Compliment, then attempt to assuage political damage.
By Sujeet Rajan
NEW YORK: Usually, it’s the best way to please a woman, and be friends for life with her: by telling her that she looks great. Not so though, if you are an elected official, and be very wary, if you happen to be the master of the White House, as President Barack Obama found it awkwardly after he complimented the California Attorney General Kamala Harris at a fundraiser, terming her “the best-looking attorney general in the country.”
Obama, who has been friends with Harris, 48, for a long time, made the comment at a fundraiser outside of San Francisco, on Thursday. He praised Harris as being “brilliant,” adding, “she is dedicated and she is tough” before he said what is pretty obvious (pun intended), commenting on her looks, which anybody who takes a look at her can anyway deduce on his own, she’s a remarkably attractive woman.
But then it’s one thing to compliment your wife in public and quite another to praise another woman in a crowd, which Obama quickly found out as a political firestorm, or rather as the clichéd phrase goes, a storm in a teacup, began to build up on social media and the Internet.
Political aides of Obama quickly swung into action to curb any political damage or before more sinister aspersions are cast on the president itself, apart from the silly and boring jabber of a ‘sexist’ comment. Some of the commentary going around predictably questioned the feminist notion of pointing to a woman’s looks along with her accomplishments; trying to patch the two together, as if one happened because of the other.
Robin Abcarian of The Los Angeles Times wrote the comment was “more wolfish than sexist.” Salon’s Joan Walsh wrote “my stomach turned over” reading the comment. “Those of us who’ve fought to make sure that women are seen as more than ornamental — and that includes the president — should know better than to rely on flattering the looks of someone as formidable as Harris.”
Anyway, the president called up Harris and apologized to her for his comment, according to the White House press secretary Jay Carney.
“You know, they are old friends and good friends,” Carney said according to The New York Times, “and he did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general’s professional accomplishments and her capabilities.” He said the president recognized Harris’s abilities, calling her “a remarkably effective leader as attorney general” and “an excellent attorney general” who has “done great work.” The president, Carney said, “fully recognizes the challenge women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance.”
A spokesman for Harris, Gil Duran, said in a statement: “The attorney general and the president have been friends for many years. They had a great conversation yesterday, and she strongly supports him.”
One can only imagine the real conversation that went on when Obama phoned Harris, whose father is an African American and mother is of Indian origin:
“Kamala, I’m sorry I called you the best looking attorney in the country, I shouldn’t have.”
“So I’m not…”
“No, no, I didn’t say that. I mean, I did say you are the best looking Attorney General in the country, but I shouldn’t have said that…”
“So who is it then?”
“Well, you are, but am sorry, I shouldn’t say that…”
We’ll leave it to you to continue on that conversation. Wonder how long it lasted.
We at The American Bazaar can only wonder if it’s ok to compliment a woman on her good looks if she has not accomplished anything career wise, is a school drop-out, still single, and lives with friends (taking out the equation of being a great wife, mom, and daughter). Will the feminist zealots pounce on that?
It’s not sure if the feminist brigade will start a witch hunt if the president were to say tomorrow in public, of Michelle Obama: ‘you are the best looking First Lady in the country, no, the best looking First Lady ever.”
It’s doubtful if whatever little storm in a teacup brews or political aides have to say, the president will take that one back. Not at the risk of inviting Ms. Obama’s wrath.
But apologies or not by the president, this writer can say on behalf of a lot of people: Kamala Harris, you are the best looking Attorney General in the country.
(Sujeet Rajan is the Editor-in-Chief of The American Bazaar)
To contact the editor, e-mail: sujeetrajan@americanbazaaronline.com