Obama: Lipstick on a Pig

[Brainster]

Speaking in Virginia Obama got the audience applauding with a line that would surely be denounced as a dogwhistle sexist smear had it come from a Republican running against a woman:

LEBANON, Va. -- "That's not change," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said of what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is offering.

"You know, you can put lipstick on a pig," Obama said, "but it's still a pig."

The crowd rose and applauded, some of them no doubt thinking he may have been alluding to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's ad lib during her vice presidential nomination acceptance speech last week, "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."

"Lipstick on a pig?" Now you know how it is; lipstick on a pig is a common expression in politics. But coming at this moment in the campaign it's either intentional or a really foolish boner.

Headline on Drudge at the moment:



Needless to say, the McCain camp shot back angrily:

McCain's campaign immediately organized a telephone conference call in response and called on Obama to apologize for calling Palin a pig. Obama's campaign said he wasn't referring to Palin; he had been talking about McCain immediately before the lipstick comment.

My take? It's such a foolish mistake that it's hard to see it as intentional. Obama is definitely going to take some flak on this, although most of the conservative blogs are so far taking a "hmm" attitude. Let's remember Obama's sweetie remark to a female reporter didn't exactly go over well a few months ago.

You could argue that he got off a backhanded shot at Palin here:

"Look, she's new, she hasn't been on the scene, she's got five kids. And my hat goes off to anybody whose looking after five. I've got two and they tire Michelle and me out," he said.

Subtly reinforcing the meme that she can't raise a family and be VP?

 

[Allen773]

There is far more evidence of McCain being sexist than there is of Obama.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

This non-issue that Brainster doesn't really believe but wants you all to know about anyway brought to you by The Politics Forum Trolls.

 

[rjwould]

You could argue that he got off a backhanded shot at Palin here:

Subtly reinforcing the meme that she can't raise a family and be VP?

She can't, nobody can!! The point is?

 

[Brainster]

This non-issue that Brainster doesn't really believe but wants you all to know about anyway brought to you by The Politics Forum Trolls.

It's the top headline on Drudge. How hard is it to see that's news?

 

[chipmunk stew]

Isn't "pig" usually reserved for men, as in "sexist pig"?

I fail to see how someone could see sexism in the remark. It was a witty riposte, if you ask me.

 

[Allen773]

It's the top headline on Drudge. How hard is it to see that's news?

Ah yes, Drudge. That esteemed bastion of unbiased Internet news.

 

[332nd]

It's the top headline on Drudge. How hard is it to see that's news?

How hard is it to see Drudge put a pic of Palin there to cause knee jerk reaction?

 

[TragicMonkey]

The news article I read pointed out that McCain used the exact same phrase in reference to Hillary Clinton.

 

[rjwould]

It's the top headline on Drudge. How hard is it to see that's news?

Thats like the hot song on hits of the week? Seriously, turn off Fox, in fact turn off the TV and listen to the voice in your head rather than the conservative voice of FOX, the hysterical voice of MSNBC, or the monotone voice of everyone wanting to sound like the voice of Wolf Blitzer of CNN.

 

[Allen773]

http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200809090023

 

[Tony]

I think we've seen a new level of paranoia from the McCain camp here.

 

[RandFan]

It's a non issue. However, if McCain uses the word niggerdly or the phrase "call a spade a spade" his campaign will be over.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

It's the top headline on Drudge. How hard is it to see that's news?

And the Cookie Caper got coverage on CNN, doesn't mean you need to dirty the forum with it.

I would like to think a skeptical forum would have better standards for what it discusses on politics than the general media.

 

[Loss Leader]

I think it was intentional and I think it was smart. Now, McCain's camp spends a day chasing after Obama to appologize instead of actually working on their own message. Obama has been forcing McCain to play his game and not letting McCain play his own.

And, as a plus, the remark is perfectly crafted to be meaningless to anyone not predisposed to take offense.


ETA: Okay, I don't think it was intentional. I hope it was intentional because then life would be more like the West Wing ... the good West Wing before Rob Lowe left, not the whole space-shuttle-conspiracy-Alan-Alda West Wing.

 

[rjwould]

It's a non issue. However, if McCain uses the word niggerdly or the phrase "call a spade a spade" his campaign will be over.

Oh conservatives have to work so hard at appearing to be victims.

 

[Damien Evans]

It's clear from the context Obama was referring to McCain. Next!

 

[Alferd_Packer]

you can put lipstick on a pit bull, but in the end, it is an over bred, potentially dangerous animal.

 

[332nd]

It's a non issue. However, if McCain uses the word niggerdly or the phrase "call a spade a spade" his campaign will be over.

Spade a spade yes, and that would be sadly unfair, but how often has niggardly been used in the past 30 years?

 

[rjwould]

I think it was intentional and I think it was smart. Now, McCain's camp spends a day chasing after Obama to appologize instead of actually working on their own message. Obama has been forcing McCain to play his game and not letting McCain play his own.

And, as a plus, the remark is perfectly crafted to be meaningless to anyone not predisposed to take offense.

Good point!