The Orbis

Issue date: 2/5/07 Section: Opinion

Not to be ignored, the source in question is Fox News, which discredits and trivializes the political actions of Democrats in general (though it is interesting they have chosen to discredit women politicians with specifically female-directed insults). But even Maureen Dowd, the relatively left-leaning New York Times columnist, also called the conflict between Harman and Pelosi a "catfight" in her Dec. 20 column. She continues by joking that they had disputed the matter at a "hair salon in Georgetown." Dowd continues the column by arguing that Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, is a poor selection for the position and that Pelosi displayed incompetence by choosing him to lead the committee. But she simultaneously implies that Pelosi's incompetence is connected to her femininity.

Pelosi has been in power for a month now, so the number of her decisions worth critiquing are few, but there is a long list of sexist punditry on this issue alone.

Though it may be early to judge how well the American people are receiving Pelosi, commentators have not hesitated to make us as skeptical as possible of her gender and the potential baggage it brings with it. These examples of the gendered criticisms waged against Pelosi suggest the triumphant symbolic moment of her breaking through the marble may not indicate any kind of substantive breakthrough for women in politics. Pelosi's rank is undoubtedly historic, but as the coverage of her appointment has shown us, gender is still an issue in America, an issue that critics will not hesitate to use as a weapon against women who have been elected to office.

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