This morning, there was Senate hearing that has the nation’s news cycle buzzing. Democratic Senator Cory Booker sounded off on a loud, angry tirade about Trump’s alleged comments about Haiti and African countries to the secretary of Department of Homeland Security, Kristjen Nielsen. Senator Booker was raising his voice, waving his hands, and had a very angry face while staring at Secretary Nielsen. To see the video, click here.

Secretary Nielsen testified in front of Congress today saying that she did not hear President Trump use the word “sh*thole.” She did admit the following: “I don’t dispute that the president was using tough language,” followed by,  “Others in the room were also using tough language.” So what we see now is that Senator Booker is yelling at Secretary Nielsen for her recollection of events. Booker stated “Your silence and your amnesia is complicity” even though Secretary Nielsen literally recalled the events. She had honestly said that tough language had been used from both sides.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if the President did say these things, I can see why someone may be upset or want to raise your voice out of anger. As this is being typed, news outlets and social media are parading Senator Booker as a hero. Why is nobody talking about how he said them? Tone is important. Raising your voice to a woman is absolutely unacceptable, especially in such a public setting. There is a right and a wrong way to talk to other adults and screaming at them is not the right way.

Let’s spin this situation around: Imagine if it were a Republican man yelling at a woman who was the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security under a Democratic president’s administration.  The outrage from the mainstream media would be unbearable. It’s not what Senator Booker said that has me upset. I understand why he would have those things to say, but I am upset at how he screamed at a woman in a Congressional hearing. The boom of his voice and the hateful look in his eyes was meant to be intimidating.

For instance, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) addressed Secretary Nielsen professionally; Senator Durbin was firm yet his voice stayed at what many would call “his inside voice.” The media seems relatively quiet on what he had to say because he wasn’t screaming at another adult in such a formal setting. It’s almost as if the media is proud of Senator Booker’s inappropriate behavior.

This isn’t the first time the media has taken shots at conservative women nor will it be the last. It’s truly sad that we have such an activist media that are so blind to their own hypocrisy. For instance, a Democratic candidate, Steve Krieg, called Representative Elise Stefanik, R-New York, a “child” which many people understand was meant as an insult. Rep. Stefanik shattered a glass ceiling by being the youngest woman ever elected to Congress yet the media went quiet when it came time to report such disrespect. The media seems like a champion of women’s rights with it’s consistently positive coverage of Democratic women and their beliefs while mocking Republican women. Need proof? Look no further than these articles about conservative women:

Here we have LA Times’ writer David Horsey calling Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders “chunky”

This is Elle saying that Ivanka Trump coming out about her postpartum depression is an “empty gesture.”

Glamour covering Hillary Clinton saying that white women voted against her because men pressure them into voting for someone else because clearly, Republican women can’t think for themselves.

And we can not forget when Michelle Obama said women who voted against Hillary Clinton voted against themselves

Or *gasp* when the Washington Post thought Melania’s heels were the end of the world and even though they had to mention that it wasn’t sexist of them to say when it actually was.

Those are a few examples of the media’s treatment of conservative women and there are plenty more. This is why it’s not shocking that the media will not have anything to say about the way Senator Booker spoke to Secretary Kristjen Nielsen. Democrats are allowed to talk down to women. They can quite literally yell at them without any reprimands or any apologies.

Last year, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) was condemned and called sexist across social media because he politely asked Kamala Harris to stop badgering a witness during a Congressional Hearing. Suddenly, the media is okay with Senator Booker yelling at a female during a hearing.

Parading the fact that a man is allowed to yell at a female with glaring eyes meant to intimidate the female because you don’t like what they have to say and vice versa creates a dangerous precedent.

Everyone needs to stop yelling, start listening, and begin to respect the person they’re talking to.

Caroline C.
FFL Cabinet Member

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