Judged by a panel that includes luminaries such as the LA Times‘ Andrew Malcolm and Jonah Goldberg from the National Review, the list delivers on its meager promise. So who’s on the list, and what’s wrong with it?
Here’s Right Wing News’ 20 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media: (linkbait accomplished!)
20) Elizabeth Blackney from Media Lizzy & Friends20) Skye from Midnight Blue Says19) Michelle Malkin17) Courtney Messerschmidt from GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD17) Kerrie from The Liberal Heretics15) Michelle Oddis from Human Events15) Shelly Roche from ByteStyle.Tv13) Lori Ziganto from Snark and Boobs13) Ann Coulter12) S.E. Cupp from Red S.E. Cupp11) Liz Stephans from The B-Cast10) Sharon from The
Liberal Heretics7) Tabitha Hale7) Freeman Hunt7) Laura Ingraham6) Columnist Orit Sklar5) Hannah Giles4) Mary Katharine Ham from the The Weekly Standard3) Ashley Herzog from Herzogian2) Lila Rose1) Dana Loesch from The Dana Show
Today marks exactly one year since my firing by Politics Daily’s Melinda Henneberger over Playboy’s list of “Top 10 Women I’d Like to Hate F***,” (I wrote an article denouncing it, and Henneberger deleted the story, then deleted me) which is what made me realize that ranking conservative hotties must be a seasonal thing. This year finds a much milder fleshfest, judged by a panel of doughy bloggers for the website Right Wing News. I’m going to have a problem with any list that includes Elizabeth “Media Lizzy” Blackney at any rank other than #1. I have several with this one.
Now, I’m not one of those people who think it’s never acceptable to notice that a beautiful woman is beautiful, and I understand the lure of easy linkbaiting (hence the headline). But there are ways, and there are ways.
In the modern media landscape, sex appeal is certainly a relevant factor to consider. What Right Wing News’ 20 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media misses out on is that it’s not the only factor.
Their list consists of just that, a list and a photograph. No biographical
I would note that it would be useful to break the contest down into age brackets, as it’s a bit silly to have 20-somethings pitted against 50-somethings.
Maybe they ought to bring in a livestock scale, too, and break it down into weight classes.
My perspective on this list is influenced by the fact that I know a lot of the women on it. Aside from the fact that if I went up to Mary Katherine Ham and said “You’re hot!” she’d probably punch me in the arm, it’s just not an adequate measure of her worth as a human being. Sure, she has a beautiful smile that lights up a room, but she also pounds the pavement with an old-timey reporter’s notebook, noticing things that escape me.
And what about Michelle Malkin? You mean to tell me that a panel of 8 right-wing bloggers couldn’t crank out a paragraph about Michelle Malkin?
Which brings me to Lizzy. Like everyone on this list, I couldn’t disagree more with her politics, nor she with mine. However, she’
When I got into trouble for denouncing that Playboy article, Lizzy risked, and ultimately lost, a very beneficial relationship with AOL in order to do the right thing, not just out of loyalty to me, but to her own closely-held values. While we don’t get to gab nearly often enough on her radio show, she’s always in my heart.
I don’t expect a link-baiting top 20 list to be able to take the full measure of Lizzy, or Tabitha Hale, who does huge work for Freedomworks, or Lori Ziganto, whose tweets will make you laugh out loud. But this list doesn’t even try.
According to Lizzy, who was thrilled to be on the list, the women get their turn next. Dr. Melissa Clouthier is putting together a list of Hottest Men in New Media, and Lizzy is one of the judges. I’ll be interested to see if they manage to get any further below skin-depth.