February 5, 2015

I really love it when a Republican like John Feehery shoots his mouth off with sexist claptrap and a journalist actually slams him with facts.

It begins with Feehery saying that Hillary will be 70 when she runs for President, so her age will definitely be an issue.

After pointing out that Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush are both grandparents, he asks Feehery why that would be a negative. "Why is her age an issue with her rather than with her peers," Matthews pressed. "Why wasn't it an issue with Mitt Romney?"

Feehery's response? "He's not near 70. He wouldn't be 70 when he runs...That's a big age difference there."

Tweety swoops in for the kill. "He's six months older than her. I'll let you absorb that, John."

YES! Journalism! Feehery was caught in the spin with nowhere else to go.

I enjoy a Gotcha! moment as much as the next person, but the real subtext here is the sexism inherent in Feehery's assumptions about age and gender. It's fine for Mitt Romney to have a zillion grandkids and use them for political gain, but for Hillary Clinton? Not so much.

Whether or not Hillary is the Democratic nominee, she should be allowed to run on equal footing with men. That means her age isn't any more meaningful than it was for John McCain, Ronald Reagan or Mitt Romney. Presidential campaigns are endurance contests. Hillary Clinton will decide whether she's up to the task and act accordingly, whether or not Republicans think she's too old to run.

Maybe they should just lose the sexism and pay attention to the issues.

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