Howie D and the Curious Case of Calling-Out Sexism

Original Link: http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/6/2/16427/18917

by canadian gal

As the primaries draw to a close a curious change in party line has occurred. On yesterday's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos ," Democratic National Committee Chair Dr. Howard Dean took the mainstream media to task for some sexist news coverage of Sen. Hillary Clinton 's presidential ambitions. His response was to a question from Stephanopoulos about a recent op-ed by Geraldine Ferraro on the topic of sexism and race in the 2008 campaign

DEAN: There has been an enormous amount of sexism in this campaign on the part of the media, including the mainstream media. We'll leave present company excepted, because I think that's true. But there have been major networks that have featured numerous outrageous comments that if the words were reversed and they were about race, the people would have been fired.

So that's a big issue. And there are a lot of women in this country who -- there's two issues here. One is one candidate is ahead and one is not. That happens all the time in primaries, and you get over that. What you don't get over is deep wounds that have been inflicted on somebody because they happen to be a woman running for president of the United States.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Does Barack Obama get over it by choosing Sen. Clinton as a running mate?

DEAN: We don't know. But I do believe that the issue of sexism in this country has to be addressed.

His words are a welcome sight to many who feel that the silence and tacit approval of the DNC in this primary with regard to sexism. However the timing of these comments is curious. Why would Dean wait until two day before the last primaries to call-out the rampant sexism we have witnessed over the past months?