“Tonight, I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment. This woman is from Alaska, for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And you claim she’s ready to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters, just like Barack Obama did today, just like John McCain did today, just like Joe Biden has done on numerous occasions. Let her have a real news conference with real questions.
“By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you’re not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chains you’re binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So, let her act like one. We’re going to have more on Palin’s cloistered day coming up in just a moment.”
This has come up many times in other contexts.
My personal visual of Palin’s interaction (or lack thereof) with the media is that the McCain campaign threw bubble-wrap a virtual blanket over her, and she helpfully grabbed the edges and pulled it tightly over her head.
So…. is it sexism when the perceived victim deliberately colludes with the villains?
Added: Shhhhh!!! No talking!