President Obama’s comment that California attorney general Kamala Harris is the “best-looking attorney general” during a Democratic fund-raiser has led many people, including political strategist James Carville, to criticize the commander-in-chief for his remark.
“She’s brilliant and she’s dedicated, she’s tough. … She also happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general,” Obama said during the Democratic National Committee luncheon in Atherton, Calif.
“It’s true! C’mon,” he continued as the crowd laughed, according to a pool report by Todd Gillman of the Dallas Morning News.
Salon assistant editor Katie McDonough posted a series of tweets under the headline “Twitter to Obama: Commenting on Kamala Harris’ appearance was stupid, sexist.”
Journalist Rebecca Traister also thought Obama said the wrong thing.
“What now re: Kamala Harris? On what planet in his mind did he think that sounded like the right thing to say?” she tweeted.
New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait, meanwhile, bashed the president in a short post online.
“For those who don’t see a problem here, the degree to which women are judged by their appearance remains an important hurdle to gender equality in the workforce,” Chait wrote. “It’s not a compliment. And for a president who has become a cultural model for many of his supporters in so many other ways, the example he’s setting here is disgraceful.”
The Atlantic senior editor Garance Franke-Ruta also felt Obama’s comment was inappropriate.
“President Obama’s remark mistook the setting. Just as it’s perfectly appropriate to tell a colleague she looks gorgeous when she’s dressed to the nines for some black tie work event, it would be inappropriate to refer to her as ‘gorgeous over there’ during a work meeting. Doing so takes her out of the system of power and puts her into the system of beauty in a setting in which power is the value that’s brought her to the table. And that, dear readers, is a gaffe.”
Even Democratic strategist James Carville didn’t approve of the president’s voicing his opinion about Harris’ appearance.
“Look, I’m a 68-year-old guy and I do notice honestly the way that women look sometimes, but you’ve got to learn to sort of keep your opinions to yourself,” Carville said on MSNBC’s “Jansing & Co,” according to Politico. “I doubt if he’ll do it again. Not the worst thing that ever happened. Based on the pictures, it’s probably true.”
Meanwhile, others said the firestorm over Obama’s comments wasn’t warranted.
And, Salon staff writer Alex Seitz-Wald wondered if Obama’s comments offended the US attorney general.
“I wonder if Eric Holder’s feelings are hurt?” he tweeted.
Harris was present and spoke to the crowd before the president made his remarks, but spokeswoman Lynda Gledhill could not immediately say if she was offended.
“The attorney general is traveling and has no comment,” Gledhill said.
With AP