If I lived in a different state (i.e., had moved back to my home state of Massachusetts) and time (a time when a filibuster-proof Democratic majority was assured), I could actually see myself voting for newly-elected Senator Scott Brown.
I kind of like the guy.
I like the fact that he had a “rough” upbringing. I appreciate some of his moderate political positions. I admire his triathlete discipline. I even cheered for his daughter Ayla when she was a contestant on American Idol in 2007.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am bitterly disappointed by his recent election and the risk it poses to enactment of health care legislation. But, I understand why Massachusetts voters would vote for him.
What I DON’T understand, however, is why Brown’s posing nude for Cosmo (as a law student in 1982) generated only a few winks. Where was the pundit outcry?!? The occasional national media wisecrack – e.g., Cosmo’s campaign slogan suggestion: Vote for Brown. He Has One Hell of a Stimulus Package - did nothing to derail Brown’s growing popularity and eventual victory.
What would have happened if similarly-revealing photos had spring up of his opponent, Democrat Martha Coakley or, reaching back further in time, Republican Sarah Palin? I suspect neither politician would have survived the ensuing firestorm and questions about her judgment/suitability. Heck, Ms. America can’t even keep her crown when risque photos surface.
I don’t blame Scott Brown for this double-standard. Actually, I don’t know who to point my finger at. Maybe that’s what makes this gender double-standard so frustrating!
1-21-2010 09:02:30
Don’t get me started … I’m right there with you on this one. The Republicans have always operated on this adage: “What’s sauce for the goose isn’t sauce for the gander.”
1-21-2010 15:20:17
I echo your sentiments exactly, Elaine. Scott Brown’s photo spread being reduced to an anecdotal story on Entertainment Tonight is the epitome of the double standard. I really thought we (and by we, I mean men and women, both) had come farther than that. Kind of gives me a pit in my stomach.
1-21-2010 15:54:51
Elaine, Cindy and Maura, I agree with you all. It’s a stupendous double standard that was all-but-ignored by the national media. Also, I think the picture of him standing next to his two daughters while they’re clothed only in seashell bikinis creeps me out just a little. And his remark about his daughters being “available”? What’s up with that?
I believe Martha Coakley must have run the world’s worst campaign. She scoffed at the idea of standing outside in the cold outside of Fenway Park and shaking hands. Dah!
I’ve also seen polls that counter the buzz of the national media pundits — Coakley didn’t lose because the Democrats were overreaching. She lost because the Democrats were UNDERREACHING. Polling questions often ask if people disagree with the health care bill. But the polls don’t always dig for the reason. Many people disagree with it because it lacks a public option or better!
1-22-2010 04:03:16
It’s simply amazing that this huge double standard still exists. Ireland’s first minister has recently had to take a 6-week break to sort out his family situation — he is being targeted because of his wife’s (age 59) affair with a 19 year old man (?) and subsequent financing of her par amour’s business. Yes, I definitely think there’s a double standard — Bill Clinton definitely would not have survived his espcapades had he been a woman. Unbelievable.