Sacramento Bee Calls Senator Barbara Boxer "Barbie"

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

It is practically a sport in Sacramento to guess the future political path of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Today's column by Dan Walters on that subject and the possibility of the governor challenging Senator Barbara Boxer in 2010 would be utterly unremarkable, but for the headline:

Dan Walters: Could we see Arnie vs. Barbie?

Barbie?!!!  Are you kidding me?  You just called a distinguished female Senator a plastic, vapid, biologically impossibly shaped children's toy.  That is offensive not only to Senator Boxer, but all women.  It has no business appearing in the newspaper.

This is clearly coming from an editor at the Sacramento Bee, given that Senator Boxer is only called "barbie" in the headline of Walter's column, not the body.  Amy Chance is listed as the Political Editor, however she told me via email that the copy desk writes the headlines.  My inquiry, as to who is responsible, is being passed along to the copy desk chief.  Hopefully, I will have a name eventually as to the actual person in charge.  However, this clearly had to pass by several people before making it into the paper.  The paper itself is responsible for the headline making to print, more than any one person.

What exactly is the Bee implying about the Senator?  Is it that she cannot stand up to that hunk of man, action star governor?  Is the Bee insulting her intelligence?  Or is it both?  The article mentions California's other Senator, Diane Feinstein, who is also a woman.  Was this smear intended for both Senators, or just Senator Boxer?  Both of our Senators are both political trailblazers, having fought this kind of language since the beginning of their careers.  It is sad that in 2007, we are still seeing this type of language used to talk about women in political office.
The article is already prompting misogynistic comments.  SacBee user "pistach" has the top comment right now, below the article calling Senator Boxer an "air head".  I guess a barbie's head is hollow and thus is filled with air.  That makes sense.

This headline has no business in a respectable newspaper.  It is something I would expect to be coming from a right-wing blog trying to start trouble, not the Sacramento Bee.  I hope that the public editor, Armando Acuna, addresses this issue promptly.  You can contact him at  (916) 321-1250 and publiceditor@sacbee.com.  I have already contacted him and requested that the paper offer an official apology to Senator Boxer and air the issue publicly, as his responsibility as a public editor.  This was a severe error in professional judgement and one that should never be repeated.