I think we can all agree that Donald Trump is a misogynist asshole. One of the reasons we think people are assholes for making fun of someone's looks is that people don't have much control over the way they look, and another reason is that reducing anyone to your personal standard of acceptable attractiveness for women is, well, disturbing, if not outright sociopathic. There's a lot of advertising content aimed at encouraging men to do just that, but we should expect someone running to be the president of the fucking United States to be better than that. So I found this little exchange educational:
JAKE TAPPER: Ms. Fiorina, I do want to ask you about this: In an interview last week in Rolling Stone magazine, Donald Trump said the following about you. Quote, "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?" Mr. Trump later said he was talking about your persona, not your appearance. Please feel free to respond what you think about his persona.
CARLY FIORINA: You know, it's interesting to me: Mr. Trump said that he heard Mr. Bush very clearly and what Mr. Bush said. [This refers to earlier in the debate when Trump took Jeb Bush to task for saying he "misspoke" when he said: "I'm not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues."] I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.
DONALD TRUMP: I think she's got a beautiful face, and I think she's a beautiful woman.
There, there! All better, little girl!
Did you see what our corporate media did there? Instead of criticising Trump themselves for his mean, nasty, sexist and yes, UNPRESIDENTIAL comment (because, let's face it, we know they're a buncha babies when it comes to in-your-face Republicans), they made Carly do it herself.
Putting a woman in the public spotlight to defend her looks? Journalism!
And if that doesn't tell you what media bullshit this debate circus is, why, there you go.
All the people clamoring for more presidential debates clearly do not remember the rather religious fervor with which the media moderators attacked Democrats the last go-round.
More town halls, yes. More media debates? Hell, no.
