Dean derides ‘sexist’ media coverage

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Sunday strongly criticized the media’s coverage of the presidential race, saying it has been sexist.

“There has been an enormous amount of sexism in this campaign on the part of the media, including the mainstream media," Dean said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”. “We’ll leave present company excepted, because I think that’s true. But there have been major networks that have featured numerous outrageous comments that if the words were reversed and they were about race, the people would have been fired.”

{mosads}Dean noted that candidates and supporters can “get over” losing a race.

“What you don't get over is deep wounds that have been inflicted on somebody because they happen to be a woman running for president of the United States,” the party chairman said.

Dean was answering a question about whether former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro’s (D-N.Y.) suggestion was accurate that sexism among journalists has hurt Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign. He would not respond to Ferraro's view that Reagan Democrats may have a hard time supporting Barack Obama because of racial resentment.

Dean also dismissed a question by host George Stephanopoulos about Michigan Democrats' continued calls for the full seating of their delegation. A party committee Saturday had reached a deal to award each delegate from Michigan and Florida one half of a vote.

“I know it's your job to look at the conflict and the differences, but this is an extraordinary day for the Democratic Party,” Dean said. “We have basically come together. The final votes on these issues were not along partisan lines — that is, not all the Clinton people didn't vote one way and all the Obama people didn't vote another way.”

Dena noted that the vote on how to deal with Florida’s delegates was unanimous and the vote on Michigan was 19-8.

“I think this is the beginning of the coming together of this party," Dean stated.