Diane Sawyer's rude question to Mrs Dean:

[AlinPA]

First showed a picture of the patrician Bush and his wife - in a tuxedo and her in a formal dress decked out for a state dinner. Then asked Mrs Dean in effect how could you measure up to this? My wife and I had tears in our eyes when she answered "they would probably criticize my clothes and my hair and everything..." To us Mrs Dean would be a perfect first lady. We love her.

[demnan]

1. Judy Steinberg is a doctor

she tries to cure illness. She obviously cares about her patients. She's also a mother and wife so she has a busy life full of responsibilities. 'Nough said.

[liberalnurse]

2. Bottom line, Ms. Dean will need to get an

Oprah make over or a Queer-eye for the dowdy girl make over. She is a part of the package and she is smart enough to figure that out.

Hillary did.....We could loose the election on a vanity principle.....I support Ms. Dean but it just won't fly .....This is my assessment of Americans in general and the upper crust Europeans. Lets not skirt the truth....I'm a Dean supporter and being polite is not always honest. The truth is she needs to evolve.

[SoCalDem]

4. Babs Bush did not "measure up".. People thought she was great

..the grandmotherly first lady..

Clothes do not make the person.. I have read tha Dean's wife would most likely put her NH practice on hold, and she would work in a clinic in DC.. Whether that would happen or not, the fact remains.. she is interested in being a doctor first.. I am sure that no first lady would shirk her first lady duties, but I am sure that a make up person, a hairdresser and some clothing mfg would be happy to help her get spiffed up when she needed it..

[Mika]

6. Evolve? Please, do expand on that

[Vote2004]

13. She does need a makeover.

Politicians should be elected based on their principles, but unfortunately people are judged by their appearance too. She could use a makeover, after all, Americans do like glamour.

[kath]

31. Mostly WOMEN are heavily judged by their appearance.

A guy gets up in the morning, uses a cheap bar of soap to take a shower, shaves (or trims his beard, perhaps) brushes his teeth, runs a comb through his hair, and bingo, he's ready for work. Soap, razor, shaving cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb -- those are basically all the "beauty products" he needs. Supplement that with a cheap and easy haircut once a month or so, and that's all the time and money he needs to spend on his appearance.

The typical WOMAN on the other hand, buys products or devices to alter nearly *every* part of her appearance. Dye the hair, pay to have it cut and styled, buy all kinds of stuff to style it, which takes lots of time in front of the mirror. Expensive and time-consuming make-up routine. Creams and moisturizers. Pluck the eyebrows. Shave or wax away lots of body hair in order to make her body look like that of a pre-pubescent girl - heaven forbid that people should know that women have *hair* on their legs or armpits. Wax or pluck facial hairs. Perfumes. Expensive bras with uncomfortable underwires. Uncomfortable pointy shoes with heels.

How come a man pretty much looks good enough the way he is, whereas virtually nothing about a woman's natural appearance is "good enough"??

It's sickening...

[Bluerthanblue]

37. some things never change

no matter how hard we try-

Stepford Wives ..... 'arm candy'

we're humans we just don't have a third leg (inside joke)

[BigDaddyLove]

49. The 'typical' woman you describe..........

sounds to me sorta ugly and high maintenance.....my wife doesn't do nearly as much as you're example and is one Hell of a lot prettier than most of the women I know who do.

[kath]

51. I do *very* little of that stuff, and my hubby likes the "natural" look

as well. But those of us who don't buy into all that bullshit are very much outnumbered by those who do.

For instance, I don't wear makeup (well, maybe once every five or ten years :-) ) That puts me in a VERY tiny minority of women.

And hair that's all full of spray, gel, and other crap really grosses me out!


That, in this day and age, even a women who is a physician is still expected to be a cute little ornament on the arm of her husband is absolutely disgusting...

[David Zephyr]

43. She Doesn't Need a Makeover.

n/t

[Bunny]

38. Hillary may have gotten a makeover, but it was AFTER

they got into the White House. If you remember during Bill's first campaign, Hillary's appearance was downplayed, with somewhat non-descript clothes, and, remember the headbands?? Hillary was by no means a fashion queen during the 92 campaign, and he managed to get elected anyway.

Dr. Steinberg looks just fine to me, and I bet to most other "real" Americans. Real women with real kids, real jobs, etc. I'm pretty sure that if Gov. Dean gets elected, his wife will be able to "clean up good" and look appropriate for the occasion.

[kskiska]

42. Even AFTER Hillary got a makeover

she was criticized for having too many different hairstyles. They'll never be satisfied.

[apsuman]

46. Ok, here's the hair rule (no I am not joking)...

The more serious you are the more you need to keep one hair style. Same is true of clothes.

This is not just a rule for women, but since women have a greater freedom of choice for clothes, it is observed more in women.

This is why militaries have UNIFORMs.

Why does the Ms. America pageant with the "How would you sae the world?" question look so fake? Because the women are asked that question when they are trying to look glamourous. If they were all in business suits then it would look more "Real".

So, back to hillary and the headband. As long as she did not have a face in the administration, nobody said anything about her hair. As soon as she starts being the head of the health care blah blah blah they notice.

This is why Margaret Thatcher had exactly ONE hairdo. Not two. Not one for weekends. One. Exactly one.

JFK did not as a general rule wear hats. He was the youngest president elected to office. The election was >< close. We were in the middle of the cold war. He gave a great inaugural speech. Still, despite all this, there were reports that went out of their way to mention his HAT.

Bush could come out to the press wearing a fedora entirely appropriate for his dress and situation to announce the capture Osama Bin Laden. Sixty percent of everyone that saw the press conference would ignore his words and say "Why is he wearing a hat?"

[Sperk]

3. anyone would look better in an evening gown than PICKLES!

n/t

[diamond14]

29. oh dear, that wasn't very nice....here's a good photo of pickles

all dressed up in old draperies that enhance her gargantuan rear, which can spread over two congressional districts...

and topped off with a torquoise sash, stylish of a 1960's prom dress...

and Mrs. Kwasneiwska was probably totally amazed to see pickles...



Flanked by some of America’s finest servicemen, President Bush and Mrs. Bush wave to photographers with President Kwasniewski and Mrs. Kwasniewska as they welcome Poland’s first couple to the State Dinner July 17. White House photo by Susan Sterner.

[KayLaw]

30. OMG!

I know it's rotten to criticize someone's appearance, but that dress! It's just so wrong. It actually makes me sad tho think that a fellow American would willingly wear something like that, and inside the White House!

[diamond14]

48. here's pickles meeting the French Cultural Minister at a semi-formal

event at the French Embassy

pickels should at least put on a bra, and pull the back of her dress up a little....but, when you're on heavy prescription drugs, it's hard to make those little efforts...

[KayLaw]

56. What to say, what to say?

To paraphrase the guy who used to do my hair, " Thank God she has a pretty face!"

[piece sine]

44. Oh Boy! A DU Beauty Contest!

yep...Most DUers have to admit Polish First Lady Kwasniewska is FAR prettier and more elegantly attired than Laura Bush. So forget about all those hollow comments on this thread defending Judy Steinberg's right to be herself, because it all comes down to Laura Bush's backside and the color of her sash. Just remember, if you mock one woman for her personal choices, you actually mock them all since you're demeaning them on the basis of the sex and appearance.

I can't STAND the Bushes!! But I fail to see how hypocrisy and sexism advance our DEMOCRATIC ideals. Lemme put it this way...If Laura's conventional choices are fair game for ridicule, then so is Judy's alternative lifestyle. Re-read this thread; change Laura's name to "Judy" and you have typical Freeper thread.

[KayLaw]

55. Sorry

My immediate reaction to your post was semi-shame, but it's not about beauty and sexism for me. I do love all different looks, and I, personally, sport different styles and looks. Frankly, I think Laura Bush is gorgeous, though that doesn't matter. I am just plain offended by her clothing.
She dresses so badly that I believe someone is dressing her that way deliberately. Say, someone did a study of " likely women voters." Say that survey said these women are threatened by slim, stylish women. I know a lot of women liked the actresses on " Raymond " and " Home Improvement " when they were less glamorous.
So, maybe Karl Rove is dressing her. I could be way wrong, but I'm casting around for some explanation for her dreadful clothes.
You say her clothing is conventional, but I don't see it that way. She has so much money, she could wear very beautiful, conservative and simple outfits, but she doesn't. She wears gaudy, hideous, sofa/curtain-like crap. And maybe we should care about this sort of thing. She does, in a way, represent American women. How would you feel about a president, or First Man, who wore an orange plaid shirt with lime green pants and a beanie cap?

[Bridget Burke]

5. Which picture?

Most of the "formal" pictures I've seen of the first couple are less than impressive. Generally, he looks stiff & clueless in formal dress. And poor Laura's best dresses always seem to be made of drapery material. Her tranqed-out gaze doesn't help.

Any first couple has assistants that can help them pick suitable clothes that actually fit & do the necessary grooming for special events. Even if they are not clothes-horses, some occasions really warrant a bit of effort. Only a couple of idiots could have all that help & still look bad....

[AlinPA]

10. re: "Her tranqed-out gaze doesn't help" I love it.

Good description of Laura Bush.

[slappypan]

7. I don't think Sawyer meant to be insulting

I think Laura looked very uncomfortable in that clip, and it just showed how stiff and awkward those occasions can be ...

I agree, Mrs. Dean would be very refreshing as First Lady, she is so warm and down-to-earth and charming. I'm sure plenty of top designers would love to create some clothes for her, and she would look terrific in them (I am picturing something by Vera Wang perhaps).

[Buffler]

8. Doesnt matter

Dean is done.

[emc]

35. And Diane helped

You got that right and the press polished him off. I dont know why we have elections when people like Diane Sawyer can tell us who should be running the country---Coarse, when you make ten million a year spewing shit over the airways, and you have no fear of you job moving overseas, why wouldnt you be endorsing a republican??? What are you crazy, taking some of that ten million and using it for social programs when you can pass it tax free to your kids who can get on the air and do the same shit-------

[Bluerthanblue]

9. the clothes

don't make the woman-
She was far more beautiful in her casusal clothes being interviewed than Laura Bush in her tangerine full length 'prom dress'- Good God, i love the personality of Elinor Rossevelt, but she was not one of the worlds most attractive women, no matter how well you dressed her up -

Elect people for thier 'looks' and we deserve the kind of leadership we have now, and worse-

i'm a Kerry suporter, but i was VERY impressed with the 'realness' of the Dean family- and believe they would be fine in the WH

[NashVegas]

14. I'm More Concerned About

Her posture. Clothes don't make the person, but an erect carriage says more than most people realize.

[pinkpops]

11. judy is perfect

true, like ice, like fire.

[Cocoa]

32. she laughs like the flowers

Valentines can't buy her. :-)

[pinkpops]

50. love minus zero

[Demo Gog]

12. That is a disgusting question.

I'm kind of stunned...

[Hoosier Democrat]

15. I think Judy Dean could start a trend...

By just being herself, her "Down to Earth" look could catch on. After all, First Ladies can be major trend-setters. Whether it be the Jackie Kennedy "High maintenance" model, the Nancy Reagan "Anorexic Fashion Doll" model, or the Hillary "Pants Suit" Model, they can leave their mark.

I watched the interview with my mom last night. Mom's in her 60's made a point about Judy Dean dressing "to please herself, not Vogue". Of course, Mom also thinks that Laura Bush redefines "Frumpy".

Judy Dean sends the message: Dress how YOU want, not how THEY want." Very refreshing.

[philosophie_en_rose]

16. Was Sawyer being sarcastic?

Dr. Steinberg does not need to measure up to Laura Bush. Good lord! What kind of an idiot asks a question like that? First, Laura Bush is certainly not a fashion model. She looks uncomfortable in her Carol Burnett originals.

Dr. Steinberg has substance. It's not that being a homemaker or a librarian is somehow less than being a doctor. However, a Stepford wife demeanor can't compare to Dr. Steinberg's independence.

[truthspeaker]

17. Did they show the picture of Pickles meeting the Queen of England?

Where Pickles was wearing white shoes and stockings in November? For a formal meeting with a head of state?

[NJCher]

18. could we please not refer to the bushes as "patrician?"

Here's the definition of the word and I do not believe any bush measures up to this:

A person of refined upbringing, manners, and tastes.
A member of an aristocracy; an aristocrat.
A member of one of the noble families of the ancient Roman Republic, which before the third century B.C. had exclusive rights to the Senate and the magistracies.
Used as a title for members of a class of honorary nobility appointed by the Byzantine emperors.
A member of the hereditary ruling class in the medieval free cities of Italy and Germany.

Last I knew, crime families were not aristocrats.

Thank you in advance.


Cher

[SoCalDem]

19. Yeppers.. They like to call themselves "Good Ole Boy Texans"

Cannot be both... :evilgrin:

[AlinPA]

23. Thank you, I'm sorry. Wrong choice of a word.

[Mandate My Ass]

25. They're living proof

that money doesn't buy class.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

20. bitch whore sawyer...Dr Judy is perfect...no plastic no botox no XANAX

Laura Buah is in a PERPETUAL XANAX HAZE!!!!!!!

[CityZen-X]

24. Dr. Judy Is The Real Deal

I find that both Deans are too real for the "image is everything " types such as D. Sawyer. She (Sawyer) lives in a plastic world and has not a clue to what the natural beings look like.
And as far as L. Bu$h*t goes, you are correct in your observation. I have always felt that this women is floating on some kind of pharmies washed down with a lot of alcohol. You can't blame her, look what she has to wake up with in the morning.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

45. true...i would probably be sporting a morphine patch were i in her shoes

[waldenx]

21. Howard is lucky

There are few real women like her.
The only women around my city are fake yuppie types.

[Raster]

22. hmm, first she'll have to commit vehicular manslaughter...

[leesa]

26. So the purpose of a First Lady is to wear clothing well?

Good to know, I was always wondering what they were for. Poor Dr Steinberg-Dean. She will have to regress 5 decades in order to please immature America.

[Tracer]

27. I've been searching for a word to describe ...

... Diane Sawyer.

And perhaps some of you younger people won't recognize it:

Sob Sister.

But it perfectly describes her "career" doing maudlin, tear-jerking stories and her penchant for asking idiotic questions.

Although, to be fair — her questioning of * in that recent interview that led to the appalling comment "What's the difference!!!" from SmirkBoy — was not too bad.

[markus]

28. Maybe they should sign her up for What Not To Wear?

This is silly and offensive. I hope she gets a ton of hate mail for picking on someone who, unlike the media ken and barbie dolls, does not have a personal trainer, style consultant, etc. hovering over them at employer expense.

[laruemtt]

33. if they tried to "fix" her

it would truly be gilding the lilly. she's got a beauty and sweetness that no "makeover" could improve. she's my new role model!

[ArtiChoke]

34. Anybody notice...

in the promo for the show Sawyer asks Mrs. Dean "Does he have a temper?" or words to that affect. Then the camera moves from Sawyer to the Deans and shows Mrs. Dean pausing, smiling sheepishly and looking to her husband. BUT, during the actual interview, Mrs. Dean's response to that question is an immediate and unequivocal 'no'. It seemed the promo was doctored (no pun) to infer that the Dean's would be less than forthcoming in the interview and might in fact have something to hide. Did I imagine this or did someone else see the smae thing and draw similar conclusions?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

36. I didn't see it...

but heard about it this morning. Yes, I find it to be an incredibly insulting question that Saywer asked.

I wish Ms. Dean had sweetly challenged Sawyer by asking her if she'd ever ask the same question of her husband, could HE see himself stuffed into a tuxedo and tight shoes...

[skypilot]

39. I didn't see the interview...

...and I haven't read through all the posts on this thread but let me just say that I despise Diane Sawyer. After her interview with Natalie Maine of the Dixie Chicks I realized that she is one of the biggest media whores out there. It doesn't surprise me that she would do something as tacky as what you described.

[kath]

47. Yep, total mediawhore. #%@! her!

[Demo Gog]

40. On the candidates wives...

Edwards' wife is a fantastic lawyer.
Dean's wife is a brilliant doctor.
Kerry's wife is a spunky, business success story.
Lieberman's wife is better than Joe!
I could go on, but the point is....Diane Sawyer's an idiot.

[absyntheNsugar]

53. Was it Dianne Sawyer or Barbara Walters

who tried to come on to Nixon and got rebuffed?

One of the two wonder twins...

[slappypan]

41. Judy Steinberg Dean can prescribe drugs.

Laura Bush looks like she is on drugs.

[SeattleRob]

52. I think the criticism...

of Judy Dean is more based on her being a strong andidependent woman -a career woman to boot. That is why they hated Hillary. Remember all the shit about her hyphenated name? Nothing scare Republicans more than a strong independent woman.

[kskiska]

54. I have a higher regard for Howard

for choosing a woman as grounded and unpretentious as Judy. Many men choose "trophy" wives.