Because it's always acceptable to smear a woman if she is in some way affiliated with Republicans, MSNBC political analyst Joan Walsh lamented Sunday that the "girlie" dress Ivanka Trump wore during a meeting of the G-20 Summit made her look like President Trump's personal "property." And, not just any property, but that which is reflective of "patriarchal, authoritarian societies" that are "frightening." Newsbusters summarizes and provides the clip above:
Even liberal anchor Thomas Roberts seemed uncomfortable with some of his left-wing guest's comments as he fretted that "you're opening yourself up," and wondered if there was something wrong with being both a "feminist" and "girlie."
ROBERTS: As we know from statements made prior to the presidential position that he has talked about Ivanka in some odd ways for a dad to reflect --
WALSH: That crossed my mind, too.
ROBERTS: -- on a daughter.
After Roberts asked if Ivanka was "being held to an unfair standard," Walsh complained that she was not enough of a liberal feminist:
When she's tried to go to bat for us allegedly, her solution to the defunding of Planned Parenthood was to tell Cecile Richards to stop performing abortions, you know, that that was her brilliant compromise which would hurt many poor women around the country. So I think that feminists, that women really ought to give up the idea that Ivanka is our person in the White House because, if she is trying at all, she's completely ineffectual.
Roberts followed up:
It's a little muddy about not taking a salary while having the status of being a federal employee, yet not having to be held to different ethical standards. Also saying that she doesn't want to be involved in politics, then sitting in for her father at the G-20.
Walsh then turned into a fashion critic and suggested Ivanka was behaving like "property" as she responded:
Right. With big bows on her sleeve. I mean, I don't mean to sound sexist -- it can be dangerous to comment on what women wear -- but the fact that she sat in for her father in a dress that was so incredibly ornamental was such a contradiction in terms. And I think that what we see is that in patriarchal, authoritarian societies, daughters have great value -- they are property. And the message that she is sending about her own value, about her place in the White House, and about the place of women in this administration, I think, are really frightening.
When Roberts asked if one "can't be a feminist and be girlie at the same time?", Walsh doubled down: "You can be a feminist and be girlie. We all have our girlie days, but I think showing up, taking your fathers's seat in a pink dress with big bows on the sleeves is really an interesting message."
Women are always fair game for attack when their views are not in perfect alignment with those of leftists. What's more, the mainstream media seem to think Ivanka's dress is a newsworthy "event."