ABC & NBC Missing Women at the GOP Convention

In my lifetime, I have seen the Grand Old Party change.  What was once a party of all white men has now become the party of blacks, females, Latinos and gays.  How is it that the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan has become the inclusive party?  After watching the Republican National Convention, RNC, last week, I was energized as I watched the variety of female speakers parade across the stage.  As a child, I watched the conventions and always thought, “Where are the ladies and why do only men talk at the microphone?”  While I played with my Effenbee baby dolls, I was, at a young age, still sure that a woman belonged on that stage giving her reasons as to why I should vote for her candidate. Last week my childhood questions were answered by the party I believe most is the party of independent, hard working, risk taking, family loving, achievement expecting, national defending, budget cutting, world leading, charity balanced party. I saw the GOP as in inclusive group of all the people.  But what about the women?

Sure, in the past, every once in a while, the camera would pan over to an older, wild haired, painted up, 10 gallon hatted, pin covered vest wearing, woman (likely a secretary to the local republican party) from Texas but short of that, few women in the past years of watching the conventions were shown.  It was about the same for both conventions.  It was a scene that made me feel like I was not welcome at their party. If I had been a black little girl, I am sure I would have been wondering where my role models were also.  I remember battles being waged during that week. I remember signs with different names hoisted in the air as the convention attendees fought to get their man elected. It was exciting to watch. We waited until some state’s delegate votes would put one man over the top to become the parties presidential candidate. The crowd would erupt. The balloons would fall. The cameras would search for the winner and his wife to capture their excitement.  “Well, he’s is the lesser of the two evils!” my Dad would pronounce. His comment was something I did not understand then, but do now. 

Conventions have changed. Parties have changed. Voters have changed. Now each party’s candidate is already chosen before the convention begins.  The excitement of whom will be the nominee is no more.  There is only one name on the patriotic signs bouncing throughout the convention venue. The conventions are carefully designed and played out as they rise to a fever pitch of emotion and value laden speeches given by the party stars, until the nominee finally appears on stage to accept their party’s nomination.

First, for me, the excitement is still there. There is something exciting at the conventions.  Call me a sexist. I love that there are women on the floor, lots of women; white women, black women, Latino women, and yes even gay women.  There are women in the decision seats now. My voice is being heard and being part of changing the Republican party.  Still, some women are painted up and wearing a collection of political pins on their vest and yes, some are still wearing those wild hats, but women are there and that makes me excited for the GOP’s future.  

Secondly, and more importantly, is the fact that there are women speakers at the podium; black women, white women, and Latino women. I would love Mitt’s mother, as we think alike.  As Mitt’s mother used to say, “Why should women have any less say about the decisions of this great nation?”  Women are now there as members and as delegates, not only as the wife’s of the candidates.  I watched with pride as Condoleezza Rice spoke passionately, intelligently, and from experience.  Also, the first Latino female governor, Susana Martinez spoke from her heart with passion about her rise to highest office in the state government. How can it be that a black past cabinet member and a new Latino governor are in the Republican party? Wait a minute, doesn’t the other party continue to scream out to the voters that the Republican party is not the party of women or blacks or Latinos or their issues?  

Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa said that Republicans "can't just trot out a brown face" to make inroads with the Latino community, an increasingly important growing bloc.  EXCUSE ME!  Please don’t tell these strong, intelligent, women that they are nothing more than “brown faces” being “trotted out!”   Do not tell these female republican governors that they are not really governors because the democrats say they are just token faces.  WOW!  Talk about an arrogant male. The more I hear from the left, the more I have to believe they care little about the hands that rock the world’s cradles.  For them women are merely TOKENS to be trotted out when needed.  Hmmm, his words are allowing us to see through a window into his mind. Women are now an important part of the GOP, as in “WE THE PEOPLE.” Diversity will always produce better leadership because diversity offers a multitude of experiences from which knowledge can be drawn. 

Speaking to a friend after the second night of watching the RNC, he sharply said, “Yeah, ABC did not show much diversity in their coverage of the Republican party, they are so biased against the Republican party!”  I was shocked.  I know ABC (American Broadcast Company) to many stands for “Awful Biased Channel” and the NBC for many stands for “Nasty Boys Club”  but to intentionally not show blacks, women, and Latinos to portray the Republican party in a poor light is nothing less questionable. 

On the last night of the convention, my husband and I flipped back and forth to see ABC’s convention coverage and indeed they kept the cameras on white males about 85% of the time.  This is sad for me, as a journalism major and a past newspaper employee, to witness such bias when reporting the news.  It is the job of the media to REPORT the news, not to twist or MAKE the news.  Yet it is happening at an alarming rate. Gatekeepers will always have the final say in what and whom makes the nightly news, yet to intentionally portray a biased view of an entire party...well that is why ABC & NBC’s ratings are so poor. http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/rnc-ratings-night-two-networks-lose-17-million-viewers-compared-to-night-two-of-2008-rnc_b143711  

Trying to fool the American people is just another reason I do not watch the slanted news channels anymore.  Once Dan Rather put his lies under the title of hard hitting investigating news and was outed, I turned off his channel. I won't watch a so called “news channel” that intentionally has an agenda in mind instead of giving us the facts.  So I ask you, why did ABC & NBC leave out viable proof of women in the Republican party?  A what point will the liberal left wing media show the citizens of America that blacks, women, and Latinos are choosing a party that "gets them?"  The Republican party realizes that women are concerned about jobs, housing, and the budget, not just birth control pills as the left would have us believe.

As we watch the national conventions, we see a different view of what each party stands for.  Is there a difference to each party in the way they respect woomen? Is there a difference in each parties voters?  You decide,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_JJLLfTR8I&feature=related 

I ask that, when the DNC holds their convention this week, you pay attention to the faces ABC & NBC show on screen.   Then ask yourself why has the national media chose not to show the faces of women, blacks, and Laninos at the RNC?  To be fair and balanced lets see whom ABC & NBC features on their coverage of the DNC this week that they chose not to feature last week.   “Educated Yourself and VOTE!”