Jessica Valenti

Did Conservative Sting Operatives Target Planned Parenthood—Again?

Jessica Valenti on April 24, 2012 - 9:59 AM ET

A rally in support of Planned Parenthood, Thursday, April 7, 2011, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

After a series of odd visits by patients asking questions about sex-selective abortions, Planned Parenthood has determined that their centers are likely the target of another undercover video “sting” operation.

Why Hilary Rosen Is Right

Jessica Valenti on April 12, 2012 - 1:49 PM ET

For most of today, the homepage of Fox News has featured a huge picture of the Romney family with the headline: “5 Kids, 16 Grandkids, and Dem Adviser Charges Ann Romney Has ‘Never Worked a Day in Her Life.’ ” The outrage, which has spanned across mainstream media, Twitter, Facebook and beyond, is over Hilary Rosen’s comments to Anderson Cooper yesterday that Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, has “never worked a day in her life.”

There’s no doubt that Rosen, a CNN contributor and Democratic political consultant, made a gaffe in providing such a juicy sound bite. But her message—in context—was right on.

Rosen was responding to Mitt Romney’s constant trotting out of Ann when he gets a question on women’s issues:

Who Cares About John Derbyshire?

Jessica Valenti on April 9, 2012 - 10:55 AM ET

After two days of outrage over John Derbyshire’s outrageously racist rant, National Review announced that it was “parting ways“ with the writer. Rich Lowry wrote in a post this weekend that the piece was “nasty and indefensible” (interestingly, he didn’t call it racist) and that Derbyshire wouldn’t be writing for the publication anymore. That’s all well and good—but does it really matter?

It’s easy (and correct) to criticize Derbyshire—his article was explicitly, unabashedly racist and hateful. Frankly, it was a gift to conservative writers. Because now they get to shake their heads in disappointment and condemnation, patting themselves on the back as non-racist by comparison. By holding Derbyshire up as a real bad guy, conservatives are hoping that people will ignore their own racism—not just the content of their media but their ideological principles and the policies they support.

A blogger at RedState, for example, described Derbyshire’s racism as “breathtaking,” writing that Derbyshire should be fired: “Derbyshire’s screed was so contemptible, especially in light of his lengthy history, that I cannot imagine a reason that Derbyshire should not have been summarily dismissed within the hour.”

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Ignoring Domestic Terrorism in Wisconsin

Jessica Valenti on April 5, 2012 - 9:58 AM ET

When a Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin was bombed last weekend, it was widely reported but largely underplayed. Little in-depth reporting was done on the attack, few politicians spoke up about the bombing and the bomb itself was repeatedly described as “small” and “homemade.” (Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks noted, “Have you ever seen a media report when a Muslim puts a bomb somewhere and they go, ‘Well, don’t worry about it, it was just homemade’.")

Teri Huyck, president of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, released a statement saying that there was minimal damage and, thankfully, that no staff had been present.

“Our primary concern today—as always—is our patients, staff and volunteers. Women deserve safe and compassionate care, and we are proud to provide it. Rest assured, our doors will remain open for the thousands of women who rely on Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin each year for high quality health care.”