Blog | Name It. Change It.

Attn Carville: Balls Don’t Make Leaders

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/18/2010

Speaking to reporters Thursday morning at a discussion hosted by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, D.C, Democratic strategist James Carville said: "If Hillary gave up one of her balls and gave it to Obama, he’d have two." The quote was first noted by Tribune reporter Mike Memoli via Twitter. Carville's problematic statement equates leadership with maleness as the only option, and is simply untrue. Carville - Balls do not a leader make! Read more »

JUST PLAIN SEXIST: Big Surprise, Limbaugh’s At It Again

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/17/2010

Attacking women leaders seems to be Rush Limbaugh's favorite pet project this month. Listen here as he simultaneously insulted two more leaders based on their appearances: Lisa Murkowski, who just won her seat as Senator of Alaska, and Nancy Pelosi, who just was elected to remain House Democratic Leader. In classic fashion, Limbaugh says: "Do Lisa Murkowski and Pelosi go to the same botox guy? Maybe they share needles." Just goes to show that even beyond the elections, media sexism is still alive and well in America. To add insult to injury, Limbaugh is the top paid media pundit in the US, whose annual income is greater than the combined salary of the entire U.S. Senate. Read more »

Rush Limbaugh Responds to NICI, Calls us “NAGs” and “Feminazis”

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/08/2010

On his November 5 radio show, Rush Limbaugh denied our accusations of sexism – by calling us “NAGs” and “feminazis.” Limbaugh denies that he labeled Pelosi a witch, despite shouting “bye bye Pelosi” as he played “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” in the background. “When we played the song on Wednesday we did not even identify about whom we were playing it,” he said Friday. “We didn't mention a name here. We just played Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead following Wipeout and the feminazis have all assumed I was talking about Pelosi.” We’d be more inclined to believe him if his response wasn’t as misogynistic as his original offense. Read more »

Fox’s Megyn Kelly defends Rush Limbaugh & others on charges of Sexism

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/05/2010

FOX News' Megyn Kelly brought WCF President Sam Bennett on to discuss the Name It. Change It. awards for most sexist coverage of women candidates during the midterm elections. Yet Fox had their own agenda - To deny sexist media coverage of women candidates on Limbaugh and Letterman. Read more »

NAME IT. CHANGE IT. POST-ELECTION REPORT

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/04/2010

Name It. Change It. was founded to identify and publicize sexist media coverage of women candidates and political leaders. Because women only make up 17% of Congress, and groundbreaking research from Lake Research Associates shows that sexist media coverage results in a drastic decrease in voter confidence of women candidates, Name It. Change It. was launched to hold media outlets accountable for their role in our government’s gender disparity. Due to the direct impact sexist coverage has on voters, we don’t take these incidents lightly. This report outlines the sexism directed at women candidates and political leaders identified in radio, television, print, and online outlets in the 2010 midterm elections, as well as the broader context in which these incidents occurred. Read more »

The Name It. Change It. Awards for Most Sexist Media Coverage in the 2010 Elections

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/04/2010

SEVERE MISOGYNY: HuffPo and Mediaite Promote “My Girl’s a Republican” Video

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/04/2010

The Huffington Post introduced the video Tuesday as a “creatively-done” tribute that “does a pretty solid job of both mocking and admiring right-wing conservatives.” Media outlets heaped on the praise, calling it “hilarious,” “catchy,” “entertaining,” and sure to “keep you dancing all the way to voting booth.” But what Huffington Post and Mediaite found so funny and creative can better be summed up as anti-woman, pro-rape culture. Not only is this adding to a toxic media climate for female politicians on both sides of the aisle, it is contributing to an overall culture of misogyny in which it’s humorous to talk about sexualized violence against women. Read more »

Really Damn Sexist: The Los Alamos Moniter on Diane Denish and Susana Martinez

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/04/2010

On June 21, 2010, columnist Ned Cantwell penned a piece for the Los Alamos Monitor about the New Mexico gubernatorial race between Democratic candidate Diane Denish and Republican candidate Susana Martinez (the race was won Tuesday by Martinez, making her New Mexico's first female governor). Cantwell can't seem to wrap his head around two female candidates challenging one another's positions, terming that behavior "bitch-slapping." Mudslinging, when done by women, conjured up for Cantwell images of "mud wrestling" instead. “So far these ladies have displayed such lack of class we’re beginning to think, ‘strip down and get ‘er on, gals’,” he added. Sexualizing women candidates and slurring them as aggressive or bitchy for behavior that's termed normal for male candidates is one of the reasons fewer women run for and win political office. And really, sir, would you say any of that to your mother? Read more »

Nancy Pelosi is Not a Witch—And It’s Just Plain Sexist to Call Her One

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/03/2010

Even after the election and Nancy Pelosi's loss of her position as Speaker of the House, the sexist "witch" taunts continue. Declaring "Bye Bye Pelosi," Rush Limbaugh played "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead" to celebrate the GOP takeover of the House. As Name It. Change It. noted when Mike Gallagher made a similar joke, this trope of Nancy Pelosi as a "witch" is a misogynistic smear that demonizes the existence of powerful women, rather than the policies of Pelosi. Read more »

Really Damn Sexist: HuffPost Hill Prints “Gang Bang” Quote in O’Donnell Election Recap

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/03/2010

In recapping reactions to last night's election results, the Huffington Post included this section on Christine O'Donnell in their "HuffPost Hill - Special Midterm 2010 Edition:" "CHRIS COONS BEATS CHRISTINE O'DONNELL - All that's left now is for O'Donnell to finalize her early-morning PAX talk show. HuffPost Hill's one Delaware GOP friend sends in this dispatch: 'lets just say JACK MEOFFER got at least one vote for senate. i couldn't bring myself to vote for chrissy. even though the race isn't close, i think if she won she could potentially make Delawareans look like idiots. the guy in line behind me wore a tshirt that said "dont blame me, i didnt vote". i was beyond confused... i thought i might have been in a gang bang line or something. go with jesus.'" Read more »

Conference Call Presents Election Media Coverage Analysis of Women Candidates with Krystal Ball

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/02/2010

Conference Call Presents Election Media Coverage Analysis of Women Candidates with Krystal Ball Call In Thurs, Nov 4 at 11am EST to 866-901-2585 or 404-835-7099 & Follow Live on Twitter #NameThatSexism Read more »

Media Continues to Demonize Nancy Pelosi

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/01/2010

Last week Name It. Change It. reported on the sexist treatment of Speaker Nancy Pelosi on The Tonight Show with David Letterman. Since then the attacks on Pelosi have not ceased: Radio host Mike Gallagher reinforced the Nancy Pelosi and Wicked Witch of the West comparison when he insisted that "you might want to throw a bucket of water on her and see what happens." While her male colleagues may be described as powerful and commanding, Speaker Pelosi is continually "cast as the shrill, emasculating 'witch' character." When will the sexist demonization of Nancy Pelosi end? Read more »

Ending the ‘hot or not’ factor for Nikki Haley and female candidates

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/01/2010

Ambassador Swanee Hunt and former MA Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey discuss the end (hopefully) of the sexist “hot or not hot” double standard applied to female candidates in the Christian Science Monitor: "Sexist attitudes in the media toward female candidates don't just hurt women, they hurt all of us – lowering public discourse and damaging political representation. It's time to push back." Read more »

The Tweet to Restore Parity!

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 11/01/2010

Unless you've been under a rock, you won't have missed that midterm elections are this Tuesday! This means we only have four more days to show the media that we value substance over style. Thanks to the wonders of the interwebs, this powerful statement takes under a minute! We're asking you to show your support for fair and equitable media coverage of women candidates by adding a small Name It. Change It. logo to your Twitter and Facebook user pictures. We've made it easy - All you have to do is click here to get started: http://twibbon.com/join/name-it-change-it Read more »

JUST PLAIN SEXIST: NY Times Covers Women Candidate’s Clothes Rather Than Their Ideas

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 10/29/2010

The New York Times recently ran an article about what women candidates choose to wear on the trail, continuing a sexist trend of commenting of what political women wear rather than what they say. Read more »

Paladino Calls Senator Gillibrand “Schumer’s Little Girl”

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 10/29/2010

Yesterday, NY gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino literally infantilized Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, calling her "Schumer's little girl." Read more »

SEVERE MISOGYNY: Gawker’s “I Had a One-Night Stand With Christine O’Donnell”

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 10/28/2010

Rather than using humor to dismantle Tea Party Candidate Christine O’Donnell’s platform in time for the midterm elections, Gawker created a platform for a fame-seeking misogynist gossipmonger. Read more »

JUST PLAIN SEXIST: Letterman’s Top Ten on Nancy Pelosi

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 10/28/2010

The sexist treatment of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi continued this week on The Late Show with David Letterman. On Tuesday, Letterman’s “Top Ten” list was entitled “Top Ten Signs There's Trouble In The Democratic Party.” While the majority of the list took humorous jabs at the Democrats’ struggles during the midterm election season, the “joke” referencing Nancy Pelosi was incredibly sexist, and also made light of a real life sexually violent incident. Read more »

JUST PLAIN SEXIST: Calendar Craze - Vanity Fair on Republican Beefcakes, Czech Women Politicians

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 10/28/2010

There is a disturbing trend emerging this election season, manifesting in the form of pin-up calendars – both real and satirical – that emphasize candidates’ bodies over their issues. Read more »

Missourah.com on Carnahan and McCaskill: JUST PLAIN SEXIST

Posted by Kate McCarthy on 10/27/2010

Last week, Name It. Change It. asserted that sexism has no place in political mudslinging. Conservative blog Missouah.com apparently disagrees. The blog recently attacked Robin Carnahan, a candidate for U.S. Congress in Missouri, by posting a fake ad for opponent Roy Blunt which read, "BLUNT FOR SENATE '10: Because Missouri's already got frumpy, middle-aged blonde progressive with bad hair covered." The ad was accompanied by side-by-side pictures of Robin Carnahan and current Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. Read more »