Media Underplays Race, Gender in Obama-Clinton RaceRandy Shawbyline‚ Apr. 24‚ 2008As pundits on Tuesday night considered every possible angle to the Obama-Clinton race, a critical factor was largely ignored: the way in which racial and gender stereotypes are framing perceptions of the candidates. The media repeatedly mentions the “historic” campaign between an African-American and a woman, and acknowledges that many blacks and white women are voting for the candidate that matches their own demographic. But the media has avoided more subtle racial and gender explanations for their own framing of the contest. For example, Hillary Clinton is “feisty” and a “fighter” for engaging in a scorched-earth negative campaign. Yet when Barack Obama uses Clinton’s mocking tone he is described as “arrogant,” and he is “angry,” rather than “combative,” when he raises his voice to challenge Clinton. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell stated on February 12, 2008: "you've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate." Yet election night pundits ignored Rendell’s message, preferring less accurate but more politically correct explanations for the outcome. |