White House expects apology from Dem who suggested Obama was sexist

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: The Hill

The White House on Wednesday said it expects Sen. Sherrod Brown to apologize for calling President Obama’s criticism of Sen. Elizabeth Warren sexist.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest called Brown (D-Ohio) a “stand-up guy” who has worked well with the president in the past.

“I’m confident after he has gotten a chance to take a look at the comments he made yesterday that he’ll find a way to apologize,” Earnest said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Brown is a chief critic of Obama’s trade agenda, and on Tuesday, he said the president disrespected Warren (D-Mass.), another leading anti-trade Democrat, when he responded to her comments on the issue.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/241887-white-house-expects-apology-from-democratic-senator-who

[heaven05]

1. Ohio, Democrat???????

no surprise here....

[Ms. Toad]

2. Please explain. n/t

[heaven05]

8. I just don't

see it as an issue.....if my POTUS had said that Sen. Warren was incapable of understanding because she is a woman, then that's an issue, because surely she is very capable. As far as her being called by her first name...what is that? Is it against some protocol or something. Hopefully they are friends on some level. I don't like any Democrat that didn't go to the POTUS and explain how they might feel, otherwise this stunt was vote pandering and a PR grab, to me.

[Ms. Toad]

23. And that is connected to "Ohio" or Democrat, how?

I suspect you don't have a clue about Sherrod Brown, particularly if you are assuming he is pandering to conservative voters in Ohio.

He is one of the, if not the, most liberal senators - and he didn't get into office by pandering to the right.

[7962]

46. Yes, its protocol. You're always supposed to refer to them as "Senator".

But its hardly worth being called "sexist" over NOT doing it. But dont worry, there will be a LOT more of that to come during the election. Hillary's people already put out a list of words that, if used, will mean you are a misogynist. Ridiculous.

[tridim]

6. I don't care where he's from, saying something that stupid and lazy...

is going to get a swift and frank response from the people you insulted with your stupidity.

Brown just committed political suicide for no reason and no gain.

[Romeo.lima333]

27. political suicide? you must not be from ohio

[upaloopa]

37. No he didn't. Remember we still have freedom

of speech. The President was wrong and Brown called him out. I say way to go Senator.

[libdem4life]

3. It was, of course, personal and yes, his tone (most women get it) of talking down with

a reapeated statement and undeniable tone...She's Wrong...I'm going to call it a dog whistle, not necessarily sexist or racist.

[geek tragedy]

4. I guess Obama was sexist towards Congressional Republicans too.

They were all butthurt about Obama using their first names too. The rightwing National Review lead the charge of the Whiny Brigade.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/229223/john-chuck-kathleen-and-mr-president-dennis-prager

Why did President Obama address congressmen by their first names at the health-care summit?

There was something particularly annoying — even harmful to society — about the health-care summit held last week between President Obama and leading members of the House and Senate. It was the president’s calling all the congressmen and senators by their first names.

...

Yet that is exactly what Barack Obama did. At one of the most widely watched dialogues between members of Congress and a president in American history, Barack Obama lowered the dignity of the men and women who serve in those capacities. That this has largely gone unnoted — and, I presume, will be widely dismissed as trivial — is more a statement about the culture of our times than it is about the mainstream media’s unwillingness to criticize this president.

[libdem4life]

12. Also, please..."Butthurt" is not a polite term and is definitely sexist/and distasteful to LGBT.

[geek tragedy]

13. oy. u mad bro/sis? nt

[libdem4life]

16. There ya go again...my statement of fact not mad, my facts and opinion. And it's not called for.

Oh, and I'm a Ms. In elementary school, a child saying that would get a Time Out. A teacher saying that would get reprimanded. It would not be used in polite company, but hey, this is DU...what was I thinking.

[geek tragedy]

19. If you want to scold people and control what they say because their word choice

offends your easily-bruised sensibilities, I suggest you stick to dealing with small children and stay off the Internet.

[7962]

47. OMG is there ANYTHING thats not "offensive" anymore.

[LanternWaste]

55. It's certainly a challenge for the under-educated to speak without offending...

It's certainly a challenge for the under-educated to speak without offending. 1.025 million words are far too complex for a simplistic mind that practices English via a mere few hundred words and considers that as eloquence...

[7962]

66. And it seems that about 700K are "offensive"

[dsc]

33. there is a huge difference between speaking to someone and calling them by their first name

and speaking about someone and calling them by their first name. The first is an expected practice among peers the second isn't when the audience isn't peers. To take an example, if I call a coworker by her first name when speaking to her in the hall that is acceptable, but if I speak about her in front of students calling her by her first name it isn't.

[geek tragedy]

38. Amazing the lengths to which people will go to be offended.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/first-name-basis

There is no 'huge' difference--only people who are seething with rage at the President diving into the gutter by trying to smear him as a sexist and misogynist.

Hey, if they think Obama wants to destroy the economy and Democracy and the planet, why not throw in a sleazy accusation that he's a bullying sexist?

[7962]

48. Even in this thread......

[treestar]

70. I think it's changing right now too

There is more and more first name basis than there used to be.

Politicians would often say "Senator So and So" because as politicians, they enjoy the fact they gained the title and understand that for the others.

I would expect other than Michelle to use President Obama rather than Barack, but then he's the President, so he can be said to be more like the teacher with the Senators more like the students.

[Adrahil]

68. Im rolling my eyes.

Obama frequently uses first names when he is implying that he considers the person in question a personal friend. This is just fucking ridiculous.

[randys1]

52. I have been assured that Obama cant possibly be sexist at all or slighty misoygynist..all men can be

of course and all have been at least once in their life, maybe not even intentional, it is unavoidable given society and so on.

Not complicated, simple fact of life.

Whether he was here or not, not up to me to say.

Big fan of Obama, which is why I can be honest...Same way if i was a fan of a non brown person, i know they have racism built into their or OUR DNA, another FACT of life.

[CharlotteVale]

5. I've never heard Obama talk about any man

-- even a Republican -- with the contempt and disdain he used for Warren. As a woman, it immediately struck me as inherently sexist. He can tout his record all he likes, but when he's pushing a trade deal that will hurt workers, I'll take his belief in equal pay as just meaning equally low paid.

[geek tragedy]

10. Well, you've never talked about Obama without tremendous amount of contempt and disdain

since you joined here barely two months ago, so it's more than likely you're just looking for an excuse to hate on him as hating on Obama and Clinton is the only thing you have ever done here.

[upaloopa]

40. It amazes me the lengths some people go

in defending the President when he is wrong.
Yesterday a woman called a talk show I was listening to to say that Obama really opposes the TPP but is only saying he supports it to get enough Dems riled up to vote against the repubs. Her cognitive dissonance and yours is amazing.

[geek tragedy]

41. I disagree with Obama on the TPP, but calling him a sexist over it is sleazy

Brown got himself a case of ODS.

[neverforget]

65. "Brown got himself a case of ODS"

What he said was dumb, but not ODS.

[Adrahil]

69. He must be visiting DU too much.

The attitude some have here towards Obama is outrageous, IMO.

[dgibby]

15. He did the same thing with Hillary Clinton in the Primary

when he said that she was likable enough. Not so much what he said as the tone he used. In this instance, he took the low road when he made it personal. If anyone apologizes to anyone, Pres. Obama should apologize to Sen. Warren. Sherrod Brown was right.

[CharlotteVale]

18. I actually voted for her in the primary.

Sexism was primarily why.

[geek tragedy]

20. Oh? Whose sexism caused you to vote for Clinton? nt

[7962]

49. Well, THATS a great reason to vote for someone! nt

[snooper2]

63. how did that work out?

[leftynyc]

21. And I remember the

crap load of insults that came down on anyone who said they thought his comment about Hillary was sexist. Right here on DU.

[heaven05]

62. And what dog whistles did HRC use

against Obama. Give me a break. He owes no apology, openly. If Sen. Warren was offended let her and the President work it out. Sherrod Brown was wrong.

[treestar]

72. How could that be sexist in whatever tone?

"Likable enough?" It's a little bit of faint praise but could be said of anyone.

[George II]

24. I think you're incorrect.

[yeoman6987]

34. Maybe he doesn't like her. I can't imagine that the President

likes everyone he meets. Maybe he doesn't like to be called out. Maybe he prefers a meeting to discuss differences. The President has done a lot for Senator Warren like giving her a very important job in consumer. I don't understand why a meeting could be held and discussion discussed then.

[Snotcicles]

36. When watching him talk lately about her, I sensed some disdain too.

It seemed to me like he felt betrayed, after all he made her. He gave her her start, being the over achiever she is, she went to far, she became dangerous to the 1%, so he couldn't bump her up to the next level. She then quit and went onto the Senate. Where she could be her own boss. Once she started using her position to serve the people, instead of the insiders, she became an irritant.
Now I can just hear his consultants, " we told you she would go to far and mess up how things work" I'll bet they are really putting the heat on. I don't think he was being sexist. I do think, he think she owes him, and she should be just going along to get along. I think
Brown should apologize, but, say he should have said, "I think the President was being vindictive not sexist, so I'm sorry".

[CharlotteVale]

39. I think your 1st paragraph nails it.

[7962]

50. Actually not a bad possibility!

If theres one negative vibe I get from the Pres, its that I get the feeling he's one of those people who thinks he's the smartest person in the room. No matter who ELSE is in that room.

[Snotcicles]

60. I get that too, sometimes. nt

[treestar]

71. He's never talked of anyone with contempt and disdain

He suddenly starts with some Senator? Not likely.

[libdem4life]

7. Thank you for sharing...and mis-interpreting my post. Let me define Dog Whistle...

which has nothing to do with whatever you said. The tone...the tone...the tone...it was dismissive. Let's call it Parental. No race, no gender...parental.

On Edit: Meant as reply to #4

[geek tragedy]

17. Amazingly, you managed to bungle the definition of dog whistle

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_politics

Dog whistle politics usually refers to the use of certain code words or phrases that are designed to be understood by only a small section of the populace. Generally speaking, these are phrases that have special meaning to that subsection entirely independent of its meaning to others, and represent a particularly insidious use of loaded language.

Dog whistle has nothing to do with tone. It's about making racist, sexist, homophobic or other repugnant remarks in code so only fellow bigots will understand it.

his tone (most women get it) of talking down

Translation: "Obama was sexist towards Warren--women recognize this"

[libdem4life]

28. Now I'm Bungling. Good lord. Yet I think you got it. All words have Tone.."It's not what you say

it" I think you got it below...

"Dog whistle politics usually refers to the use of certain code words or phrases that are designed to be understood by only a small section of the populace. Generally speaking, these are phrases that have special meaning to that subsection entirely independent of its meaning to others, and represent a particularly insidious use of loaded language."

Peace out.

[Baitball Blogger]

22. Might be a lawyer thing.

I have seen lawyers jump to a patronizing, dismissive tone with very little provocation. Whatever they are like in court, out in the community they get extremely defensive when they face criticism. If an ordinary person asks a sensitive question, what they can expect is a lordship reaction, as if the implication of the question alone is defamation and actionable.

Makes local lawyers that much more unapproachable.

[geek tragedy]

26. Or maybe a guy who's been demonized as everything from a Communist to an Islamist terrorist

to a lying, thieving tool of the plutocracy getting seriously annoyed by sanctimonious members of his own party accusing him of wanting to destroy everything good about America.

[7962]

51. Comes with the territory. EVERY president gets accused of all kinds of things.

Did he really think it would be different for him? Sometimes I do wonder though.

[geek tragedy]

54. No, but the frustration is inevitable just the same.

He is human after all.

[heaven05]

57. NOT every POTUS

has ever been disrespected and reviled because of what race he represents in american apartheid thinking. While your statement about accusation is true, SOME of the names this POTUS has been referred to by.....definitely NOT part of the territory. Just open hate. This last 6+ years? Unprecedented hate shown toward this POTUS.

[Baitball Blogger]

59. Hey, I feel for him.

But the day where Democrats can play it both ways among members of their own party is long gone. They have a track record of consequences to clean up before the internet savvy millenniums will go along with them without questioning the decisions AND the process-because the process does matter. These kids read the blogs and watch political satire news, so Democratic leaders better prepare for the gauntlet because their job will only get tougher to appeal to their base.

Meanwhile, the conservatives do the same ole, same ole. The union between the sixties Democratic Dixiecrats and the Republican small government proponent is now selling a barter system that relies on gaming the system to reward loyalty.

Both parties can't both be doing the same thing.

I never said this was going to be easy--unless you take on the Republicans for the crooked things they do, because gaming the system usually means that somebody's rights are being violated.

[treestar]

73. You must know some lawyer you don't like

Not all lawyers are like that and Obama is not.

[Baitball Blogger]

75. Considering that the ones I am thinking about played a role in a community

scandal that cost the city 2 mil, I can understand why they get testy. If it was a once and done it wouldn't have been so bad. But this is a way of life.

Lawyers who represent both private and public interests tend not to commit to opinions that lock anyone in, which is why we have a chaotic pre-apocalyptic environment that has infested my community. So, I can't say I have much experience with the good attorneys, except maybe on t.v.

[gordianot]

9. My tempers are running high, closest thing I have seen to an Obama temper tantrum.

Maybe apologies all around are called for. It might help if the President could really explain why he does not trust members of his own party to be privy with information about the Trans Pacific Partnership. If nothing else the poorest messaging on critical legislation ever. I doubt apologies would help anything. Stay tuned for a response, more red meat for those in the media who love political infighting. The legacy thing looks dimmer every day.

[OregonBlue]

11. Brown is wrong. If he had said the exact same things to a man, no one would even notice or blink.

I'm a 66 year old woman who did the marches and burned my bras and went full tilt in the 60's and 70's and I think this is a total bunch of b.s. I do not believe Obama is a sexist. Arrogant about his opinions yes but then again, he has to have a huge ego to run for president of the United States. Mountain meet molehill.

[libdem4life]

14. I'm in your group, and I saw it as a Power Move. I believe he should pull in his ego on this one.

Some things just sound different ... the tone ... when spoken to a woman or a man. Certainly a Put Down.

[OregonBlue]

25. She has said a lot of things lately too. She is a tough, smart woman who can take care of

herself. People should not create a sexist meme where it doesn't exist. I find it impossible to believe any man married to Michelle Obama is a sexist. It's just more media hype.

[libdem4life]

29. I thought it was a Power Thing...that sounded especially bad addressing a woman. I do not

believe it was or he is sexist or racist.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. I agree on Michelle Obama

Being a strong indicator of his 'heart'. She'd no more suffer a damn fool than you or I would.

[OregonBlue]

78. 100% correct. She would not marry or tolerate a fool or a sexist. Neither will her girls.

[still_one]

53. Right on. Criticize the TPP/TPA, or say the President is getting too personal, all fair game, but

inferring something he isn't is nonsense

Most important, and I am sure this will be taken the wrong way, but there is no way Michelle would allow Barrack to be sexist

[Autumn]

30. Thy shouldn't hold their breath

[Koinos]

32. At least one other person did regard Obama's remark as sexist.

"National Organization for Women (NOW) president Terry O'Neill on Wednesday called President Obama's critique of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sexist."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/241845-now-president-obamas-warren-critique-sexist

At the very least, it seemed patronizing to me. But comparing Elizabeth Warren to Sarah Palin speaking about "death panels" was way beyond the pale:

http://crooksandliars.com/2015/04/obama-says-warren-trade-sounds-palin

I'm not entirely upset that Obama did say these things, however, since they probably worked in Elizabeth Warren's favor and helped her gather more votes against the TPA.

Taking on the progressive star of the senate was a bit ill-advised on his part. Picking on Sherrod Brown, another progressive hero, won't help Obama get TPP passed either. Insulting Bernie Sanders (should he do it) would complete the trifecta of bad taste remarks to three of the most beloved senators in his own party.

[ann---]

35. Yeah, the day after

Obama apologizes for saying that Warren lied.

[blackspade]

42. Apologize for what Josh Earnest?

What a tool. On Morning Joe no less.

[jtuck004]

43. Make a deal. He apologizes for what you think is a sexist remark, and you apologize

for making your bank$ter/donors rich while letting tens of millions of people fall into poverty with no opportunity to get out for them or their children while telling everyone we are in a recover, when we haven't even started making up the losses to working people,

There, now don't you both feel better?

[geek tragedy]

58. Yes, everything is Obama's fault and he's an evil sexist

and maybe the antichrist.

The hate of Obama here is reaching fever pitch again.

[FairWinds]

44. Why didn't the White House ever "expect an apology" . .

from the bat-shit crazy right wingers in Congress and elsewhere?

Why is Obama going after progressives in his own party?

Stand strong Sherrod !! We are with you !!

[geek tragedy]

56. Because he expects better from Democrats.

Obviously, he doesn't read DU, otherwise those expectations would be lower.

[treestar]

74. Over this?

It's not that important to stand strong on.

[wheniwasincongress]

45. Don't forget

the Kamala Harris comment by Obama, which was totally inappropriate.

[lark]

61. I "expect" an apology for his disrespect of progressives.

His condescension was ridiculous and rude. He wouldn't have gotten elected without us and now that he's thrown us to the curb, still expects 100% fealty. Trojan Horse!

[darkangel218]

77. That apology will never happen, as you well know.

*sighs*

[The Second Stone]

64. Belittling a US Senator when criticizing that Senator

by calling her by her first name is beneath the office of the President. I don't see him demanding republicans who have called him far worse apologize.

Senator Warren owes no duty of loyalty President Obama. He used her when he used her name for the consumer appointment, and then didn't fight for her. He's never fought or taken personally anything other than this secret trade agreement. Senator Warren owes her constituents her judgment and loyalty.

The President owes the American people an apology for his snit fits over the secret trade agreement. This is what he takes personally? Opposition to a secret trade agreement isn't personal, it's public policy by the Democratic caucus. One he has treated with disdain since the days of Rahm Emmanuel.

[davidpdx]

67. I think Obama's statements came from a standpoint of frustration not sexism

I think IRL and on DU people have screamed sexism when there was in fact none. Senator Brown is a good person who said something that was not correct. Let him tweet an apology and be done with it.

[Skittles]

76. hmmmm I had not seen it that way

to me, Obama just seems hysterical to pass that POS TPP and is slamming the folk who dare to speak out about what it really means for America