Women’s place is in the House and Senate

There is no information on the Internet about where President George W. Bush gets his suits. There are no pictures with captions that say “President Bush is sporting a dark blue suit, with a light blue shirt and a red tie.” There were no stories on CNN the night of the State of the Union Address about how he picked which shirt and tie combination he would wear that night. There was nothing.

However, all the network news channels found it completely necessary to tell us everything we ever needed to know about Nancy Pelosi’s wardrobe. The speaker of the House ate ice cream and got it on the tan suit she originally planned on wearing. She was forced her to wear a blue one instead. Oh, for shame.

Prior to any other State of the Union Address — or as President Bush has mistakenly called it, the speech to the nation — news anchors and commentators would have been entirely devoted to issues of policymaking. In the past, the focus has been on what the president will say and what the opposing party’s response will be. Dennis Hastert, a former Speaker of the House, was never really the focus of any sort of storyline.

Just because Pelosi is the first female Speaker of the House does not mean that Congress, the president or even the media should treat her any differently. By treating her this way, they take away her authority, her credibility and her influence. It’s highly doubtful that anyone will really be influenced by her fashion sense. She has the ability to influence the House, any policy the president tries to enact and the future of the Democratic Party. She will influence both foreign and domestic policies. Blue suits are not going to start showing up in Vogue because it’s Pelosi’s suit color of choice.

We’re also skeptical that anyone watching CNN actually gives a crap about who made her suit. People watch network news for exactly that: the news. There are so many more important topics that the media should have devoted time to.

What matters about Pelosi is not that she is a woman. That is not her only defining factor. She is a Democrat. She is lawmaker. And, she is the most powerful person in the House of Representatives. Just because Pelosi is a mother and grandmother does not mean she is a super-emotional, shopaholic. It just means she is one of the few elite women who can balance an impressive career and a home life. That’s something to be proud of.

While reporters paid extra close attention to Pelosi bringing children in the audience up to the podium when she was sworn in, think for a minute that it wasn’t just because her maternal instincts kicked in. This country seems to still be in an old-fashion mindset, but Pelosi is not staying in the kitchen, she’s too busy ruling the House.

The above editorial is the general consensus of the editorial board of the Daily Kent Stater.