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Sexist Media Attacks of Michelle Obama Continue

The Washington Times continued the sexist assault on Michelle Obama by trivializing a campaign event featuring her and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as a “girlie show” and “as much estrogenfest as it was campaign rally.” The two appeared together in Pontiac, Michigan and spoke about the city’s struggling economy, parenting, and family.

The article criticized the interaction of the women, guffawing at a fashion compliment passed between the two. The piece did not summarize the economic discussion Obama and Granholm actually held and instead described their joint speech as “economic bantering.”

Michelle Obama has been victim to dozens of these types of attacks since the beginning of her husband’s campaign and has been continuously characterized as an “angry black woman,” and “bitter” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In June, Fox News ran a blatantly sexist and racist graphic referring to Michelle Obama as Senator Obama’s “Baby Momma.”

“These are personal attacks. They cannot reach [Barack Obama], so the person they believe they can hurt the most is his wife,” said Lee Walker, fellow of the Heartland Institute, in the Sun-Times. “Never in history has a candidate’s wife been attacked like this.”

Sources:

The Washington Times 7/14/2008; Media Matters 7/14/2008; The Chicago Sun-Times 6/19/2008; Feminist Daily Newswire 6/13/2008

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