It’s not sexist to think Katie Porter has a rotten temperament – it’s just acknowledging reality.
Porter, a Democratic former congresswoman from Irvine, has failed to catch on in the race for governor. It might have seemed for a time that she was building momentum, but all that ended when two damaging videos leaked of her acting like an ass, first to a reporter and then to a member of her staff.
“Get out of my f–– shot,” Porter yelled in one video at the poor staffer who had been trying to get Porter’s attention to save her from using incorrect talking points. In the other video, Porter was being unnecessarily combative with a reporter who was asking normal follow up questions until Porter ended the interview in annoyance.
The videos showed everyone what appears to be the real Katie Porter, which was not new information for anyone who has followed her career. But apparently not liking Katie Porter because she’s not likeable is sexist because men aren’t held to the same standard.
“From my vantage point, the hit on Porter’s temperament is blatantly sexist, especially if you watched the other temperamentally challenged male candidates during this week’s debates,” wrote political cartoonist Jack Ohman in the San Francisco Chronicle. “Staying on message during a long campaign isn’t easy, and the double-standards she keeps facing more than explain a few relatively minor flare-ups.”
There are so many flaws in Ohman’s logic, like the idea that some male candidates talking over each other at a debate is the same as berating staff, or that Porter’s “minor flare-ups” are just the natural consequence of a grueling campaign. In fact, the video of her abusing her staff was from the COVID era.
But wait, there’s more.
Porter had a contentious relationship with her ex-husband, which is not uncommon. But what is uncommon is Porter allegedly dumping hot potatoes on his head. Porter was also abusive towards the mayor of Irvine after a police officer arrested Porter’s boyfriend for allegedly assaulting some guy. Porter treated a junior staffer with hostility and then sidelined her for allegedly giving her COVID, even though Porter might have caught it while attending a Democratic Party meeting. And Porter had one of the highest staff turnover rates in the House.
Sure, there are two sides to every story – and one side is consistently saying the same thing.
It’s not like Porter does much to fight the stereotype. She’s best known for giving insufferable lectures in Congress using a white board as a prop and for bullying congressional witnesses who weren’t in positions to fight back. We’re supposed to pretend this isn’t who she is?
Apparently so.
“There’s this perception that women should not exhibit anger, but it’s perceived as strong when men do it,” Sacramento State University professor Kimberly Nalder told Calmatters.
Porter is running to oversee somewhere around a quarter million state workers. Whether or not she’s a terrible boss with a horrible temper is a relevant campaign issue. She seems unlikable, has video and text evidence of her being unlikeable, and many who know her seem to agree.
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Former Congressman Harley Rouda, another Orange County Democrat, actually wrote an entire op-ed about Porter’s temperament, saying that she fabricated stories about him and called her a “bully with a white board who is in this for power and her ego.”
But the question is would anyone be saying this if she were a man? Sure. Just this week, video leaked of former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra lecturing a young, female reporter on how to do her job and he is taking a hit for it. However, there’s a big difference: Incidents like this haven’t followed Becerra throughout his career, but they have with Porter.
Also, President Donald Trump has faced the same standard – people have rightly been calling him a bully for years now. And the juvenile debate performances of some of Porter’s male gubernatorial opponents do not seem to be doing them any favors.
Porter’s temperament should not be the only thing voters should consider about her – her lousy policy ideas should be considered as well – but it’s definitely a legitimate area of concern.
Matt Fleming is a columnist for the Southern California News Group.