On Friday, MSNBC reporter Zachary Roth described Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is paralyzed from the waist down, this way:

The simple sight of him in his wheelchair—matchstick-thin legs dangling in front of him as he maneuvers himself around—is enough to set him apart from the parade of conservative Republican white men who talk about helping the job creators and seem never to have suffered a day in their lives.

The description of Abbott’s “matchstick-thin legs” is incredible; MSNBC would never use a similar description with regard to, for example, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, nor would MSNBC describe the physical infirmities of Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in such demeaning terms. But from the same network that routinely sings odes to State Sen. Wendy Davis, Abbott’s opponent, it’s no surprise, even though the article discusses Abbott's "spine of steel."