Seeking to breathe new life into the political damage of unproven sexual harassment charges against him, CNN's Lisa Sylvester presented viewers with a "developing story" in the 4 p.m. hour Wednesday of The Situation Room entitled "Is Cain the Anti-Women Candidate?"
Sylvester glommed onto "recent controversial comments" Cain has made, such as referring to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as "Princess Nancy," and saying that "tutti-frutti" is the ice cream flavor that would best describe Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).
"Some critics see him as the anti-women candidate," Sylvester insisted of Cain, turning to "CNN contributor Donna Brazile" who "says he has a credibility problem with women." Sylvester failed to note that Brazile is a liberal Democratic strategist who contributed to President Obama's campaign this September. [1]
"Cain walked back from the Princess Nancy comment," Sylvester noted, but added that "on the tutti-frutti controversy" that a Cain spokesman said that "America needs to get a sense of humor."
"But the issue runs deeper," Sylvester insisted, pointing to polling data that shows the sexual harassment allegations have hurt Cain before turning to American University's Jennifer Lawless who groused that Cain was using "statements that are overtly sexist" on the campaign trail.
Lawless ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic party nomination [2] for a House seat in Rhode Island in 2006. She was endorsed by the abortion-on-demand advocacy PAC, NOWPAC [3].
Both facts were unnoted by Sylvester, leaving viewers with the impression that Lawless is an otherwise disinterested academic observer.
Sylvester did air a clip of Gloria Cain defending her husband, but immediately followed that by reading a quote from Iowa Federation of Republican Women president Maureen Olsen that Cain "needs to be a little more careful before speaking."