her mind" and exude all that brilliance that she supposedly has bottle up in there, the more she will embarrass herself and McCain for having chosen her. And another thing, I'm about sick of hearing this stereotypical drivel about how being from Alaska somehow qualifies you as a rugged, strong constitution. I lived in Alaska for years and my favorite pastime is shopping and getting pedicures. What is that?

[justobserve]

Right, Ms Brown. Some women must call on McCain of his treatment of Palin. she is proud of moose hunting, wolf shooting, yet he kept her on a short leash. That is chauvinistic if him, but think about it, didn't he treat his wife without respect too?
PALIN: POST-TURTLE. Someone put her up the post. She couldn't climb up there by herself. McCAIN-PALIN: LUST FIRST, COUNTRY LAST, RECKLESS JUDGMENT, LIES, SECRECY, CRONYISM.