California Attorney General Kamala Harris Makes The President to Give An Apology
Obama called California Attorney General Kamala Harris earlier in the day to offer an apology, according to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.The president seemed to have some awareness that he might be criticized for commenting on Harris's looks, prefacing his comments by saying: "You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in anybody who is administering the law, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake."
Obama gave a shout-out to Rep. Mike Honda and to state Attorney General Kamala Harris, noting a couple of times that she is, objectively, easy on the eyes. “She’s brilliant and she’s dedicated, she’s tough… She also happens to be, by far, the best looking attorney general…. It’s true! C’mon.” The crowd laughed.
The comments made even typically ardent Obama supporters cringe. Political strategist James Carville, no stranger to making controversial statements, advised Obama to be more cautious.
“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.”
Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine said the way women continue to be judged by their looks makes it tough to reach gender equality in the workforce.
Obama “did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general’s professional accomplishments and her capabilities,” Carney said. “He fully recognizes the challenges women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance.”
The remark, made at a luncheon for the Democratic National Committee in Atherton, Calif., Thursday, touched off a firestorm of debate in the political world, with some commentators taking the president to task for reducing a professional woman to her physical appearance and others suggesting that it’s just fine to flatter a pretty woman.
“She’s brilliant and she’s dedicated, she’s tough,” Obama said Thursday. “She also happens to be, by far, the best looking attorney general.”
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