Did Barack Obama re-open 'sweetiegate' in Unity?

Among the concerns some of Hillary Clinton female backers have with Barack Obama is the perception that he can slide into misogynist comments at the blink of an eye. And as we mentioned in an earlier post today, he made an odd, unplanned comment about women and heels during his Unity moment of rapprochement with Clinton. (The Swamp looks at Obama and John McCain on women's rights.)

This is from the transcript of the appearance: "[B]ecause of the campaign that Hillary Clinton waged, my daughters and all of your daughters will forever know that there is no barrier to who they are and what they can be in the United States of America. They can take for granted that women can do anything that the boys can do (cheers begin) -- and do it better, and do it in heels. I still (Obama laughs) --  I still don't know how she does it in heels."

Clinton laughed with him, but for a guy with some pretty good political instincts -- or who has at least hired people with good political instincts -- it was an odd verbal cul de sac to turn into. Remember, Obama caught some serious flak a few weeks back by dismissing a Michigan television reporter with a "sweetie." And he was criticized during a debate performance for another off-the-cuff comment about Clinton being "likable enough." Now he falls into the faux-joke of expressing amazement that a woman can outperform a man despite wearing heels.

That's not likely to go very far in mending fences with women already suspicious of him.

UPDATE: Tommy Vietor, Obama spokesman, says via e-mail that although Obama didn't cite Ann Richards, that was the genesis of his comment: "Sen. Obama was referencing Ann Richards' famous quote: 'Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.' Certainly Gov. Richards didn't mean [to] make that comment, as you described, as a 'faux-joke of expressing amazement that a woman can outperform a man despite wearing heels,' and it's disappointing that you'd draw that cynical conclusion."

Fair enough. But Vietor -- like many posters below -- missed the point of the blog item. For a candidate with past troubles with off-the-cuff comments on gender, it struck us as an odd comment. Some took offense; many did not (read the comments for a rather scathing discussion). Remember, this is a political blog, where we write about the political implications of campaign events and appearances.

-- Scott Martelle

Comments

[Ross]

Oh come on. Obama clearly meant no disrespect and is clearly a man who loves and respects women. Just look at his wife. He's right on all the issues important to women. Hillary was enthusiastic in her support today.

Can we please let this die and talk about things that matter instead of searching for non-existent "gaffes"?

[Paul Hunt]

Oh come on.

Going out of one's way to avoid making comments that may be misconstrued as being misogynist is one thing - trying to find sexism behind every innocuous allusion is another.

It's like when members of the media make remarks along the lines of, "obviously this will fuel VP speculation". Well sure, it will now - you're the one fueling it.

I believe the fight against sexism has not yet been won; at the same time I feel that if we lose our sense of humor along the way then we're not exactly helping.

[John]

Tell me something, Serioiusly. Are you guys bored? Is there not enough to do at the LAT? how in god's name is that a misogynistic comment? or calling someone "sweetie" the same?

He's commenting, as a man, how he feels women can do the same things men do and better wearing feels, which, as a man (rememember now, in case you forgot or are a little slow, that's how he's speaking as) is what he's speaking as.

I swear, sometimes I don't think it's such a bad thing that newspapers disappear and go out of business. with so many things going on, you guys just seem to make stuff up out thin air, and manufacture problems, issues or crisises just to fill space.

[Joanne]

And it's not competing in heels with men, it's competing with "boys". Since when does it take a full-grown woman to outsmart a "boy". He is pretty clueless.

[Sid Gardner]

Hey Scott, lighten up and Google "Ann Richardson, Gingers Rogers, and heels". It's actually a great feminist remark from a truly great convention speech.

[Eli Jones]

Hasn't anyone besides me ever actually looked up the word 'fascism' in the dictionary? Did you guys run out of news or what? Obviously going through a few editors in as many years has crippled your news organization if you're stooping to this non-item to get us to put our eyeballs on your ads.

[Terrie Lynn Bittner]

I'm a woman and I don't know how she does it in heels either. I consider heels painful enough to make it impossible to think, much less speak, shake hands, and campaign all day!

[Lindsay]

Oh my goodness - you're even in LA, and you didn't get the reference? As a fairly rabid feminist, I can tell you that he was merely botching a famous, empowering quotation: 'Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did... backwards and in heels.'

Please please please start reporting on the issues. It will make me such a better voter!

[haymaker]

ughhhh

i heard theres a tape of john mccain saying "kill blackie".

why don't you go investigate that.

[Ian]

Obama is as pro women as they come. McCain, on the other hand, is quite a different story.

McCain reportedly has called his wife the c word. http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/McCain_temper_boiled_over_in_92_0407.html

He later doesn't deny it when confronted by a Baptist minister about the remark. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/01/mccain-asked-did-you-call_n_99744.html

[TBone Fan]

Come on... Really?!?
You are going to make an issue of those comments?
Wow... Sam Zell needs to do some more payroll cutting...
Sad

[Jeremy Friesner]

Obama was referencing the well-known quote about Fred Astaire: "Sure he was great, but don't forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards, and in high heels".

I know the media loves conflict because it grabs eyeballs, but can we keep in mind this is the future of the country we have at stake here, and not the WWF or a reality show? You should treat your readers like grownups and abandon the search for something (anything) to generate conflict from.

-Jeremy

[David]

This article is a joke, right? Please tell me it's a joke.

[jenbooks]

He's right. I'm a woman and don't wear heels. I don't know how women wear those heels. Its painful and squishes your toes. Heels are an abomination although they look good.

[J]

Our late, beloved, departed former Texas governor Ann Richards was a misogynist too:

"Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."

[Portlander]

What kind of pathetic feminist takes offense at those comments? Doing it in heels? So the lady's got style too? I guess if there ain't news, make some junk up.

[Gary]

OK get a life! Obama was referring to Ginger Rogers' comment that she had to do everything Fred Astair did except she had to do it "backwards and in high-heels." I certainly don't think Ginger was misogynistic.

[James Green-Armytage]

Well, either she wears heels or she doesn't. If she doesn't, it's a little weird. But If she does, it's not sexist at all. I couldn't do all that campaigning stuff in high heels. My feet hurt like crazy as it is. I think his point was that she's tough. People that would take offense at that would seem to be a little strange.

[Dave]

I'm not an Obama supporter at all but even I can tell that that comment was innocent and was even uplifting toward women so why don't you get off your box and stop spreading mud on people's faces.

[Michael]

This is news? Its this kind of fluff that let the Deceiver in Cheif get away with murder. Try some real reporting for a change.

[Jeff S Wheeler]

Clearly, Obama's remark was in good humor. As far as we know, he does not wear high heels, and I don't understand how women can function while wearing those things, either.

If it were Rudy Giuliani speaking, you might have had something to write about. Go find some real news. Articles like this are why Americans are canceling their newspaper subscriptions every day.

[Sterling Greenwood]

I get the feeling that some of these negative comments about Obama are from people who would never vote for him no matter what he said.
Sterling Greenwood
Aspen Free Press

[Carl]

I'm surprised that if "you are 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate" when 13 year-olds are obviously whom this article was written for.

Carl

[Ricardo]

>>And it's not competing in heels with men, it's competing with "boys". Since when does it take a full-grown woman to outsmart a "boy".

i think he was talking about the next generation... our daughters. i take it as meaning that our daughters will compete as well as our boys.

[GCL]

Hello - crude oil is at over $140 a barrel, the war in Iraq has no end in sight, people are losing their homes, unemployment numbers aren't encouraging, the stock market is taking a beating, and the dollar is plummeting against global currencies....and here we are talking about Obama and ...heels? Maybe people in the US need to prioritize and grow up.

[Chris O'Rourke]

I assume being in Los Angeles you're familiar with the film industry and the old pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers yes?
If you are then you should be aware that Ginger Rogers had a popular quote:
"I did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels."

Misogynistic? No. If you'd stop and think how real journalists might write (rather then base punditry) you'd realize that Obama was making reference to that widely regarded chestnut of knowledge from Ginger Rogers and not being a misogynist. Please try reporting fact once in awhile, if I wanted endless distorted hyperbole I'd watch Fox News.

[Nicsmom]

Ummm.....hello! He's referencing Ann Richards' famous comment made at, I believe, the '84 Democratic Convention. Remember "Ginger Rogers did it better in heels...and backwards!!" Come on, guys. What? You haven't had a scandal in a week and need to stir one up? This is sooo not the same as whatever "sweetiegate" was. As a woman and a Southerner I take no offense to either comment.

[Charice]

Wow!! You all are just looking for something aren't you?

[Stan G]

For a reporter, you don't get out much. "... do it in heels" is an old joke. It is and was, a compliment, not a put down. Do I have to explain that running in high heels is a handicap? No. My take is that the writer is desperately looking for a pitard on which to hoist Obama.

[malach hamovess]

Hillary Clinton has put up with Bill Clinton for over 30 years; he wrote the book on smarmy misogyny; there's nothing Obama's gonna say that she hasn't heard before. She's a big girl - she'll be just fine. And, as to her sisterhood of true believers - GET OVER IT !!!

[John axelson]

women:

my god! ease up!

and you wonder why there is this little voice in the back of our heads... that's always screeching... "take out the garbage".

give it a break... and knock off the ba#l busting!

[Sam]

What the..... This is amazing every thing is taken so seriously by times

[Carl]

Some people just like to invent controversy and contort someone's positive, constructive comments into something insulting.

[Moysh]

Clinton may wear a heel on each shoe. Obama is a heel.

[Eric]

Is it possible he was playing off the quote, "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels"?

[T. Scheisskopf]

Mr. Martelle:

If you think the word "sweetie" is misogynist, you obviously need to get out more. Why don't you hang out with the guys covering cops n' courts. I am sure they can teach you, obviously a delicate flower of letters, about some real misogyny, delivered in though, word and deed. Be sure to make sure your footman brings the salts and the fainting bench with him. I daresay you will end up needing them.

[Konstantin]

On c'mon is right.

This is so ridiculous, especially for LAT to publish. Nobody is perfect, and it's difficult to talk publicly in this country, especially for someone as visible as Obama, because everyone (including the author of this article) will pick it apart, find something to neat pick and neat pick they will.

Nothing in what he said in my mind could possibly be offensive to women. Women and men ARE different, get over it! Women wear hills and men do not (for the most part). And thank god for that! What a terrible world it would be if everything and everyone was the same.

So stop neat picking and go find something good to write about.

[LauraJMixon]

Not at all offensive. It's a feminist-friendly reference. Clearly, he was quoting the cartoonist who said re Ginger Rogers that she could do everything Fred Astaire could do, and she did it wearing heels, backwards. Here's the reference: http://www.gingerrogers.com/about/quotes.html

[JohnDoe]

Are you serious, "sweetiegate"?!?? C'mon.

[Ron]

I knew that there was a reason that I canceled my subscription to the LA Times. You must have people working overtime to come up with these stupid ideas.

[TimL]

joanne,

I am guessing you have no social relationships with anyone outside your cats? The term "boys" has been used for centuries to define a group of males be them young or old. Seriously, crawl out of the cave you have been living in and see the light of day and actually listen to people talk and maybe you can start to build relationships instead of just imagining the whole world is "Out to get you".

I am so so so tired of overly sensitive people having any control in anyones lives. They should be laughed out of office/jobs everything. Grow up the world is not perfect and it sure as heck doesn't revolve around you.

[chris]

Obama was referring, clearly, to a well-known phrase (I forget who it's credited to: anyone?) that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, backwards and in heels.

I've felt Obama was a bit condescending to women in the past, but this comment does not support that: to the contrary.

[Lynda]

This is more of a mildly botched quote and an assumption that everyone knows it.

There was an old and frequently quoted cartoon (among the quotees was Ann Richards in the 80s) that said, ""Sure Fred Astaire was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, backwards... and in high heels."

[Morris]

Andrew and Don, you guys usually posts pretty good articles that is why I click on them when I hit Google News. However, today alone I saw two wacky articles. We know it is a slow news day in politics but you could have wrote about something more important than "I still don't know how she does it in heels."

I will still keep reading though!

[daisy]

This is an obvious reference to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. You know the saying about how Fred Astaire gets so much recognition while Ginger Rogers danced right along with him, but in heels - a much more difficult....ehm....feat.

Ergo, It is a compliment. And a slow news day!!

[lindiana]

You are so old school. We want to win in heels. Why should I have to deny to my woman-hood to have power and consequence?

this is nuts. I don't want to win like a man. I want to win like woman, in heels, liking babies and men, hell-- I want to win and then go shopping and not have to like football.

Feminism for the 21st century,not the 20th

[William]

You get paid too much for doing way too little. You guys are playing semantics and trying to take every little word that someone says and making something big out of it because you have nothing better to do.

Why don't you just man up and talk about some real issues. Or would that be too much for me to ask of you?

[Cindy]

Isn't that a take off the feminist slogan, something along the lines of "ginger rogers did everything fred astair did, but backwards and in high heels"? How it can be called sexist to say that women do things better than men is beyond me. Mention of heels is just a recognition of the fact that women get stuck in uncomfortable shoes. He probably hears his wife complain about long days in high heels, and there are plenty of long days on a campaign trail.

[Larry]

This is clearly a reference to a quote from Texas Gov. Ann Richards' 1988 speech at the Democratic Convention.

From wikipedia:

"Richards observed during her 1988 Democratic National Convention keynote address that "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.""

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

Now don't you feel foolish after accusing Ann Richards of being a misogynist?

[ron g.]

But wait! Isn't he slighting men by referring to them as 'boys'?

Must be a slow news day....