Democrat Joe Biden likes Republican Sarah Palin's looks

Oh, jeez, here we go already. With the canny, seemingly good-natured-but-really-a-put-down jokes about a female candidate.

The lone female is gone from the Democratic race; they can't use the old pantsuits laugher anymore. So Joe Biden trotted out the subtly dismissive, isn't-she-pretty line about you-know-who, the newbie on the Republican side. (Translation: There's really nothing else to her to comment about, but I won't say that because I'm not a sexist.)

We wonder how this goes down with those millions of female Hillary Clinton supporters whom both sides covet.

Biden was in Ohio with his Democratic ticket partner, whom he once described as "clean," and told an outdoor rally:

“There’s a gigantic difference between John McCain and Barack Obama and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent,” Biden said.

“She’s good-looking,” he quipped.

Yeah, really, hold your sides on that one.

Let's turn that reference around 180-degrees and imagine a female candidate in front of a large audience talking about some, oh, hypothetical male opponent for the vice presidency. "Thirty-six years in the United States Senate," she says, "And all he's got to show for it is a beautiful head of hairplugs."

Real classy, right?

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[VJ Machiavelli]

I am sure Sarah the New Republican Terminator will "TERMINATE" Joe Biden in the debates. But this is the real Joe Biden remember his remark about his wife ?

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com

[grizzle]

I don't get it.

[WoMenBoycottMSNBC.com]

Yeah -- the democraps and the bloviati are at it again. Showing just how infected with sexism and misogyny they insist on proving in unrelenting fashion.

Palin is no less qualified in many ways than Obama. Or Pawlenty. In some ways, Palin is more qualified than Obama. She's no Hillary, but she surely has that quality of grit, determination and grace that we saw in Hillary.

As Doris Kearns Goodwin noted today: Turns out Obama really is less qualified and less prepared than anyone really knew -- [except Hillary and her supporters, of course.]

The media and the democrap party pursues this unending, hypocritical sneering smug condescendion (clearly a fear-based reaction) at their own peril.

At least McCain showed he has more spine and cojones than Obama. He's earned some respect back and Palin is alot more appealing on many levels than either Obama or Biden. They should give the smug dems a run for the money.

I won't vote for McCain and Palin, but they do have some gumption don't they? I'm leaning toward writing in Hillary myself.

[Trevor F]

Oh please Andrew. You're totally reaching here. The campaign knows they have to be really careful with anything that would be perceived as sexist. Not to mention Joe Biden has specifically been a big advocate for women's rights.

Lets stop with the over-sensitivity for one second and address the obvious. She's a pretty lady. His joke was a bad attempt at self-deprecating humor and stating the obvious about the race. Your article encourages the type of hyper sensitive politically correctness that often forces people to supress good ideas and honest public discourse in order to avoid offending someone.

You make the implication in the beginning that he's using a "isn't she pretty" line, but that isn't what he said. The way you state it, it makes it sound like he said "And McCain's VP...ain't she pretty?" In a condescending tone, and then winking at the crowd. If you really want to get political about the comment, if anything he probably wanted to address it because he wants to call it out into the open in the beginning to try and take it out of the equation. That doesn't mean he's implying thats all she has, that just means if anything he wants the public to judge them on their merits.

Whats even more silly is at the end of the article you propse to turn the tables and suggest if she had said "what nice hair plugs he has", it wouldn't be perceived the same way. Well obviously it wouldn't...that wouldn't be a reversal, that would be her putting his looks down. If she said the same thing about him that he said about her...e.g. "Theres a big difference between me and my opponent...he's good looking"...while it wouldn't be believable or congruent since she's attractive and a former beauty queen, it wouldn't be taken as she was trying to undermine his credibility.

This wasn't a dismissal, this was bad humor. And considering this is politics, we can expect to see more of it in the future.

[Matthew]

Biden's quote was clearly good natured. Your comments are more derogatory to Mrs. Palin in suggesting otherwise, frankly. I hope you do not get paid to write. Or, for that matter, think.

[Johnson]

"McCain, despite more than a year of casting himself as the best-prepared to be commander in chief, used a Fox News interview to describe the nationally unknown Palin as his 'soul mate' for her work as a reformer in Alaska."

We're in the initial stage of this thing. So I say let's note it, but let us also give a bit of leeway to both Mccain and Biden for now. A lot of women have been commenting that Palin looks pretty, and some men in the news media are calling her 'the babe'.

[Petersen]

Thank you, Andrew Malcolm, for identifying and articulating Biden's demeaning and sexist comment about Governer Palin. You are right, we really have had enough!

[RMB]

Let's talk of the big issues not this petty nonsense. Republicans with nothing to run on focus on Paris Hilton, question Obama experience, then bring on a person with far less experience.
The middle class is in desperate need. The loss of homes, health care, and jobs will only get worse with four more years.

[DCBill]

Its is true, Sarah Palin is an attractive woman. So what! Anyone who has even an ounce of common sense and the slightest modicum of maturity knows beauty is only skin deep. Sarah Palin is a woman with courage that faces challenges head on, and excellent mother, a great American, highly qualified to deal with energy issues, a proven executive, highly intelligent, sincere, and a person who we can all look up to. Taking it a step farther, anyone would be hard pressed to find a role model our children can look up to. If this is the best Biden can do and he somehow gets elected we are all in trouble. Biden wants beauty he should ask Madonna for a date.

[MT from CC]

This type of article distratcs from the fact that Sarah Palin is deeply inexperienced, and all we know know about her is that Rush Limbaugh is ecstatic about the pick. She is the Clarence Thomas 2.0.

[Jennifer]

Gawd...who cares? Everyone else has been saying that same thing. He's just stating the obvious.

Seriously. Has the media nothing else to comment about? This is getting out of hand.

[Schratboy]

Biden should stop drinking when he's out campaigning. He's been known for making stupid comments in the past, so lubricating himself up on the trail he's likely to show his true colors.

[Jim Sweet]

Joe Biden is funny, and he's also not that good-looking, which was part of his point. The point also is that if you think voters are going to choose McCain because he picked a running mate who has the right features but not the right politics, all you have left is the notion that she was only chosen BECAUSE she's looks better in a suit than Joe Biden. I'm going to give Joe the benefit of the doubt and say he is asking whether a woman with a pretty face with no practical experience or understanding of the government ought to be a "heartbeat away" from the most powerful job in the world.

[Georgina]

A blank page and a gender trap for women!

[D.E.]

With her complete lack of credentials, political or otherwise, why else did John McCain pick her?

[D Nicol]

Oh, come on. She's not THAT good-looking. Michelle Obama would definitely beat her in both the evening gown and the swimsuit competitions.

[Bob, Dallas TX]

Since when is giving someone a compliment a put-down? Sarah Palin is attractive, and that's clearly the primary asset the republicans were interested in when choosing her as their VP pick.

Can you actually disagree with this given her rather thin resume? The McCain ticket is now a complete joke.

[James Burke]

Way to go Joe! Brilliant!

[Tom Kingsley]

She’s good-looking,” he quipped.

Isn't it comments like this that Hillary's surrogates complained about in primarys?

[John]

What is there about the Democrats, that they can't keep there mouth or there zipper shut?

[Mke W]

Every comment like this is a vote against the Dem's ticket

[Argyx]

Superb reporting, Andrew. I especially like the way you point out how low it is by painting Biden as an elderly man with hair plugs. I know you'll say it was necessary to make your point. That's just not the case though.

You had me until that point though. Yeah, really classy on your part.

[belltolls4thee]

Well, She's the one who was in the beauty contest.

[Jerome]

That is just an example of Biden's self-deprecating sense of humor. His biggest problem is that he thinks he is funny. Would someone from that campaign please tell him to stop cracking jokes? Better yet, put a muzzle on him and only take it off to read from an approved script.

[marie]

The Democratic Party sexism is coming out again.