‘The View’: Meghan McCain Ripped for Alluding to Her ‘Qualifications’ for Hosting

Meghan McCain is getting eviscerated on social media once again for her latest comments about “identity politics” on The View. The 36-year-old argued that the end result of pushing for inclusivity and representation could be that factors like race and gender would influence job placement more than qualifications. Given McCain’s nationally recognizable last name, many critics said that they did not want to hear about “qualifications” from her.

McCain speculated wildly that the mainstream adoption of identity politics is leading society towards a climate where colleges and employers will be more likely to choose candidates based on their race, gender and orientation than on their qualifications. McCain provided no evidence for this fear, but she did leave herself wide open to jokes on Twitter when she asked a rhetorical question. She said: “We’ve only had one Asian American host co-host host this show. Does that mean one of us should be leaving because there’s not enough representation? We’re talking about — is identity politics more important than the qualifications for the job?”

Of course, many commenters replied that, yes, they would like McCain to leave the show. Additionally, many noted that McCain’s complaint implies that she is fully qualified for this job and that that was the only factor in her hiring. They argued that her whole career has benefited immensely from the legacy of her father, Sen. John McCain, and the connections he had.

McCain is often mocked on social media for her hot takes on The View, by people on both ends of the political spectrum. This time was no exception. Scroll down for a look at the top responses to McCain’s anti-identity politics monologue.

Nepotism

Many people were quick to point out the non-qualification-based reasons McCain has a high-profile career in media today, and the privilege she benefitted from. McCain studied art history in college but intended to go into journalism from a young age. She found her way into the industry thanks to the media attention on her blog during her father’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Misaprehension

Along the same lines, many critics guessed that McCain did not realize the hypocrisy in her own statement. They wondered if she was embarrassed now as she watched the responses roll in on social media.

Qualifications

Some wondered what “qualifications” McCain was even referring to in the context of her own job. This led to a slew of jokes about The View itself.

Leaning On

While McCain stuck to “qualifications” in this clip, many pointed out that she does not hesitate to reference her father whenever possible in other discussions. They thought this was a willful ignorance of the facts.

MLK

Leaving other aspects of this diatribe aside, many thought that McCain was playing it fast and loose with references to Martin Luther King, Jr. here. They advised white commentators, in general, to be more considerate when generalizing about that man’s message.

Myth

The debate pitting “qualifications” against “identity politics” is an old one, many critics pointed out, going back to older phrases like “Affirmative Action.” Whatever it’s called, they believed McCain was missing the point entirely.

Hair

Finally, many critics were unable to take anything McCain said in this clip seriously because they were distracted by her distinct hairstyle. Some speculated that her hair stylist may ahve been messing with her.