Lady Things: What The Media’s Reaction To Marianne Gingrich’s Interview Tells Us About Women

Marianne Gingrich‘s upcoming interview with ABC News is interesting not so much for what she has to say about Newt Gingrich, but for the reaction her decision has inspired, particularly given that it comes at what is widely regarded as a crucial moment in the Republican primary race. South Carolina is where the strong survive, the weak perish, and ex-spouses come forward with sensational tales of marriages that are pried open, slammed shut, or left dangling precariously off the edge of a cliff.

For those who’ve yet to see it, here’s the the Nightline preview:

To say reaction to Marianne’s interview has been mixed is apt, as commenters have expressed wrestling with conflicting ideas about the interview rather than leaning entirely one way or the other.

Take, for instance, radio host Rush Limbaugh‘s response. “Everybody,” he told his listeners, “has an angry ex-spouse.” At this point, he argued, it’s a part of our national culture, and he is not about to jump forward with an opinion one way or the other on Marianne’s claims at this point in the game, nor is he about to irrevocably condemn Newt.

RELATED: Limbaugh Sticks Up For Newt Gingrich: ‘Everybody Has An Angry Ex-Spouse’

Have a listen:

Compare that with the reaction of today’s Fox News “power panel.” Below:

I don’t think it’s beside the point to note that the three panelists weighing in on a story about marriage and infidelity are women: Former White House press secretary and current The Five co-host Dana Perino, radio host Monica Crowley, and Jehmu Greene, former president of the Women’s Media Center.

Perino sees Marriane’s revelation as a testimony on her ex-husband’s character. In this light, her story is “fair game” given Newt’s previous attacks on rival candidate Mitt Romney. Plus, Perino adds, there are still many voters who were not aware of Newt’s infidelity. “Voters in South Carolina,” she said, “women in particular, probably won’t take to this too well. Crowley, meanwhile, notes that, although much of the information Marianne shares was revealed previously in men’s magazine Esquire (an “elitist” publication, says Greene), being able to hear Marianne tell her story in her own words and being able to see her expression packs more of an “emotional wallop.” And Greene felt that, in such cases, a media outlet should allow time for a candidate to respond to the allegations or claims being brought against him (or her). Then again, she noted, “Gingrich is the guy who said ‘bring it on.'”

The snippet ABC chose to release, then, deals with not only with Newt’s infidelity during his marriage to Marianne — which, as noted, is something that has been made public before — but specifically with the perceived callousness and coldness with which he handled his adultery. This isn’t a philanderer, as Marianne paints him, but an unabashed philanderer, a philanderer with no sense of shame or remorse.

It’s tempting to see her as the “angry ex-spouse,” or as the bitter woman scorned, and there may be some morsels of truth within these broad generalizations. She might feel bitterness, yes, she might feel scorned. But she isn’t a cartoon or a poorly-written character in TV movie (yet!). She is matter-of-fact. She’s had years and years to replay the end of her marriage, to move on or to choose not to, to make amends or live with the unforgivable. The “emotional wallop,” then, doesn’t come from Marianne herself, but exists within the viewer.

That the panel consisted entirely of women and that women voters are specifically mentioned — and that it has not been Newt, but his two adult daughters, who have responded to the interview — is all very telling, because it effectively frames the interview as being primarily of interest and relevance to women, as if men can’t have a visceral, emotional reaction to infidelity or divorce, or as if “character issues” as when applied to personal relationships don’t matter as much. The question is not then, why should we care about Marianne’s interview, but whom she — and ABC, and all of us covering the story — expect to care about it.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.