CBS Touts Cosmo 'Going Political,' Brings on Editor to Slam GOP
After Cosmopolitan magazine announced it would begin endorsing political candidates in the 2014 midterm election, Friday's CBS This Morning eagerly brought on the publication's left-wing editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, who proceeded to push liberal agenda items and bash Republicans. [Listen to the audio]
Co-host Gayle King touted the magazine "going political" and planning to "cover the midterm campaigns with a laser focus on issues it believes are crucial to women." Moments later, Coles made it clear those issues would all be from the left: "...there are two in particular that we feel really strongly about....equal pay for equal work, which you would think in 2014 would be an issue that would already be done....and also access to great health care and to contraception."
Coles proclaimed: "Because if you are a magazine like Cosmo and we want people to have a great sexy fun lives you need to think about contraception because neither women nor men want to have baby every time they have sex. I'm sorry to say but it is true." King agreed: "Yeah, that is true."
Pushing the myth of the gender pay gap, Coles declared: "62% of college intake is now young women. None of them are coming out of college and saying, 'Oh, I'd love to earn 23% less than the guy who studied next to me.' None of them are going into the office and saying, 'Please pay me 23% less.'"
In April, the CBS morning show actually disproved liberal rhetoric on the issue, however, none the show hosts bothered to challenge Coles on Friday.
Instead, King teed up Coles to rant against the GOP: "So I'm curious, what does it take to get a Cosmo endorsement? And what are you looking for? What do you want?"
Coles responded:
There are several key races. I mean, the one in North Carolina is interesting....you look at a character like Thom Tillis who actually killed equal pay, the equal pay bill in his state. And he supports personhood, which actually means that they want to take the IUD out of circulation for women....So those are candidates that we want you to know will have an impact on your life if they win....And then you have the governor's race in Wisconsin, where the governor there, the male governor there...Scott Walker.... introducing mandatory sonograms for women wanting abortions. These are really life-impacting choices for women and we want them to know about it.
Co-host Norah O'Donnell wondered: " So, Joanna, though, the obvious question comes, though, are you going to only be endorsing Democratic candidates?"
Coles replied:
No. And interestingly, I don't think this is as much about Democrats and Republicans as it is generational, actually. That young women and young men are all looking across the spectrum at these candidates and thinking, "Who are the people who understand science?"
I mean, you remember from the last election, the crazy comments from Todd Aiken about women who, you know, got raped couldn't possibly get pregnant. They want candidates who understand science and who want women to earn the same as men for same the work.
Here is a full transcript of the September 5 segment:
8:20 AM ET
GAYLE KING: Leave it to Cosmopolitan magazine to do something as provocative as this. Along with it's usual hints on helping you "Sex it up!" and "Steal Katy Perry's Flat Abs Trick," Cosmo's going political. It's devoting a team of writers and editors to cover the midterm campaigns with a laser focus on issues it believes are crucial to women.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Politics In Fashion; Cosmo Focusing On the Issues Ahead of Election]
NORAH O'DONNELL: Cosmo's even ready to make endorsements, just like newspapers. Cosmo Votes goes online Monday with Beyonce asking readers to "Save the Date." That would be election day, November 4th.
Joanna Coles is Cosmo's editor-in-chief. Welcome back to Studio 57.
JOANNA COLES [COSMOPOLITAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF]: Thank you.
O'DONNELL: So a lot of people who read Cosmo like it in part because you've got stories like, "Ten craziest sex moves I've ever used or should use." So why now-
COLES: And you really should use them. I want you all to try them when you go home tonight.
KING: No, no, no. Norah, Norah-
O'DONNELL: I mean, so you're telling us about sex moves to use, but-
CHARLIE ROSE: What issue was this?
KING: No, no, but listen. This is one of the best cover lines: "24 big bang moves that you've never thought of." I got up to 11.
COLES: And then you were exhausted.
KING: Where were you, Norah?
O'DONNELL: So anyway, from sex now to endorsing candidates. Why?COLES: Well, I think that it's interesting because everybody says, "Oh, Cosmo's doing politics. You suddenly got into politics." Cosmo has always been, from the great days of Helen Gurley Brown, interested in issues that impact women's lifestyles. And there are two in particular that we feel really strongly about, that our readers feel really strongly about, and they are millennials, and they're equal pay for equal work, which you would think in 2014 would be an issue that would already be done, but it's not, and also access to great health care and to contraception. Because if you are a magazine like Cosmo and we want people to have a great sexy fun lives you need to think about contraception because neither women nor men want to have baby every time they have sex.
KING: But it – yeah, that is true.
COLES: I'm sorry to say but it is true.
KING: No, that is true.
COLES: And so we're looking at the political landscape, this is an important election. And I think millennial women – you know, if you look at college intake, 62% of college intake is now young women. None of them are coming out of college and saying, "Oh, I'd love to earn 23% less than the guy who studied next to me." None of them are going into the office and saying, "Please pay me 23% less." And they want-
KING: But the difference, though, Joanna, though, is that you're getting into the endorsement business and that is new for people. So I'm curious, what does it take to get a Cosmo endorsement? And what are you looking for? What do you want?
COLES: Well, obviously all candidates have to take our sex positions and then they need to report back on them and tell us if they work for them. Well, I mean there are interesting races-
ROSE: That'll have a political impact, too.
O'DONNELL: It might get people working together.
COLES: I was going to say. I think we might get some cross-pollination across the House, which would be fun. But there are several key races. I mean, the one in North Carolina is interesting, with Thom Tillis and Kay Hagan. I think you hosted the debate.
KING: Norah moderated the debate.
COLES: Right. And so you look at a character like Thom Tillis who actually killed equal pay, the equal pay bill in his state. And he supports personhood, which actually means that they want to take the IUD out of circulation for women. Now, the – well, out of circulation for couples actually, because men get benefits from the IUD, too. So those are candidates that we want you to know will have an impact on your life if they win.
O'DONNELL: And this is so interesting because in the debate one of the things that was so interesting to me, that Thom Tillis, the Republican, said, is that women should have more access to contraception, including over-the-counter contraceptives. And I was taken aback when he said that because I've not seen him state that position. But it clearly was in a bid to close what is a very wide gender gap in that state. And there are other Republican candidates who've said there should be more broad access to contraceptives.
COLES: Yes. And I think, you know, the contraception that you can buy over the counter without your doctor being involved is less reliable. Of course, you can use condoms, but it's not as reliable as something like the IUD, which is also much easier to use. And that impacts-
O'DONNELL: Or the birth control pill.
COLES: Of course, or the pill. And then you have the governor's race in Wisconsin, where the governor there, the male governor there, is-
ROSE: Scott Walker.
COLES: Thank you. Scott Walker.
ROSE: You were looking.
COLES: Yeah, no, I was just making sure that I didn't exchange him with someone else. But you know, introducing mandatory sonograms for women wanting abortions. These are really life-impacting choices for women and we want them to know about it.
O'DONNELL: So, Joanna, though, the obvious question comes, though, are you going to only be endorsing Democratic candidates?
COLES: No. And interestingly, I don't think this is as much about Democrats and Republicans as it is generational, actually. That young women and young men are all looking across the spectrum at these candidates and thinking, "Who are the people who understand science?"
I mean, you remember from the last election, the crazy comments from Todd Aiken about women who, you know, got raped couldn't possibly get pregnant. They want candidates who understand science and who want women to earn the same as men for same the work.
We're even having a conference-
KING: You've had the last word on that, Joanna. We gotta go.
COLES: I was going to say, we're even having a conference to discuss it in November at the Lincoln Center.
KING: Thank you, Joanna Coles.
COLES: Okay, thank you for having me.
— Kyle Drennen is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.
