Double Standard

Before the election, nearly everytime Sarah Palin was mentioned in the mainstream media it was a put down (even if it was thinly disguised as simple commentary). Every sentence was scrutinized. Her experience was called into question. And while I'm not saying that the Vice Presidency and a New York Senate seat are exactly the same (because I know that they're not) it is infuriating that we aren't hearing more critical comments about Caroline Kennedy's seeming inability to put together a sentence without more vocalized pauses that I ever thought possible (and I teach intro level Public Speaking, so I hear a lot of them). In this short, 2:30 clip alone, she says "you know" 30 times, which roughly translates to one "you know" every five seconds. That doesn't even include the "um"s and "uh"s and other fillers present. It is really scary that this woman can't put together a coherent thought without all this filler. Some may argue that she's a "private" person, doesn't speak in public, whatever. The point is that she is now in a position in the public eye and has to consider how she presents herself. She has to speak better than this. At least, she should be held to a higher standard. They sure held Sarah Palin to one. All I'm expecting is a little bit of fairness in the way judgment is passed. Of course, considering who I'm talking about, I seriously doubt it will happen.