Michelle Bachmann is a lot of things, very few of them pleasant, in my opinion. That being said, the recent clusterfuck on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (in case you’ve been hiding under a rock, Bachmann’s appearance was accompanied by Fishbone’s “Lyin’ Ass Bitch”) was completely inappropriate.
Why?
Because it was sexist. Misogynistic. A cheap shot taken at a woman just for being a woman.
I mean, if the song had been implying that Bachmann is a liar, that’s one thing. That’s political commentary, in a way.
Had the song been called “Lying Asshole” or something, I’d be totally fine with it. I’d even agree. After all, “asshole” takes away the gender focus.
Which was real … and wrong.
Anyway, Fallon apologized (via Twitter … don’t you love the internet?), as did the network brass.
From Slate:
Doug Vaughan, NBC’s vice president for late night programming, sent a personal letter to Michele Bachman, in which he said that the song played during her appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s show was “not only unfortunate but also unacceptable,” a spokeswoman for the GOP presidential candidate told the Associated Press. Vaughn also said the band had been “severely reprimanded.”
So, while I disagree with Bachmann’s characterization of this incident as “proof of the political bias and sexism of ‘the Hollywood entertainment elite’”, I do believe that her gender was, once again, used against her here.
Of course, Bachmann managed to somehow not capitalize on any sort of connection she might have made with feminists in a recent run-in with a high school student in Iowa questioning her on gay marriage.
From ABC News:
Bachmann told [high school student Jane] Schmidt it was the government’s role to treat all people equally, and not give preference to any group based on sexuality.
“As Americans we all have the same civil rights,” she said. “That’s really what government’s role is, to protect our civil rights. There shouldn’t be any special rights or special set of criteria based on people preferences. We all have the same civil rights.”
“Then why can’t same sex couples get married?” asked Schmidt.
“They can get married, [if] they abide by the same laws as everyone else. They can marry a man, if they’re a woman, and can marry a woman if they’re man,” Bachmann said.
Oh, Michele, a high school student … you’ll never learn, will you?
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