Arianna on The Early Show Discussing Ed Rendell's Off-Mic Comment, Palin Politics and New Blogging Book

Comments

[NYClover]

This is only an issue because we have 24 hour cable news trying to make something out of NOTHING! You can just see the newsroom wheels turning now.....Oh boy an "open mike comment" this will be good for at least 15 minutes of filler. Please!

[kevinw]

It might be construed as sexist if he would have stated that as a single woman with no family she was ideal for the job. He merely stated that not having a family was perfect for the job of Homeland security. If you actually do the job and not just change the colors on the terrorism streetlight, this job looks overwhelming. This is especially true since none of the recommendations of the nine eleven commission have been implemented. This looks to be one of those positions, if done correctly, where if you had a family going in you might not have one coming out.

[Serious Lee]

As a woman, I don't find the Gov's comment sexist. My previous position involved 12-16 hour days,-some longer, not including my commute time. It was impossible for the women with young children. They missed everything with their kids and they struggled on the job. I did notice that ALL the men with children under 18 had stay at home wives (not working wives-stay at home wives). Those same male coworkers felt like they were missing out, too .

Now, all jobs don't require this level of commitment, but, some do.

I don't have young children but after a few years, I had to escape.

Let’s not be so sensitive!

[goodtomeetyou]

There was nothing wrong about what the Gov said.

Sexist? Please.

[chumleypotts]

If anything, it makes perfect sense. I would prefer a security director unencumbered by the distractions of family pressures, be they male or female. I applaud Ed Rendell for his clarity of thinking on this issue.

[crabcake]

Sexism is alive and well. This is true, not just among elected officials, but the media is probably the worst. If Sarah Palin changes her hairdo or, heaven forbid, she wears the wrong cut of a jacket, then it will be in the news--maybe even the front page! Spoiled men are never going to grow up.

[11907281]

J-mac's shoes, Edwards haircut, Stevens tie ... and men have to wear a certain homogeneous uniform to begin with !! Imagine if Obama showed up in a mustard yellow suit? Nothing else just a bright colored suit, it would be all over the news. The sexism is the fact men get less options in acceptable wardrobe choices.

[mescalitospoke]

right on!

[vishix]

i must have missed the part where the comment was supposed to be sexist...

[dessertsfirst]

Yeh, me tooo, and I'm a female.

[apoyo]

Has the AZ Gov stated she had a problem with the comment? If not it's not for us to make a big deal of it.

[mathme]

Okay, I'm trying to figure out exactly why this was anti-woman. I suppose it reveals and underling assumption that women ought to and will neglect obligations for their families where as a man has the ability to stay focused on a professional obligation? Is that it? I'm not trying to be a wise acre here, I really am not sure why this is sex.ist.

While I believe that comments like this are made about men frequently (I have a male colleague who was chastised by his adviser when his wife became pregnant), it isn't the go-to thought, which maybe displays the belief in a closer, more inflexible relationship between women and family. For a man, it might be a secondary or tertiary comment.

This IS a demanding job, though-- I think of The Untouchables when Ness is looking specifically for unmarried men for his force because he doesn't want those kinds of obligations hanging over them. Was that sexlst?

[mathme]

*underlying

[as1504]

The only problem I had with the Palin candidacy with regard to her family was that there seemed to be no one watching their minor children who should have been in school. Sarah Palin could have been on the campaign trail, but her husband was out there basking in the limelight wearing silk boxers. I rarely saw one of them holding the baby, but I saw Bristol and Piper carrying him. It looked like the primary caregiver in that family is not one of the parents, but the eldest female child. In the Matt Lauer interview, Piper complained that she is behind in school and is having trouble catching up because her mother drags her to hockey puck dropping and other campaign events.

When one parent takes a demanding job, one has to care for the kids or at least they have to strike a balance. Also, Republicans like to drag the family values thing out and point to their families and how wholesome they are, so they bring it on themselves.

[Vincero]

the point is these comments reveal personailty, intended in a certain way or not.


is there any doubt that rendell sees women different then men?

just ask yourself if he would ever have made the same comment about a men.."he is perfect, he has no family. no life".

see the point??

[lj9283]

Yes, I think he would have.

[robXdion]

YES. Men say this about each other all the time when they need someone for a position. It's not personal.

[mathme]

Yeah, people say that a lot about men... I do. I don't see how these comments were sexist.

[RepugsOut08]

I heard this type of comment in relation to men repeatedly in my 30 years working in industry.
Arianna takes a more constructive approach. Rather than jumping on the sexism bandwagon, Arianna challenges the conventional wisdom that workaholics make better leadership decisions.
That is what we should be debating.

[kevinw]

Right that is why he backed Clinton in the primary. An yes I think he might have said the same thing about men. On work projects, workers on a team know the people that they can count on in a pinch. They also know those people that value their work/life balance. It does not mean you think they are less of a person. You know that when the project deadline is in the balance all things must drop away to complete the endeavor. There are people with families that make it work on the project. I can only imagine that it hurts their family relationships. If I am looking for a lead on a project I need someone who either does not have a family or acts like they don't. That goes for men or women. Certain jobs require irregular intense amounts of effort and commitment. It is just easier for someone that has no formal ties to handle that kind of job rather than a committed family person.

[piquet]

Why is that sexist? Someone please explain.
Apparantly you can't say ANYTHING about a woman without being sexist?...grow up.
At this point I guess the only group you can go at anymore are white men?...

[vietveter]

HEY, WATCH IT !

I am a white man and I resent that.

[lj9283]

Perhaps I am off -base but I though that Mr. Rendell's comments were more about the job than the person. Mr. Rendell feels that it is a thankless job that will require a great deal of time each day.

[caremore]

AH was right on....elevated the issue to the core unlike other folks......Campbell, et al. His comments were still sexist.....I know that is where some like to keep the argument.....still exhausted from paternalism, but won't suffer a need to "control" heart attack or stroke (for those who want to argue about what sexims is)!!!!!!!!!

[killmenow]

I get tired of people getting offended by just about anything and everything a person can say. Unless you're Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, et al, things are not necessarily said with the intention to be cruel.

[Homecreek]

I guess only Republicans can cruel. LOL

[Pema]

Not everything said about a woman is sexist. This is so silly...and it risks real sexism ending up trivalized.