So now they care about sexism? The ugly hypocrisy of the right’s reaction to Trump’s Kelly slur
Congratulations, Donald Trump. You made sure that throughout a gorgeous summer weekend, headlines and chyrons everywhere blared your claim that a professional woman did her job badly because she was menstruating. I’m no fragile flower, but by Sunday, I admit, I felt a little bit ill.
Of course the media wasn’t making the charge, they were reporting it. And I’m not suggesting anyone should have censored Trump. But seeing the word “MENSTRUATING” over and over, linked to Megyn Kelly, a conservative journalist who is at the pinnacle of her profession, showed the extent to which a primitive fear and hatred of women powers far-right backlash politics today.
So many in the media are shocked at the rise of Trump and the piggishness he represents. I can’t understand why. From the dawn of the Obama administration some of us have experienced the surge of racism and misogyny personally.
Within days of Obama’s inauguration, I had former House Majority Leader Dick Armey tell me on “Hardball,” after I'd criticized Rush Limbaugh, "I'm so damn glad you can never be my wife, because I surely wouldn't have to listen to that prattle from you every day." A lot of folks on the left were outraged; on the right, they laughed and cheered Armey.
