Politics and Women on Fox News Strategy Room

The 3 PM EST of Fox News Strategy Room is often referred to as the ADHD hour because its Host, Eric Bolling, takes that program exactly where he wants it to go. There is no particular agenda, just the biggest headlines driving the day's news. This week when I was on the she we spent some time discussing Sarah Palin's decision to not run for reelection and, far more surprisingly, to resign as governor.

I have been arguing that the mainstream media will do everything in its power to prevent a conservative female or minority from being elected to national office. The left has believed that minorities and women would have no political power without the liberal agendas of the past. Essentially, they want to keep these groups on an ideological plantation, with women and minorities marching in lockstep. I assume the progressives don't realize that the idea behind giving these groups their freedoms, was to empower them to be able to disagree with their agenda. That is what freedom is all about.

Immediately, others in the panel disagreed. They pointed to people like Bay Buchanan, who has enjoyed a successful career as a political consultant. She has never faced the scrutiny of the election process, to me it was a weak argument. They then countered with Elizabeth Dole.

There is no doubt about it, Dole has had an impressive career. Former Secretary of Labor, former Secretary of Transportation, and an US Senator, Dole has certainly had a career filled with accomplishments. My colleagues were missing my point. You can point to many successful conservative females in politics, but we only have one that was on a national ticket and that was Sarah Palin. Now Dole has run for national office, but had little to show for it.

In 2000, Dole pursued the Republican nomination for President. She actually made her announcement in 1999 and pulled out before Halloween of that year. Her candidacy didn't even have the opportunity to face a single primary because of a lack of funding. Dole placed third, behind then Governor George Bush of Texas and magazine publisher Steve Forbes, in a large field in the Iowa Straw Poll. Polls in Iowa showed her fairing even better, second only to George Bush, but without money, why bother. The media didn't have to butcher Dole because she was never a serious threat. They could even treat her a little like a media darling, because of the fact there was a female Republican pursuing the ticket. That was an interesting novelty as long as she wasn't a serious threat.

The only way to test my thesis is to apply it only to female candidates who have actually had the nomination for national office. Enter Sarah Palin. Palin was literally butchered by the mainstream media by every measure. The thought of Palin as Vice President provided nightmares to the left and to the media that largely supports a liberal agenda. Attention women and minorities, if you are serious about national office, you better be prepared to worship at the alter that "got you there." Other wise, we better be prepared to change the way the media looks at women and minorities.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.