'Supreme' Sexism?

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," October 7, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: First, Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski came to the defense of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers yesterday, saying she's the victim of sexism and a double standard coming from the far right. Are these charges valid, or is Senator Mikulski just trying to vilify the right?

Joining us now, former vice presidential nominee, FOX News political analyst Geraldine Ferraro.

Good to see you back on our show, Gerry. Thanks for being here.

GERALDINE FERRARO, FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Thank you.

COLMES: First of all, Mayor Bloomberg, do you believe did the right thing?

FERRARO: Yes. You know, he said he'd rather err on the side of caution. And I agree with him. I have kids and grandkids who travel the subways, and I'm perfectly happy.

COLMES: Is this suspicious that there are terror alerts when the president's approval ratings are...

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: When the president's approval ratings — I don't think it has anything to do with the president. I really don't. And in fact, the people in Washington were kind of pooh-poohing this. They say it wasn't credible.

I think the mayor was right. I have absolute confidence in Ray Kelly as our police commissioner...

(CROSSTALK)

COLMES: And I do, too, actually. And I rode the subways today.

Barbara Mikulski. You know, when Democrats opposed Hispanic nominees, or female nominees, or Janice Rogers Brown, Democrats were called anti- black, anti-female. I don't buy it.

You can oppose — so whenever I'm against a white male, I'm against white men?

FERRARO: I think what she was talking about was that the way she's being treated is very much, you know, coming at her. I mean, what's this stuff? She's unqualified simply because she wasn't a Supreme Court judge - - if it wasn't a judge before?

COLMES: Right.

FERRARO: There is no qualification to be a judge. You don't have to...

(CROSSTALK)

COLMES: She has no paper trail. No one knows what she's done. No one knows what she said.

FERRARO: She doesn't have a paper trail, so they don't know the issues, which is getting people a little bit uptight.

COLMES: Isn't this cronyism?

FERRARO: Yes, maybe it is, but she has a record as a very good lawyer. She was a partner in a law firm. She's had to struggle to get where she's been. And I think she's been terrific.

COLMES: She might be a wonderful jurist. We just don't know...

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: What she's objecting to is the fact that they're saying, because she's not a lawyer — because she's not a judge, that's she's not a competent lawyer. And because she didn't go to an Ivy League school, she's not competent.

I watched Ann Coulter saying this. And now, let me just tell you. Everybody was in favor of Priscilla Owens. If Priscilla Owens were the nominee that President Bush had been for, I bet you no one would say that she wasn't qualified because she didn't go to an Ivy League school, because she went to Baylor, which is not an Ivy League...

(CROSSTALK)

COLMES: Right. And when she was a judge, she had a paper trail. We know where she stands on things. She has a history.

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: You know why she's unqualified? Because she isn't an ideologue, and they can't say she has definitely said that she would support overturning Roe vs. Wade.

COLMES: I don't know why they object. They know that she is anti- choice. You know, she's been very upfront about that, given to anti-choice causes.

(CROSSTALK)

COLMES: Why would they question her conservative credentials? And I believe the president does know how she stands on these issues.

FERRARO: You know what? Because she's evidently not an ideologue, and they're absolutely terrified that she might actually, actually interpret the Constitution.

COLMES: So how do we determine whether or not at this point, whether...

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: We don't. I mean, we can question...

COLMES: Liberals are basically sitting back and watching conservatives go at it with each other, right? Is that the best tactic?

FERRARO: Well, I think what happens is, it's very — to me, it's very interesting. Because right before her nomination was announced, I was on with someone. And the person kept on saying, "Well, now the next nominee, now that Justice Roberts has been approved, and he's going to send the court — we have to make sure that the next nominee is treated the exact same way, with civility. We expect the Democrats to do it."

Now it's not the Democrats who are acting uncivil.

COLMES: Right.

FERRARO: It's the Republicans. They have to remember that this is the president of the United States — tell me if I sound like someone else — elected, and it's his choice.

RICH LOWRY, GUEST CO-HOST: You know, there are a lot of strange bedfellow things going on in this nomination.

(LAUGHTER)

FERRARO: Yes, I mean, I've been quoting Republicans. It's amazing.

LOWRY: Let me ask you. Look, she's obviously a very good lawyer...

FERRARO: Absolutely.

LOWRY: But there are lots of very good lawyers in the United States.

FERRARO: Sure.

LOWRY: And what is sexist about conservatives saying, as almost all of them have said, because I've followed it very closely, that there are many more women who are better qualified than Harriet Miers?

(CROSSTALK)

LOWRY: Is there anything sexist about that?

FERRARO: Did we ever heard any of this stuff when Clarence Thomas came before the court?

LOWRY: Well, he was someone who had an identifiable judicial philosophy. Before Anita Hill came up, that debate was all about philosophy.

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: ... the person who said he never discussed Roe vs. Wade, a person with absolutely no intellectual curiosity...

LOWRY: Wait a minute. No, no, Geraldine, that's not fair. That's not fair to say.

FERRARO: Oh, yes, it is fair. It is fair.

LOWRY: No, it's not. Let me remind you...

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: He appeared before my committee when I was a subcommittee, when he was chair of the EEOC. I had known him then. I had an opportunity to question him then. And I've seen him now and watched his decisions every since. He does nothing but rubber stamp Scalia, who thank God is an intellectual.

(CROSSTALK)

LOWRY: Before Anita Hill came on the scene, the debate about Thomas was all about natural law, which he believes in, which is a philosophy and something that he was prominently identified with.

Now, let me press you on the sexist thing a little bit more.

FERRARO: Go ahead.

LOWRY: Prominent conservatives who have been saying these sort of things about Harriet Miers, Laura Ingraham, Kate O'Beirne, Katherine Lopez, Peggy Noonan, Michelle Malkin, are they all self-loathing women?

FERRARO: I don't know if they're self-loathing women.

LOWRY: I know them, and I can tell you they're not.

FERRARO: I haven't clue if they are, but you don't have to be self- loathing in order to be sexist in your comments about someone...

(CROSSTALK)

LOWRY: You think the very act of saying Harriet Miers is unqualified is sexist?

FERRARO: No, I don't. Barbara Mikulski said she thought it was. I don't think that everybody who says that is being sexist.

I do think that, in some instances, they don't quite understand, you know, her background, as I think I do. This was a woman who worked her way through college. She did not come from money. Her father was ill.

I mean, I have to look at somebody like that. And when she was becoming a lawyer in that law firm, it was tough for women to get jobs, absolutely tough.

LOWRY: Yes, it was a tough environment. Now, one last thing, because we have to go in about 45 minutes, please, Geraldine, please tell me that Democrats aren't going to support her just because conservatives are saying she's unqualified.

FERRARO: Absolutely not. I assume that she's going to get a full hearing, which is what they should do. They are there to advise and consent, or reject...

(CROSSTALK)

COLMES: You thinking that conservatives are not supporting her to get liberals to come forward and support her?

FERRARO: No...

(LAUGHTER)

... that is really cynical.

(CROSSTALK)

FERRARO: I think that's terrific.

COLMES: Hey, Gerry, good to see you. Thanks so much for being here tonight.

FERRARO: Good to see you. Thanks.

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