Women deserve every opportunity to run for any office or hold any position that a man can. It’s also important, of course, for women to be held to the same standards as men. We object when the media singles women out for additional scrutiny, but it’s also frustrating when female public figures cry sexism when they face legitimate questions.
That appears to be what’s happening in Pennsylvania. The state attorney general, Kathleen Kane, who was becoming a Democrat darling, looks to have abused her position, first by shutting down an ongoing investigation of political allies and then of leaking confidential information to a newspaper in an attempt to retaliate against her opponents. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports she is now facing charges of perjury, obstruction, conspiracy, and other offenses. Not good for the state’s chief law enforcement officer.
The news reports imply the evidence of wrongdoing is pretty overwhelming, so Kane is turning to the tactic of crying sexism. As she told the press: "There are a group of guys who really are angry, who really do not want me there," she said this year, "and they are doing everything they can to remove me."
Sorry, but it seems like you’ve done just about everything possible to disqualify yourself for office. Ms. Kane deserves to have her day in court and the citizens of Pennsylvania can assess if they think she really deserves to continue as their AG. Yet let’s not pretend that it’s her sex that’s the issue – just like everyone else, she ought to be judged on her actions and ethics.