Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will not be attending tonight’s State of the Union Address (citing a conflict of interests). Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took a cheap shot at Ginsburg poking fun at her age as the reason she wasn’t attending.
On Sunday, Huckabee tweeted a photo of Ginsburg nodding off in 2010 during former President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address (and again in 2015). He captioned the photo:
@GovMikeHuckabee: It’s not fair that ppl are criticizing Justice Ginsberg for skipping SOTU! Security concerns wouldn’t allow her to bring CPAP machine into House Chamber.”
CPAPs are devices that help people with breathing problems such as sleep apnea.
Ginsburg may be 84 years old, but it doesn’t mean she has a sleeping condition. She attributed her drowsiness to a glass of wine from dinner prior.
Regardless of the reason for her slumber, when did it become okay to make fun of older people or people with sleep conditions? Furthermore, would Huckabee have made the same comment of one of the male justices or a conservative-leaning justice?
Governor Huckabee knows all too well that women in politics face unfair criticisms of their appearances, mannerisms, and career choices despite their qualifications or job performance.
His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is the White House press secretary is often the target of unfair jokes about her looks – most recently being compared to a “Sister Wife” by Cher.
And last December, Governor Huckabee called out “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski for demeaning his daughter saying:
"She deserves better from other women and it just amazes me that even the women who say they are feminists are doing everything they can to discredit my daughter,"
Just as he expects respect for his daughter, Governor Huckabee should treat all women with respect – regardless of their politics.