Like the other networks, the PBS NewsHour has been very slow to offer any stories or interviews to the midterm elections. In October, the closest thing to a candidate interview was a chat with Rep. Paul Ryan on October 1. On Tuesday, anchor Judy Woodruff promoted liberal Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a potential presidential candidate if you listen to the pundits -- but she's not on the ballot this year.
Woodruff was more than a month late to Gillibrand's TV book tour, merely relaying the senator’s claims in her book that she was “harassed” by other Senators who made remarks about her appearance. However, Woodruff asked something rare. Reporters always underline Republicans have trouble with women voters, but who asks Democrats about their problems with men?
JUDY WOODRUFF: A question about women, about — the midterm elections are just a few weeks away now. Democrats clearly benefit most of the time from the women’s vote. People talk about the gender gap. But it is also the case that men vote most of the time, the majority of them do, for Republicans. Don’t Democrats have a problem with the men’s vote, and, if that’s the case, why?
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: I don’t think so.
I think this election is going to be about who we fight for. And we are fighting to make sure that people get equal pay for equal work. We’re fighting for basic social safety nets to make sure everyone has a chance to reach their full potential. And all of these ideals I think are going to determine the outcome of these elections.
That’s a very political (non-)answer. Sadly, while Woodruff replayed Gilllibrand story of a senator saying he liked her “chubby,” she did not explain that since the earlier round of Gillibrand interviews, The New York Times reported that the supposed sexist in this example was revealed to be a fellow Democrat, the late Sen. Daniel Inouye. At least Matt Lauer asked Gillibrand why she refused to name names. Woodruff passed:
WOODRUFF: You at one point describe a comment from man, and you say he was — quote — one of your “favorite older members of the Senate” — who, after you had had a baby, he looked at you and he said, don’t lose too much weight — quote — “I like my girls chubby.” How did you respond?
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: I really — I just smiled. But that was a point in my career where I’m quite senior. So, I shared these stories as anecdotes, so women can understand when they are experience something like this in the workplace, not only does it not have to define them, but they can push their way through it, to elevate the conversation to talk about some of the larger challenges we face.
The NewsHour website touted the interview as an important discussion on women's role in public life:
As one of only 20 women currently serving in the Senate, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has focused on addressing sexual assault in the military and on college campuses. In her new book, "Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World," she encourages women to express their views and be heard. Gillibrand joins Judy Woodruff to discuss her experience and advice.
