Obama dismisses a female TV reporter as 'Sweetie'

A small but very surprising gaffe by the leading Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, Wednesday during a visit to an automotive plant in Michigan. These photo ops are staged by every presidential campaign for the precise purpose of having TV cameras film their candidate walking, looking and learning something somewhere.

But although the media are absolutely essential to the staged event's success, the campaigns really don't want them messing up their political plans with interruptions or questions. If the cameras only have pictures, that's all the stations can broadcast.

Answering reporters' questions distract from the pleasant photos and could change the subject away from the day's political message. What if they ask him/her about West Virginia or doing poorly among blue-collar Democratic workers like those waiting to shake his hand up the line?

Peggy Agar of Channel 7 TV news in Detroit was with her cameraman at the Sterling Heights, Mich., plant jockeying for position as Obama walked around the facility, trying like all the others in the invited press mob to lob a question in and get the candidate actually talking on-camera instead of merely looking.

Suddenly Obama was walking right toward her. "Senator," Agar addressed him, "how are you going to help the American auto worker?"

"Hold on one second, sweetie," the presidential candidate said, sticking out his right arm as if to ward her off. "We're gonna do a press avail."

Sweetie?

"This 'sweetie,'" Agar noted acidly in her broadcast report, "never did get an answer to that question."

Later, the station said Obama had left an apology on the reporter's phone, admitting he had a problem calling women "sweetie" and saying he intended no disrespect.

If there's no disrespect intended, why wouldn't he have used it during, say, one of his debates against Sen.  Hillary Clinton? "Now, Sweetie, you're not describing my health care plan accurately." How would that go over?

Alas for Obama, his comment was already captured on tape. Here it is.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Six]

That's not an uncommon, casual expression. I get called "Honey" all the time in the south. Quite frankly, this just looks like another attempt to make an issue of nothing.

How about reporting on something like the candidates voting records or positions? I can read People magazine if I want gossip.

[Erik]

This news-story is a non-issue. Way to blow way out of proportion what to all intents and purposes is a non-circumstantial happenstance Andrew Malcolm!

[Obama supporter]

In the UK, women over 45 address both men and women as "love" or "darling" while men over 45 address women that way. It's no disrespect. It's actually equivalent to addressing someone as "sir" or "ma'am" in the States.

(He'd be a good candidate over there then.)

[Steve Wimer]

Yellow journalism. A new low for the L.A. Times.

[Josh]

Andrew, a few weeks ago you posted a blog entry on Obama's supposed "flipping off" of Clinton. That was a nice piece of superstition and distraction, much like this is. I don't understand how someone with your experience can in good conscious post this fluff and call it journalism. I'm sure this clip will be all over the TV airwaves tomorrow, and in some way that will validate your decision to give ink to this. It shouldn't. Of the thousands of campaign stops made in this race, you don't think each and every candidate has said or done something that others are quick to misconstrue? Of course they have, so either cover them all, or better yet, cover none of them. No amount of cheap "gotcha" youtube journalism will save a life, put food on the table or lower the price of gas.

[Victoria]

This is ludicrous reporting. I 've noticed that Obama calls all babies "Sweetie" too.
How is it a gaffe ?

I would be thrilled if Obama called me "sweetie" and I am a reporter as well !

[Long-time Times reader]

Is Sam Zell a Clinton donor? I'm surprised (a) that this got front page mention and (b) that you chose to run it as straight reporting. It sure smacks of non-issue gutter journalism. I know it's in the nature of blogs to be snarky and informal...but where's the editorial voice to tell us that you're aware of the frivolity of this piece, that you see it as another stretch of the lunacy parade that is today's political coverage? Disappointing, gentlemen...

[Obamamania]

Michelle, Barak, and Reverend Wright are RIGHT! God D*** america! Racist, bitter, typical white people vote for clinton. Go cling to your religion fools, but save your gun money for my reparations check! Remeber rednecks, you know your a racist if you dont vote for Obama! Dont vote for the Ho.

[John B Sheffield]

Just another Pro-Hillary propaganda piece???? waste of space, how low can some stoop??

[ericmiami]

At least this will give Sen. Clinton's people, like the snake-oil salesman, Terry McAuliffe, new false hope! They will see it as the smoking gun. Ha ha ha ha ha.

[jim]

So, what about calling Obama 'boy'. I'll bet that wouldn't go over well. Stereotyping is stereotyping. Racism is racism, its ok if you are black, and evil if you are white. I say it is evil all the time and Obama should not get a free pass.

[karenjeis]

i'm sure obama had no intention of being malicious when he said "sweetie", but that doesn't make it any less wrong. I mean, he is a politician running for the highest office in the land, Would you like it if your boss calls you sweetie?

[sawaya]

Gees.....what next? Are you really that desperate and so lacking in real news-worthy items to report that you'd stoop to this below-the-belt report on "Sweetie?" Report, instead, on the latest Bush-crap....giving up his days on the links....as supporting our troops!!!!!! My God....what a colossal ly ignorant, cold-hearted, disgustingly horrid statement. And, even that, a damn lie. There are photos showing him playing that very game later. The man should be tried in the Hague...war crimes and all. Barack Obama's intelligence will bring back dignity, grace, and all things good to the White House. Now, show your intelligence in your reporting.

[Wm Tate]

The question really is, How would the media react if Sen. McCain--or Pres. Bush--had called a reporter "Sweetie." Think we might have seen it on the front page, at least as a sidebar?
-Wm Tate
http://www.atimelikethis.us/

[JB The Hut]

After all the bullship we've had to put up with with the idiot Bush and all of Hillary's antic's this isn't even newsworthy, if this is the kind of ship people want to try to come up with then screw em....

[MaryL]

I was very bothered by this and somewhat relieved when he apologized. I don't ever want to hear him call a grown woman "sweetie" again.

Re the unanswered question: I can give him a pass on this. It isn't as if he answered questions from a bunch of male reporters and ignored just the woman's question. It sounds like a campaign or candidate screw-up: he was sweeping through the plant and had a bunch of questions shouted at him by more than one reporter in a jostling crowd. He didn't answer any of those questions, maybe because he really did expect a presser later, but that didn't happen.

And I wouldn't expect him to talk to Clinton in the same distracted way during a debate. A "sweetie" in the atmosphere of a debate would be nothing but a deliberate diss. I think Obama didn't realize how condescending "sweetie" sounds to a grown woman, even when spoken reflexively while he's focusing on something else, but I hope to hell he gets it now.

[Wow]

Obamamania--Your eloquent post is precisely why I am not voting for Sen. Obama. Thanks for reminding me.

[Ed]

The best plan of action for Barry is to lay low. Opening his mouth just reveals the true Barry that his campaign has desperately tried to avoid. This off the cuff remark exposes Barry as a misogynist. He is in good company with Dean and the rest of the DNC. They are so afraid that a woman would become president. This is why the Democrats will lose the general election with Obama. It appears the GOP has more respect for women than the DNC. At least they had Condi as Secretary of State. What a hypocritical joke the DNC has become.

[Rajah Kahn]

IS THIS news?????????GEE I HAVE USED THIS WORD SWEETIE SO OFTEN, HOW COME I DID NOT MAKE THE NEWS???????? IS THIS AMERICA??? WE ARE WORST THAN THE "TALIBANS"........

[Nova yos Galan]

Words matter. What if the table were reversed and someone said to Obama, "Hold on one second.... boy"? Or the "N" word? Calling a professional woman sweetie in a professional situation is completely unacceptable. It dismisses and diminishes her at the same time. Calling a friend or loved one an endearing term over coffee is very different from using that same term in a professional enviornment with a stranger. I can see there's not going to be a lot of "change" in D.C. in terms of sexism if he is elected. Women need to wake up.

[Cecile]

So, "sweetie" is a gaffe ?
I thought it was "bitter".

You should hear from the journalist in question, she doesn't make a lot of that.

[pompous_as&]

In some regions it's common to address black men as "boy". Would you people get the same warm fuzzy feeling if your hero was addressed as such?

It was thoughtless and dis-respectful. He should have known better and he was right to apologize.

[Luis Alvarado]

If my wife heard me call another woman sweetie, she would hit me on the side of my head. Not because she would fell that I was flirting or giving her a complement, but because it is very disrespectful.
When engaging another person on a professional field, each should respect the other by not addressing or emphasizing personal characteristics that link the other person with protected civil liberties.
Obama would not call a gay man sweetie would he? Or an older reporter "Pop". Yes, I believe that there is no disrespect intended on his behalf. Just another example of how an unseasoned politician is reaching for an office that does not fit his level of political experience.

[KAren]

Call me sweetie anytime. I want complain!

[Listener Joe]

Maybe it was Agar's whiny accent. It used to be called "Valley Girl". I have heard it called "a mouthful of marbles and oatmeal".

"Sann-uh-trrrr, howr y' gonna halp the Amarican otto wuhkrrrrrrr?"

Pronouncing the short "e" sound as a flat, short "a", makes the questioner sound like a bit of a bimbo. But she is an ABC "Duzznnay" reporter, so that's probably how their Hannah Banannah demographic talks anyway. At least ABC is one step up up from Fox.

All that being said, Obama should have been more careful in HIS choice of appellations.