Say what you want about her politics, but Meghan McCain has a decent head on her shoulders. She's not afraid to follow a logical train of thought, even if it leads her to unsuspected places. Her latest piece for The Daily Beast goes into the practically beaten to death topic of female politicians in the media - but from a somewhat fresh perspective.
What makes McCain's insight different from the criticisms that fueled the 2008 election is her neutral stance and separation from the drama. Many of the critics who spoke about the representation of Clinton and Palin by the media were caught up in the drama of it all themselves. Critics spent more time rebutting or proving accusations and becoming involved in political spats than pointing out their inherent misogyny.
It is undeniable that women (and men) are impacted by media representations. What happened to the minds of the young men and women in high school who watched the media attacks on Hillary, and later on Sarah? Are the girls afraid to enter politics? Do the boys see women as weak, emotional, and unable to perform in stressful situations? Possibly, and that's a scary concept.
But McCain's missing something that Tina Fey never forgot, even before her stint in the red blazer. In the words of the wise Ms. Norbury: there's some serious girl-on-girl crime happening here.
While plenty of female political reports got involved in the mud slinging, it's not just happening in the media. Politics are about competition and winning, and that's more obvious for women than it is for men.
Men have been in politics much longer than women - that's a no brainer. Male Democrats and Republicans alike have endless connections and are members for countless Good Old Boys Clubs. But women? They stand almost virtually alone.
How often do female politicians come together on political issues that aren't "women's issues"? Not often enough, and that's part of the problem. Men have alliances across myriad issues, but women? Well, they have "women's issues" - which most of them disagree on anyways.
Female politicians stand alone, making them much easier figures to attack. By attacking one female politician, you risk the wrath of almost no one - except maybe for some feminist bloggers.
I'm not saying we all need to get along, because we don't. Our country runs better with an atmosphere of competition and challenges. But would it really kill Nancy Pelosi to say "hey, Hillary, it's cool, I got your back" and stick it to the media?
Case in point: how many times have male politicians defended the decisions of their philandering political pals? Countless. How many fellow female politicians called the media out as crossing the line when Bill's affair with Monica resurfaced in Hillary's 2008 campaign? Last I checked, Michelle Obama was the only one.
Female politicians have to come together to fight off media hounds and misogynistic insults. We can't abolish the sexist and damaging images of political women in the media if we don't support each other. I'm not the first person to say this either: across technology, politics, law enforcement, and other typically male-dominated fields, there's a call for women to stand together, rather than apart. Perhaps we should listen?