Is attacking Palin sexist?

“Sarah Palin is the emblem of what feminism was supposed to be all about,” said Victor Davis Hanson in National Review Online. That explains the rising backlash to the vicious personal attacks the Democrats and the media unloaded on her the moment she was named as John McCain’s running mate. “Palin Derangement Syndrome” could be what “sinks Obama.”

“Questioning Sarah Palin's credentials to be vice president isn't automatically sexist,” said Joan Vennochi in The Boston Globe, “any more than it is automatically racist to question Barack Obama's readiness to be president.” It’s perfectly legitimate to ask whether a rookie governor and former small-town mayor is ready to be a heartbeat from the presidency.

Asking whether Palin can be both mom and vice president is clearly sexist, said Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle, but some of the "media pile-on" was just the predictable reaction to a surprise pick. So “to attribute the whole can of worms to sexism is a mistake. The GOP is not the victimhood party.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up