On Friday, TMZ caught up with CNN's Don Lemon at Los Angeles International Airport. The tabloid decided to ask Lemon about the scandal going on in Virginia with Gov. Ralph Northam's yearbook photo where he wore black face.
The reporter asked Lemon if he thought women would be better political leaders because of their backgrounds being "less sketchy." The CNN anchor laughed and agreed.
“Women are the smartest of the sexes and they always have been," Lemon said. “We would be a whole lot better off if women were running things — more things in this country — and I mean that."
Yes, men can be boneheaded. They can do stupid things. But guess what? So can women. There are no hard and fast rules about one sex being smarter or less idiotic than another.
The real issue though is saying men do dumb things. When we attribute their actions to their sex, it takes away their personal responsibility. It's like saying "boys will be boys" when they sexually harass a woman. It's not okay but saying it is because they're males fails to hold them accountable.
Part of the problem is Americans' obsession with wanting "firsts."
Everyone was focused on getting Barack Obama elected because they wanted the first African American president.
Liberals were excited Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was elected because she was the first openly bi-sexual member of Congress.
Progressives cheered when Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar were elected because they were the first Muslims in Congress.
Now the focus is on having the first woman as president.
We're so focused on having "firsts" that we're not electing people based on their merits and their policy ideas. We're worried too much about identity politics that we're setting ourselves up for failure. And it's putting America's future in jeopardy.