Categories: USA

“Women are known to be more, shall we say, ethical than men”

On CBS’s “Face the Nation” this week, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke about the perils female candidates face in holding public office.

According to the former Speaker of the House, these attacks were often attacks on “ethics,” because women are more “ethical than men.”

Partial transcription as follows:

BRENNAN: You wrote in your book about this attack on your husband in 2022, and you said your daughter told you, if she had known what you were signing up for, she never would have given you her blessing to run for office in the first place. .

PELOSI: Yes.

BRENNAN: Do you think this threat of domestic violent extremism has a deterrent effect on new talent and – and everyone running for office?

PELOSI: Well, I certainly hope not.

But over the years, when I encouraged people to run for office, especially women, they would say: we can never accept the abuse that you are experiencing. And it was really just abuse. It wasn’t physical, it was criticism and everything else, and we don’t want our children to be subjected to that.

And yes, I think it will have a negative impact on candidates for public office. Just… you know, in other words, if you’re… if you’re a mom, and they come after you as a… as a mom, and your kid comes home crying from school because someone said a negative thing because they saw on TV, that the other side said something bad about you, you might not run for office.

BRENNAN: So you think this will particularly discourage women…

PELOSI: Especially women.

BRENNAN: …to run?

PELOSI: Yes, I do.

I mean, I know it is. But I hope that’s not the case, that we have to bring this to light and just say that it’s unacceptable. This is unacceptable. You see, for women, they are always – they always have – known for being more, shall we say, ethical than men. So, when they attack candidates, they attack their ethics.

And they will say this, that and the other thing. And then the child comes home from school crying because someone said bad things about his mother on TV. And no one – no one wants that. So, I’m hoping that the bright light shining on that will reduce – reduce that.

But I think women have proven that they are, that they are more ethical, and that they are more ethical, and that they may not be more ethical, they are all ethical, but they can then resist these criticisms.