Town hall ignites fierce debate: Why must Harris be 'flawless' while Trump goes 'lawless?'

[JohnSJ]

"A town hall analysis breaking down the policies Kamala Harris was asked about Wednesday night abruptly flipped into a discussion about the inconsistencies in how the vice president and Donald Trump are being treated, with one CNN panelist declaring: “They’re not taking the same exam.”

“He gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless. That’s what's unfair. That's what's unfair tonight,” said former Obama White House official Van Jones. “They're not taking the same exam. Look, she has policies, she may not articulate them perfectly every time…but she’s fighting for actual ideas that will help real people and he’s talking about people’s penises, and so they are not taking the same exam and that’s pissing people off – it’s pissing me off.”

The moment came just after Harris wrapped up a town hall with CNN’s Anderson Cooper that was originally scheduled as a presidential debate before Trump dropped out and later refused to commit to holding his own town hall with the network.

https://www.rawstory.com/kamala-harris-2669467828/

In that double standard conversation the rethug pundits weren't concerned about that double standard, they were "concerned" that VP Harris might consider ending the filibuster. The filibuster that was created to support slavery.

[BlueKota]

1. tsf wouldn't even show up to take the "exam."

[JohnSJ]

2. Speaks volumes doesn't it?

[BlueKota]

3. Definitely

[From The Ashes]

5. True.

He'd hire someone to take the exam for him...and then refuse to pay them

[The_Counsel]

17. ...and at Most Schools, That's an Automatic Fail.

A big fat ZERO is what you get when you don't show up for an important exam. Automatic fail.

You might--MIGHT--get a chance to make it up, but you don't normally get to negotiate the terms of said make-up. And if you don't even bother to SHOW UP for the make-up? Holy shit!

But see....that's why Trump has somehow lived 78.5 years without ever growing up. He's lived those 78.5 years by a set of rules different from most everyone else. He's come to expect it. It's infuriating, really...

[usaf-vet]

18. He has NEVER done anything that was hard. He just hired someone to fill in for him and then often didn't pay them.

I cannot figure out how this country got itself into this fix.

I hope the history books grant him his wishes and put him in the same chapters that exposed Hilter for the evil SOB that he was. Trump has earned his SOB status already.

[hadEnuf]

36. 30+ years of Fox news and right-wing propaganda media is how this country has gotten itself into this fix.

Not to forget the rudderless, brainwashed, selfish and hateful rubes that have lapped up this shit for years.

[Lonestarblue]

31. Unlike college, he couldn't hire someone to take this exam for him.

[BWdem4life]

4. Like she could end the filibuster singlehandedly.

[JohnSJ]

6. I believe she wouldn't have anything to do with ending the filibuster. It would be up to the Senate. Yes, she could

express support for it, but I believe it would be up to the Senate rules to actually change it.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. That Was My First Thought

I thought the Senate ran the Senate.

[Attilatheblond]

49. Remember the magas don't know how ANY of it works. Trump 'will be a dictator on Day 1' so they think Harris can be too?

Education is a serious problem in this country.

[marble falls]

7. Because we let 'horse race' media and journalists take control of the conversation.

[LymphocyteLover]

8. Van Jones is right and the double standard is insane

[Puppyjive]

9. Reminds me of a time

I worked for the railroad and was always being evaluated much more than the guys. I finally called them out on their shit. The women were much more serious about the job and seemed to work much more harder than the guys. We had to prove ourselves. Looking back, what a bunch of bullshit.

[CrispyQ]

30. Mr. Wonderful, himself, prefers investing with women.

I was really surprised when I read this article.

Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary Prefers Investing With Women. Here’s Why.
By Jack Otter
June 21, 2019

https://www.barrons.com/articles/shark-tanks-kevin-oleary-invests-only-with-women-heres-why-51561159764

snip...

“I’d give money to a goat if I could get a return,” says Kevin O’Leary, “I really don’t care.” An investor best known for playing the tough guy on a panel full of tough characters on the reality venture-capital show Shark Tank, O’Leary is making the point that he has no political or social agenda. He’s all about capitalism.

snip...

So it is surprising, to say the least, that O’Leary invests almost exclusively in companies founded and run by women. That approach sounds an awful lot like “gender lens” investing, a subset of ESG that aims to boost returns by investing in companies with female leadership, or that are dedicated to improving women’s lives. (For more on this, see “Improving Women’s Issues Leads to Better Investment Returns.”) O’Leary, who ran for prime minister of Canada on the conservative line, doesn’t come off like a gender-lens investing kind of guy. But he is adamant: After taking stakes in 39 companies through Shark Tank, he has gotten significantly better returns from start-ups founded and run by women. And he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

The single most important factor in the outperformance of female entrepreneurs, O’Leary says, is their tendency to set reasonable goals for growth. Men, he says, often set “testosterone targets, crazy goals that they only hit 60% of the time.” There are many benefits to setting achievable goals, including cash management—when your growth assumptions are accurate, you can manage your cash flow properly. If growth comes in far below assumptions, you might run out of money before you’re generating enough to cover costs.

snip...

Studies have suggested that gender diversity in the C-suite and on corporate boards leads to better performance. Among other things, research has shown a correlation between gender diversity on corporate boards and lower volatility. And one theory with some, but not unanimous, scientific basis posits that women tend to be more risk-averse. That hypothesis strikes a cord with O’Leary, who wants a hedge against the inherently risky proposition of funding start-ups.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. I caught some of the Dana Bash nonsense before cutting it off

but the bottom line is that they CAN'T have a n***er woman show up and outperform the criminal white supremacist fascist loser that the media supports.

The brief time I caught included the pretzel-twisting idiocy on CNN that whined about her "discussing policy", claiming "people want to know more about her", that then comes back to whining about her "discussing herself", but insisting "people want to know more about her policy".

They are fucking racists. Straight up.

Ted Turner is still around. I wish he would buy them back and fire every last one of them.

[Gaytano70]

20. Honestly...

I told CNN to F all the way off a long time ago, and I reaffirm that decision.

F off, CNN. F all the Fing way the F off!

[Seinan Sensei]

29. I saw Scott Jennings when I tuned in to CNN

He's a snarky asshole: " Everyone's words do have meaning. Everyone's except for [VP Harris] "
Makes faces when others are talking, like a fourth grader in class.
Interrupts others while they are talking, like a fourth grader in class.
Gish Gallops whenever he gets the floor.

And by the way, my apologies to assholes.
At least they serve a useful function.

[BaronChocula]

42. It took 10 replies to get to the answer

Race and gender.
The White Man's Pass.

A plurality of Americans give deference to those they perceive as powerful. The model of power for them is a rich white male fighting to preserve privilege for rich white males. The rapist is just that.

It's a richly American practice to give white men like trump the White Man's Pass. It's given by all elements of our society including (especially) the corporate press/media.

[BumRushDaShow]

43. It was "baked in" to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution

by those wealthy white male landowner "founding fathers".

[slightlv]

56. Every woman... regardless of color, religion, etc.,

knows this double standard intimately. We always have to do, speak, and be at least twice as good as the worst male around us, and even then we are talked down to. I have my own little episode that will stick with me to the end of my days; I have no doubt every woman on this board has one that will stick with her, too. There never has been, nor will there ever be, a level playing field until we make it happen. We're close to that point, my heart tells me...

[BaronChocula]

58. I hope you're right about

being close to that point.

This sure is a country of contradictions. I'm encouraged by ad slogans like "be a man, vote for a woman." At the same time I still see a ton of default slouching toward the white patriarchy which is so well-represented by the republican party. It's evident in people repeating the myth that republicans are better at handling the economy and national security.

[maxrandb]

66. I was a leader in the Navy when we opened combat ship billets to women

I got so tired of the "she'll just get pregnant and have to be replaced" BULLSHIT, that I brought receipts to a Department Head meeting.

"Seaman Smuckatelli, we lost him when he blew his knee out playing basketball"

"Petty Officer Gundeck, we lost him when he shot himself in the testicle cleaning his firearm"

"Chief Swabby, he fell off a ladder cleaning his gutters and broke this arm"

"Petty Officer Numbnuts, he tried to get through the gate with a 1.4% blood/alcohol content"


"Do I need to go on, or do we still want to talk about how women are going to impact readiness?"

[raging moderate]

12. It is no longer the real filibuster, anyway.

The original filibuster required planning, provision, and endurance. One member spoke on the floor, as long as he could stand there and think of something meaningful to say on a given subject. What they have now just involves signing a few forms, or something.

[Susan Calvin]

52. Bingo.

I have been calling it the courtesy filibuster.

[liberal N proud]

13. Great question

[Joinfortmill]

14. All true and I hope a reckoning is coming soon.

Damn sick of this.

[raccoon]

15. A-fucking-men to that!

[RussBLib]

16. That's an excellent frame

...he gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless.

Talk about a double standard!

[Coexist]

19. They are NOT taking the same exam, and every woman (and possibly person of color) knows that freaking feeling

it's a trigger and I hope it wakes some people up

[jcgoldie]

21. Not a fan of Van Jones but he said it right...

They aren't taking the same exam.

[travelingthrulife]

22. Van Jones does that very thing to Harris in his comment.

"Look, she has policies, she might not articulate them perfectly every time"

WHY would he add that statement? He is doing exactly what he is 'complaining' about.

[LAS14]

64. He's saying there's no reason to focus on minor imperfections. It's fine with me.

Is Harris so fragile that we have to pretend she's not perfect???

[mcar]

23. Glad someone is pushing back

I turned CNN off soon after the town hall, when Bash said Harris hadn't sealed the deal or something equally stupid.

[calimary]

37. And disproportionate as hell.

He gets a free pass. She gets kicked in the ass.

[AZLD4Candidate]

24. Because race, gender, political party. next question please

[chouchou]

25. Exactly Trump can talk about "I wish I had Hitler's Generals....

...so I could wipe out some of the left people" Oh well..That's just being Donnie-boy.
Kamala Harris can say "I had A egg for breakfast"
The media>> "That stupid Bit**.....Doesn't she know how to speak proper English... GRRRRR!

[The Unmitigated Gall]

26. We lost our media long ago

And this is the result.

[CrispyQ]

27. "He gets to be lawless, she has to be flawless."

Damn, that's good! And also something every woman in America—scratch that—on the planet, has experienced.

[onecaliberal]

28. I only watched the town hall. As soon as it was over I turned it off. I do not watch any of it. STOP watching fascists

[people]

32. CNN Critique was So Biased

I was shocked about the criticisms I heard from Dana Bash, in particular. I thought Kamala did a great job! She's a real human being and you could see her answering some incredibly difficult questions on her feet. There are not any politicians I can think of who would subject themselves to that and do any better. Her answers on inflation and Israel Gaza were not perfect because THERE IS NOTHING PERFECT TO SAY ABOUT EITHER OF THESE SITUATIONS!!! These are both very complicated issues for many different reasons. CNN was worse than I even expected it to be.

[JohnSJ]

33. They have been that way for a while.

[patphil]

34. As President, Kamala Harris can't end the filibuster.

The Senate has to do that.
The best we could hope for is, if Harris wins and the Senate stays in the hands of the Democrats, for a change in the rules to exempt certain legislation from filibuster.
This could be used on legislation for budget, voting rights, civil rights, women's reproductive rights, and confirmation of appointments made by the President.
As it stands now, the Senate is essentially non-functional when it comes to controversial legislation.
Changes to the filibuster process are needed to make the Senate work again.

[republianmushroom]

35. Because of the double standards placed on VP Harris by the news media (sic).

The news media (sic) is protecting their golden cow.

[calimary]

38. Sure seems that way, doesn't it!

[republianmushroom]

39. It is that way.

[Stargleamer]

40. IOKIYAR is the dominant principle

God, how the electorate is so harsh when it comes to Democrats, so likely to let damaging info slide when it comes to Republicans

[Martin68]

41. That's why pisses me off the most about pundits. They give Trump a pass for not having any real policy positions

at all, and then criticize Harris for not having detailed her policy positions to their personal standards. There is one candidate who is a real candidate, with a great platform, and the other who is a phony in every sense of the word, running on pure chaos and confusion.

[malaise]

44. Funny isn't it

Kamala showed up. The CONvicted felon was MIA

[JohnSJ]

45. Yeah, or pathetic just how sexist this country is

[Mr.Bill]

46. Maybe it's because things are different now than in 2016.

But Hillary kicked Trump's ass back then in the popular vote. And that was when most people thought Trump would somehow change into some kind of decent president if he won. I think many know better than that now.

[Mr. Sparkle]

47. I will tell you why

they have huge fake media organizations that can reach all of their voters. The last few years that have started right wing media organizations to reach out to black and latino voters.

while we have *checks notes , none. That's why since the 90's we have to run world class politicians to win , while they can run dummies. This is a bit simplistic but the gist is the same.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

48. Lawless vs flawless pretty well sums it up. Roevember is almost here. Stay mad.

[Susan Calvin]

50. I'm sorry I didn't stick around for that one.

I flipped the channel as soon as Dana Bash got five words out of her mouth.

[Deep State Witch]

51. Because Women Face A Higher Standard

Women, especially WOC, are held to higher standards than men. A mediocre white man can be successful just by having the right connections. Women have to work twice as hard for everything. Remember the old saying, "Ginger Rogers did the same thing as Fred Astaire, only backwards and in high heels."

[maxsolomon]

53. What "fierce debate" was ignited?

Van Jones said something, David Urban said something back?

That's a "fierce debate"?

[DemonGoddess]

54. One word for ya

misogyny

[Evolve Dammit]

55. So true. MSM has let us all down, big time. In fact, many outlets just plain suck at factual journalism

[Bev54]

57. Were they that upset when McConnell ended the filibuster for Judges?

Once again, ok for republicans but not democrats.

[samsingh]

59. corporate owned media drive this

[cliffside]

60. knr ... minorities, whether they be gender or race are always taking another exam ....

to be clear that is not to blame everyone of another gender or race, but there is "another exam."

[Blue Owl]

61. K&R

[betsuni]

63. Of course. Never give Democrats the benefit of the doubt, assume they can't be trusted because of

bad motivations or incompetence or sneaky ulterior motives (especially women, it goes without saying). They must be nitpicked and passively-aggressively criticized at all times lest they fool us and pull a fast one -- what are they hiding? Assume they have no economic policy (out-of-touch coastal elites). Why do they think they're perfect? You think you're better than me? Always preface anything positive about Democrats with something negative and then warnings.

Republicans are the honest, authentic, tell-it-like-it-is consistent party. This "the devil you know" makes right-winger voters comfortable. Whatever Trump says is just him being himself.

[usonian]

65. Women, definitely, and others don't catch a break.

It keeps them working harder for less.

Morans kiss the hand that lifts their wallets.