'Fact Check' and gender

There's a new McCain ad out(video clip as well as a break-down/analysis: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/10/1374041.aspx)

While this may or may not fit into the two established frames that Lakoff is concerned about, it certainly draws upon some interesting notions and expectations of gender and how 'a man should treat a lady', which is a very powerful frame itself. As the MSNBC article points out, such tactics of sending in research teams are common, particularly when a candidate is not very well known. The McCain campaign has made Obama's experience and record a central feature of their campaign against them. So it would seem that scrutinizing someone's background/experience should be fair game. What takes that practice from 'business as usual' to a new political attack seems to be an underlying frame about the 'proper' way to treat women. "Attack a man, by all means...but to attack a woman?" The ad seems to say "it's not nice to hit a girl, and Obama is hitting a girl."

It just seems very interesting about how the radical potential for gender inclusion in politics (having a woman nominated for such a high office is historical in its own right) still falls within a more dominant frame about gender roles and expectations of behavior.

It also raises questions as to what extent Palin's gender will be instrumentalized in this election. Is it a move to pander to Hilary loyalists? Is it a creative way of disarming Obama/Biden from being able to make effective attacks about what is ordinarily fair game for political scrutiny? How can or should Democrats approach the problems that this frame presents for their ability to engage/attack the McCain/Palin campaign?

Just some thoughts. Also another Slate article touching on some of the issues in a different light: http://www.slate.com/id/2199363/