She had me at ‘Groinward’

The D.C. media is manning up this week, or else finding its cojones.

WaPo, Politico, Politics Daily and Slate all have offerings on the topic of “manning up” being employed on the campaign trail as the go-to phrase for female candidates.

We’ve culled the best parts of these stories so you don’t have to.

Ruth Marcus, WaPo: Ladies! If we’re so tough, so confident in our toughness and so comfortable with it, what do testicles have to do with it? The breakthrough appeal of the Mama Grizzly is that she combines the ultimate feminine act — motherhood — with fierceness. Have we really come a long way if cojones equals good and lack thereof equals wimpy? Full story here.

Patrick Gavin, Politico: “I find it all kind of ridiculous,” Heimbuch told POLITICO. “The ‘man up’ charge is such a double-edged sword. You tell someone to ‘man up’ and it’s either a challenge to their bravery—like a bunch of frat brothers challenging each other to do shots—or, hey, it’s time to grow up.” Craig Heimbuch is Editor-in-Chief of Manofthehouse.com. Full story here.

Melinda Henneberger, Editor-in-Chief, Politics Daily: How can we tell our kids that both words and actions have consequences and then elect leaders who run around pointing groinward and laughing? Full story here.

John Dickerson, Slate: Anyone who has listened to any debates this year knows that political discussion has become ever more like the airport sandwich: shrink-wrapped, soggy, and without flavor. (The exception is the New York governor’s race, which resembles the airport bar) The journey of “man up” from clever rejoinder to cliché is an illustration of why our political communication is so shabby.

…When a politician uses the expression now, it is rehearsed as dinner theater. It is dreary to watch, boring to listen to, and tells us nothing about the politician or the issue he or she is talking about. Full story here.

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