NewsBusters readers likely know Kirsten Powers as one of the many intelligent, reasonable, liberal contributors to Fox News.
On Sunday, Powers published a piece at the Daily Beast entitled "Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist" that is guaranteed to be applauded by the Right and heavily ridiculed by her colleagues on the left:
Yes, it’s true. Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Bill Maher, Matt Taibbi, and Ed Schultz have been waging it for years with their misogynist outbursts. There have been boycotts by people on the left who are outraged that these guys still have jobs. Oh, wait. Sorry, that never happened.
Boycotts are reserved for people on the right like Rush Limbaugh, who finally apologized Saturday for calling a 30-year-old Georgetown Law student, Sandra Fluke, a “slut” after she testified before congress about contraception. Limbaugh’s apology was likely extracted to stop the departure of any more advertisers, who were rightly under pressure from liberal groups outraged by the comments. [...]
But if Limbaugh’s actions demand a boycott—and they do—then what about the army of swine on the left?
Powers then shared numerous misogynistic episodes by folks like Matthews, Olbermann, Taibbi, Schultz, and especially Maher - many of which having been reported by NewsBusters - noting how the same folks on the left heaping scorn on Limbaugh and calling for boycotts of his sponsors turn a blind eye to far worse sexism from these "swine."
She concluded:
This is not to suggest that liberals—or feminists—never complain about misogyny. Many feminist blogs now document attacks on women on the left and the right, including Jezebel, Shakesville, and the Women’s Media Center (which was cofounded by Steinem). But when it comes to high-profile campaigns to hold these men accountable—such as that waged against Limbaugh—the real fury seems reserved only for conservatives, while the men on the left get a wink and a nod as long as they are carrying water for the liberal cause.
After all, if Limbaugh’s outburst is part of the “war on women,” then what is the routine misogyny of liberal media men?
It’s time for some equal-opportunity accountability. Without it, the fight against media misogyny will continue to be perceived as a proxy war for the Democratic Party, not a fight for fair treatment of women in the public square.
Indeed. I would also note that Limbaugh apologized for his comments which should diminish accusations of his misogyny. By contrast, it's a rare thing for a liberal media member to ever acknowledge wrong-doing in this regard.
Maher on Friday even said it was okay for him to call Sarah Palin the C-word because he's on HBO and therefore doesn't have sponsors.
That will likely be the extent of his mea culpa without any pushback from his supporters who would be going berserk if he were making such comments about Democrats.
Brava, Kirsten! Brava!
(H/T @imau2fan)
