Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnists Call Obama A 'Female' With A 'Humanoid' Problem

Two Pulitzer Prize winning columnists took aim at President Barack Obama on Wednesday. The Washington Post's Kathleen Parker called him the "first female president" and The New York Times's Maureen Dowd declared that Obama has a "humanoid" problem.

Parker posted a controversial column on Wednesday entitled "Obama: Our first female president" in which she argues that the President "displays many tropes of femaleness."

Parker explains that when it comes to dealing with crises, Obama maybe be suffering from a "rhetorical-testosterone deficit" and his reaction to the BP oil crisis is "a textbook case of how Obama's rhetorical style has impeded his effectiveness." Parker argues that his style is female in nature because like women, Obama tends to act more passively and form circles to talk out problems instead of taking immediate action.

The president's actions in the wake of the BP disaster has been a case-in-point, according to Parker.

When asked about Parker's column in an appearance on"Good Morning America" Dowd told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that Obama is more of a "humanoid" than a woman. She agrees with Parker that the president has a tendency to wait and look before acting, but she says it is not really male or female trait, "it's a problem."

In the past, Hillary and Sarah Palin were criticized for their "male management traits" which take the form of a "my way or the highway" approach, Dowd said, whereas Obama turns to "consensus and compromise." Dowd said this characteristic may be a result of the way he was raised, because unlike Presidents George W. Bush and John F. Kennedy, Obama did not grow up with a "rich daddy" to provide him with the confidence to make bold decisions.

Watch Dowd on "Good Morning America":

Comments

[Newsjunqee]

10:20 PM on 07/06/2010

"Obama did not grow up with a "rich daddy" to provide him with the confidence to make bold decisions."

Actually one of his stepdads (Soetoro) was a wealthy Indonesian businessman. The man who fathered Obama was not exactly poor. Obama's mother was a very enterprising woman and chose her mates from among the wealthy.

Obama's problem is his lack of working experience. He never had a real job where he had to cultivate relationships and make real decisions.

His quiet and pleasant passivity was perfect for his post Harvard days. It got the attention and full support of the Chicago/Harvard/Goldman Sacks crowd who steered him thru the one-year "professorial" farce at Chicago U. His tenured co-workers are pretty dismissive of his teaching stint.

Parker is dismissive of women in the workforce with her silly statement. Women executives are very tough bosses, very often a lot more ruthless than men, to prove their worth. (See example of Mrs. Obama who didn't have a problem removing poor patients from a Chicago hospital of which she was a board member.)

Obama spent nearly 50 years being steered by a variety of willing handlers who enjoyed the soft-spoken and pliant Obama. He never learned to make his own decisions, to consider the disparate elements of a conflict, to stand his own ground.

[Jeannette Harris]

05:31 PM on 07/04/2010

It's a problem to "wait and look" before acting???? Oh, help. I'm glad I never crossed the street with her.

Forming circles to talk things over is female? Ever heard of that tradition, going back to... oh, native peoples on all of our continents since the beginning of time as we (humanoids) know it, and their (male) leaders in particular.

What do they smoke instead of cigarettes in D.C. these days?

[whitey55]

12:55 AM on 07/04/2010

We finally get away from the gunslinger type president like Bush who shoots first and asks questions later and you are complaining? Must have been a slow intellectual day for you to have to stoop this low lady reporters or reposters? This isn't news, but a book report on a book that you don't understand like you wrote in high school. But boy did the lame brain right grab onto these snipits of your so called wisdom??

[Ifeomamn]

03:13 PM on 07/03/2010

It is sad to have to listen and read both Kathleen Parker and Maureen Dowd.
MD has over the years now called pres Obama, Obambi or Bambi and some other disparaging names. Her right as a columnist. No one called for her to be fired. KP, wrote that she was not calling the president a girl, but precedes to elaborate in her writing how girly the pres is. How quaint indeed.

The funny little thing is that MD in an ABC appearance is now saying that for this president to survey and build consensus is a bad thing. And her logical conclusion is because pres Obama lacked a rich father that could have enabled him to take risks while growing up. What was that mambo jumbo again? Pres Lincoln, had Zero rich father. Pres Truman, neither. Pres Eisenhower, not that we know. Regan, Nada. Nixon, Nil. Clinton, Nope, just to name a few. I did not see the full interview, but I would bet that the host didn't challenge Maureen Dowd on these false assertions, so is our over paid media today.

Kathleen Parker, where should I begin? You use a pseudonym and hide your family and you know so well the managerial traits of this president? How exactly? Are you a psychologist? Did you examine the president? have you ever had a discussion about his style of management with him? No. But as a columnist, your right to write as you please. No one called for your job either.

[crazyquiltmom]

07:27 PM on 07/02/2010

I'll take cool, cerebral, unemotional. Didn't we just have a president with swagger?

Bushisms:

I'm the master of low expectations." - aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things." - aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office." -- Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

[Ben Hill]

08:31 PM on 07/07/2010

What she said.

[Janetshusb]

07:00 PM on 07/02/2010

She agrees with Parker that the president has a tendency to wait and look before acting, but she says it is not really male or female trait, "it's a problem."

Male, female.......... who cares. What I want Dowd to explain is exactly how waiting and looking before acting is a "PROBLEM" Isn't that what we teach every child when crossing a dangerous street, wait and look? So some how when one becomes president this is a bad thing? Gimme a break.

[goldhorder]

11:47 AM on 07/02/2010

I don't see her writing this made Obama a bad president. You seem to infer that yourself. Ummm...maybe you need to apologize to yourself? LMAO

[IntrntlWatch]

11:27 AM on 07/02/2010

My comment is not about Obama, good or bad. But Kathleen Parker comments are very offensive for women. Women could not be good presidents?, is being a woman a bad thing? . We should all respect women! , I wonder what would happen if same comments are made by a Man. How did she become Pulitzer Prize winner?
I hope this person (Kathleen Parker) apologizes to all Women and also to her President. If people in the USA do not respect their own president please do not ask people in other countries to respect him or respect the country.

[ntmessage]

07:06 AM on 07/02/2010

Can anyone say Penis Envy?

[Heavhauler]

10:59 AM on 07/02/2010

Yes, "anyone" who can speak can likely, ( some with a little practice ), say penis envy. There are those who when uttering the phrase might sound more like "penith envy". Although there are many who might actually have difficulty getting the word penis to pass their lips.
Was there a point to your post?

[ntmessage]

03:08 PM on 07/02/2010

Hmmm. Look at the source of the negative comments about Obama... Get it?

[Dacktyl]

11:16 PM on 07/01/2010

When your agenda is to turn back the clock on progress to a time where everyone knew their “place”, it makes sense that Conservatives would also adopt the mindset of the time periods they so admire.

To Cons, just as it is "natural" for the rich to run everything and rule over a large pool of compliant Serfs, the male is the “natural” head, so in order to excuse the female’s audacity to enter the Conservative arena as a leader, she must denigrate anything “female” so as not to threaten his inherently fragile masculinity.

The Conservative woman – like her Con male counterpart – is a misogynist, and only garners power through denigrating her own gender.

She can only gain the Con male’s respect by bowing to his hysterical need for “superiority.” She does this by being disdainful her sex while embracing the worst aspects of masculinity – violence, cowboy diplomacy, uncaring callousness and greed-centered selfishness.

It’s clear that modern day Republicans suffer from a plethora of moral, intellectual and/or spiritual failings that make them susceptible to malignant narcissism as political philosophy–one of those failings includes a heavy dose of self-loathing.

Antiquated views about class, gender and race are necessary if one were to consider themselves a part of the collection of ghouls whose only reason for getting up in the morning is to cultivate the divisions that maintain the “natural” hierarchy while keeping the People in their respective traps.

Another day, more http://RepublicanDirtyTricks.com

[Ericka45]

03:19 AM on 07/02/2010

(applause) -- Very well said. It all begs the question: Do they not see the backward history traits they are practicing, or is what they do so deeply ingrained, they are simply blinded by this 'natural' way of thinking? They argue down the 'racist' label, however, their ignorance and denial makes it extremely clear as to how they appear, or how they are. Granted, words are just words on this post, but usually, they come from they heart. I don't think they are capable of recognizing the truth, simply because this man doesn't have fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

[SirSlappy]

06:17 AM on 07/02/2010

Ugh. The raclsm card again. I reject all the all the Right's raclsm, and voted for Obama.

And I have still come to hate Obama over the last 18 months. It's about competence, kitten. 'Obama' and 'the truth' occupy different universes.

[Janetshusb]

06:18 PM on 07/02/2010

The people who run the Republican Party exert firm control over what goes on and they know exactly what they are doing There is very little that is spontaneous right down to the Tea Party. And there is nothing wrong with this. I wish the Democrats would stop herding cats and learn something about organization from the Republicans. The problem with the Republicans is that their whole game plan revolves appealing to the worst in human nature and they do that because it's very very easy to get people to hate.

[Ericka45]

03:41 AM on 07/02/2010

In retrospect, Pres Obama has accomplished more in his first two years of presidency than any president since FDR. Many love him, and many hate him, but one thing is clear -- I will laugh and sing a bittersweet lullaby for those who deliberately deny his incredible list of accomplishments because they are in denial and refuse to believe that no president has done more in addressing the problems of this nation since FDR during the Great Depression. Of all the presidents over the past 60 years, none -- absolutely none- have done more in the first half of their term --- since booze was illegal. That is truly something to think about -- and his accomplishments are all listed, if one has time to read them, at www.whitehouse.gov -- click on Issues. It's amazing.

[SirSlappy]

07:24 PM on 07/02/2010

blah blah blah
drink more kool-ade honey

[Strateshooter]

09:00 PM on 07/01/2010

Let me get this straight: A man who thinks before he speaks, networks with others who can possibly see something that he cannot, thinks before he acts, is cool, calm, and collected,makes decisions based of fact rather than emotion, and respects dignitaries with less power than him is effeminate?

If that be the case, then we need more "effeminate" men like Obama in the White House!!!

[fedupscot]

09:57 PM on 07/01/2010

Here, here....I read the article twice thinking I had missed something really important for two women, whom I respect, to unload like that on Obama. Barack Obama is one of a few men that has total confidence in himself and the people he surrounds himself with.

[Asianman23]

10:31 PM on 07/01/2010

People with confidence don't try to make everybody to like them period. It's not about rushing to judgement , or him making a rash or emotional decision . It's really about standing up for what you actually believe in period. Stand up for something for once . Please don't go and brag about all the compromised bills with Russian size loopholes in the them also..

[rightsidethinker]

10:53 PM on 07/01/2010

Like yourself I assume. He is a mental midget and possesses NO leadership skills. He makes Jimmy Carter look decisive.

[AContrario]

08:15 PM on 07/01/2010

I am beginning to think that the Pulitzer prize is overrated...

[mabil]

07:54 PM on 07/01/2010

They come off as condescending to women and people who don't grow up with "rich daddys."

[moneelove]

06:54 PM on 07/01/2010

I don't mind anyone being a critic of the President if there is an issue that you don't fully agree with, but to just make up things because you are a writer wanting to be in the limelight is not befitting of a pulitizer prize writer. At least, let be factual and not opinionated.

[Jigglypuff]

05:35 PM on 07/01/2010

Parker is just parroting what her Republican leader, Hog Limbaugh, says.
The nasty swine refers to the President Obama as feminine all the time; he also likes to use the term "boy".
Putrid Republicans.

[Janetshusb]

06:45 PM on 07/01/2010

That term 'boy' is so racist it should make even Republicans cringe when they hear him use it.

[mltaylor13pt1]

09:24 PM on 07/31/2010

What's Maureen Dowd's excuse for that drivel she called a column?