Dick Morris falsely suggested Hillary Clinton was "complain[ing]" of sexism when she became emotional in NH

Summary: On Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Dick Morris suggested that Sen. Hillary Clinton was "complain[ing]" of sexism when she became emotional during a campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In fact, Clinton's voice broke as she spoke about why she was seeking the presidency; nowhere in her remarks did Clinton touch on the subject of sexism on the campaign trail.

On the September 15 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Fox News contributor and syndicated columnist Dick Morris falsely suggested that Sen. Hillary Clinton was "complain[ing]" of sexism when she became emotional during a January 7 campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. During the show, co-host Alan Colmes said to Morris: "[I]t's very interesting to me that, for example, the Democrats keep getting accused of being sexist" toward Gov. Sarah Palin, adding, "You said, when Hillary was running, you said when a woman who wants to be president, she shouldn't complain based on gender." Morris replied: "The whole point is that Sarah Palin has never complained. She never cried on television like Hillary did in New Hampshire." However, as Media Matters for America noted, Clinton's voice broke as she spoke about why she was seeking the presidency; nowhere in her remarks did Clinton touch on the subject of sexism on the campaign trail.

As a January 7 CNN.com article noted, Clinton's voice "br[oke] a bit" while saying, "You know, I have so many opportunities from this country, I just don't want to see us fall backwards":

At the close of a Portsmouth campaign stop, Marianne Pernold-Young, 64, asked Clinton: "How do you do it? How do you keep up ... and who does your hair?"

Clinton said she had help with her hair on "special days," and that she drew criticism on the days she did not.

Then she added: "It's not easy, and I couldn't do it if I just didn't, you know, passionately believe it was the right thing to do.

"You know, I have so many opportunities from this country, I just don't want to see us fall backwards," she said, her voice breaking a bit. The audience applauded.

"This is very personal for me, it's not just political, it's [that] I see what's happening, we have to reverse it," she said emotionally, adding that some "just put ourselves out there and do this against some pretty difficult odds.

"But some of us are right and some of us are wrong. Some of us ready and some of us are not. Some of us know what we will do on day one, and some of us really haven't thought that through enough."

"So as tired as I am and I am. And as difficult as it is to try and keep up what I try to do on the road, like occasionally exercise and try to eat right -- it's tough when the easiest food is pizza -- I just believe so strongly in who we are as a nation. So I'm going to do everything I can and make my case and you know the voters get to decide."

As Media Matters also noted, two days after characterizing the media's coverage of Palin as the result of "the deep sexism that runs through our society," Morris said on the September 4 edition of Neal Boortz's radio show, "[W]hen a woman wants to attack, it's hard because she's seen as strident or shrill." Referring to Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention the previous day, Morris added: "Hillary has that problem perhaps because she is strident and shrill. But Sarah did it very pleasantly, and it was a wonderful model." Similarly, in his September 4 New York Post column, Morris wrote of Palin's speech: "Many women look bad when they attack their opponents, too often seeming strident and shrill. But Palin was funny and irreverant [sic], with a biting wit and a joy of combat that was exhilarating to watch."

From the September 15 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

COLMES: Hey, Dick, it's very interesting to me that, for example, the Democrats keep getting accused of being sexist. Saturday Night Live does a skit, [McCain adviser] Carly Fiorina says it's sexist, even though Hillary is mocked as well. You said, when Hillary was running, you said when a woman who wants to be president, she shouldn't complain based on gender. What happens when the boys of Russia or China start picking on her --

MORRIS: Yeah.

COLMES: -- that's what Hillary always [unintelligible].

MORRIS: Yeah.

COLMES: But now they claim that Sarah Palin --

MORRIS: But Palin has never complained.

COLMES: -- is somehow being blamed --

MORRIS: That's the whole point.

COLMES: -- that she's being victimized here.

MORRIS: The whole point is that Sarah Palin has never complained. She never cried on television --

COLMES: But her -- the surrogates are complaining that there's sexism.

MORRIS: -- like Hillary did in New Hampshire.

—M.B.B.