Obama: Revealed as a closet sexist?

last updated 8 January 2015

We Californians already know that state Attorney General Kamala Harris is smart and tough, said Ruben Navarrette Jr. in CNN.com. Now, thanks to President Obama, we also know that, in his words, “she happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general in the country.” Obama made that jaw-dropping comment at a Democratic fundraising lunch in San Francisco last week, and when the crowd groaned, he said defensively, “It’s true, come on.” No, Mr. President, you “come on.” Obama was supposed to be “a different type of leader for a new century,” not just another backward member of the boys club, reducing a powerful, accomplished colleague to her looks. And this isn’t the first time Obama has been “smarmily sexist under the guise of paying a compliment,” said Irin Carmon in Salon.com. Last year he reportedly urged a Republican legislator to defect to the Democrats with the words, “Come on, honey! I said you’re pretty!”

“Give me a break,” said Ginger Rutland in SacBee.com. America’s political correctness is out of control. “Where else in the world do men have to apologize for calling a good-looking woman good looking?” It’s not just in politics, either—“ordinary men tell me they feel constrained at the office,” scared to offer “commonplace compliments” to female colleagues for fear they’ll be accused of harassment. It’s because of ridiculous overreactions like that that I’m reluctant to call myself a “feminist,” said Roxanne Jones in CNN.com. Obama first called Harris “brilliant,” “dedicated,” and a “tough” attorney general, before noting that she is beautiful—which she clearly is. So what? He’s been a vigorous advocate for women, appointing two female Supreme Court justices, Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, and numerous other women to powerful posts. “If POTUS is sexist, then we need more men just like him.”

In fairness to Obama, he has “a tic’’ about praising people’s looks, said Dan Amira in NYMag.com. In his chummy, jocular way, he often calls both males and females “good looking,’’ including several of his male Cabinet secretaries. That said, Obama should be aware that “the rules are not the same for how we talk about men and women, and they shouldn’t be.’’ Professional women like Harris face a constant, demeaning focus on their looks. No accomplished man, meanwhile, faces suspicion he got ahead only because he’s hot. In praising Kamala Harris, Obama should have stopped with “brilliant” and “dedicated.”