WSJ's Chozick misrepresented Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment
SUMMARY: In a blog post, Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Chozick baselessly asserted that Sen. Barack Obama's statement that "[y]ou can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig" "played on [Gov. Sarah] Palin's joke during the Republican National Convention that the only difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom was lipstick." Chozick provided no evidence for this assertion, and, in fact, Obama did not mention Palin in at least the 65 words preceding his "lipstick on a pig" comment. Indeed, his preceding comments consisted of what he described as a "list" of Sen. John McCain's policies that Obama said were no different from President Bush's.
In a September 9 post on The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog, reporter Amy Chozick baselessly asserted that Sen. Barack Obama's statement that "[y]ou can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig" "played on [Gov. Sarah] Palin's joke during the Republican National Convention that the only difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom was lipstick." Chozick provided no evidence for this assertion, and, in fact, Obama did not mention Palin in at least the 65 words preceding his "lipstick on a pig" comment. Indeed, his preceding comments consisted of what he described as a "list" of Sen. John McCain's policies that Obama said were no different from President Bush's. Moreover, the expression Obama used is common in political rhetoric. As Chozick herself noted in an "update" to her post, McCain reportedly used the same "common expression" in reference to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's health-care proposal. Obama has also reportedly used it in the past.
Linking to a separate report on Obama's comments, conservative Internet gossip Matt Drudge placed the words "OBAMA: 'LIPSTICK ON A PIG, STILL A PIG' " under a picture of Palin.
A video clip posted on YouTube contains part of Obama's comments leading up to the "lipstick on a pig" expression:
OBAMA: Let's just list this for a second. John McCain says he's about change, too. Except -- and so I guess his whole angle is, "Watch out, George Bush, except for economic policy, health-care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy, and Karl Rove-style politics. We're really gonna shake things up in Washington." That's not change. That's just calling some -- the same thing, something different. But you know, you can -- you know, you can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig.
As Atlantic.com blogger Marc Ambinder noted in a September 9 post headlined "Obama Did Not Call Sarah Palin A Pig," the Chicago Tribune reported on October 12, 2007:
McCain criticized Democratic contenders for offering what he called costly universal health care proposals that require too much government regulation. While he said he had not studied Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's health-care plan, he said it was "eerily reminiscent" of the failed plan she offered as first lady in the early 1990s.
"I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," he said of her proposal.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson reported on September 14, 2007:
"I think that both General [David] Petraeus and Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker are capable people who have been given an impossible assignment," Sen. Barack Obama said yesterday in a telephone interview. "George Bush has given a mission to General Petraeus, and he has done his best to try to figure out how to put lipstick on a pig."
Indeed, former McCain aide Torie Clarke's 2006 book is titled: Lipstick on a Pig: Winning In the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game.
From Chozick's post, titled "Obama Puts Different Twist on Lipstick":
What's the difference between a more hopeful kind of politics and old-fashioned attacks? Lipstick.
Barack Obama says the John McCain-Sarah Palin policies don't represent change, they're "just calling the same thing something different."
"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," Obama said during a town-hall style event here Tuesday night.
The comment played on Republican vice presidential candidate Palin's joke during the Republican National Convention that the only difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom was lipstick.
Obama has been hammering the Republican ticket for adopting his change mantra. "This is a guy who supported George Bush 90% of the time. What does that say about somebody's judgment that they agree with George Bush 90% of the time?" he said.
"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called 'change,' it's still going to stink," Obama said. "After eight years, we've had enough of the same old thing. It's time to bring about real change to Washington and that's the choice you've got in this election."
[...]
UPDATE: The McCain campaign quickly struck back convening a conference call with reporters and former Mass. Gov. Jane Swift to paint the common expression as a sexist jab at Palin. "As far as I know there is only one candidate in this contest who wears lipstick," Swift said.
The reaction set off a frenzied dive into the opposition research vault. Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton sent reporters a Chicago Tribune article published in 2007 during the Democratic primaries that cites McCain criticizing Hillary Clinton's health care plan. "I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," McCain is quoted as saying about Clinton's proposal.
And so it starts.
I love it. Republican's crying sexism. After all the stuff that was said about Senator Clinton, and assumed about Clinton's voters.
And even if it WAS aimed at PALIN, it wouldn't be SEXIST. It would ugly, crude and a nasty thing to say, but unless it suggests that her support is only due to her gender, or that being female disqualifies her from being VP, it wouldn't be SEXIST. It's far more sexist to suggest that because she's female, that she can't be attacked like everyone else. (Hypocritical too - no one in their lot every treated Senator Clinton 'like a lady.')
Surprise, surprise!
I guess rough, tough Warrior POW Grampy has no problem hiding behind his VP's skirts for the rest of the campaign, as long as he gets to be President for a few months.
Crying sexism over the pig comment?
Come on, when is this pathetic show going to end?
The McCain campaign is beyond pathetic with their "She's a lip stick wearing pit bull, but, but, you can't hit her back because she's a girl" or "they're being sexist against her".
This is politics! If the pit bull in lipstick can't take what she dishes out, I recommend seeing a surgeon for a set of neuticles.
All true, but the kicker is that HE CLEARLY WASN'T TALKING ABOUT HER!!!! He lays out IN DETAIL how McCain's policies are exactly like Bush's - and SHE was NEVER MENTIONED? What the pig? REPUBLICAN POLICES? How's the lipstick? That McCain trying to spin the OLD as the NEW.
It's incredible. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PALIN!
We most definitely are voting for the people surrounding the McCain candidate (He is no longer an individual, he is a rightwing entity. He is the Mcain candidate.) He surrounds himself with anger and resentment personified: Rove, Bush, Palin, Graham and Graham, Bob Jones, Satan, Palin, Rove, Cheney, Satan, Nosferatu, Split Foot, Gramm, Romney, Lieberman, Hannity, Satan, the Devil, Palin, Rove, Bush and Cheney.
Of course, because everything is about Palin. Man, you guys just think the world revolves around your celebrity girl. What egoism.
More people listened to his speech than Obamessiah.
I think the revised numbers were about even, but, regardless... how many people were still awake by the end of John McCain's speech? All the Democrats who started watching it were dead drunk from chugging a beer every time it was mentioned that McCain was a former POW. The former POW doesn't exactly excite a crowd...
BTW, did you know that he doesn't like to talk about his POW experience...unless, for some odd reason, he's asked about houses. Strange dude...
Probably because of the hype building up from the Palin speech.
Also, I'm sure there was a spike in viewership once the Redskins lost to Eli Messiah (courtesy thehaternation.com) as well.
People slowing down to see a car wreck doesn't mean they want to be in one.
Absolutely false. I can't even believe you would make such an assertion when the numbers are just "a google" away. Do you think we're as stupid as you are?
Look it up.
African American running for POTUS: I am NOT the Messiah!
Right wing stooge & weatherman on Murdoch morning cable show: I say you are Lord, and I should know. I've followed a few.
African American running for POTUS: I'm not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand? Honestly!
Blonde air-headed right wing news model : Only the true Messiah denies His divinity.
African American running for POTUS: What? Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah!
Moronic viewers of Murdoch morning cable show who believe everything right wingers tell them: He is! He is the Messiah!
African American running for POTUS: Now, fcuk off!
[silence]
Right wing stooge & weatherman on Murdoch morning cable show: How shall we fcuk off, O Lord?
More people listened to his speech than Obamessiah.
And many people go to Adam Sandler movies. That doesn't mean they're any good, and it's no indication that Gramps' speech (or Gramps himself) is any good.
I listened to both conventions ... do you think that means I'm going to vote for both candidates?
Abt 39M listened to the DNC convention, and 39M listened to the RNC convention. 90% were probably the same people.
Why are you referencing moveon.org? That has nothing to do with the topic. Are you a troll or something?
Get the point?
You mean how Grampy should have understood how people would interpret him singing "Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran"?
Of course it was related to her joke at the convention. I do NOT think he was calling her a pig, but he was claerly playing on her joke.
And of course, POV, you are wrong - again.
That line about putting lipstick on a pig was first used on the national scene by the late Ann Richards (former Governor of Texas) to describe government programs that don't deliver as promised. Her exact quote was "You can put lipstick and earrings on a hog and call it Monique, but it's still a pig." (Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ann_Richards)
And Ann Richards was also the woman who said that George H. W. Bush had been born with a silver foot in his mouth. Both jokes have been used many times over the years at various Democratic Partyt functions I've attended - they've become part of our party's history.
And the McCain camp has no right to cry foul here, seeing as Gramps McCain has also used this joke in the past. Here's an excerpt from a news article dated October 11, 2007. It shows Gramps McCain using Ann Richards' old joke to attach Hillary Clinton's health care plan:
McCain criticized Democratic contenders for offering what he called costly universal health care proposals that require too much government regulation. While he said he had not studied Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's health-care plan, he said it was "eerily reminiscent" of the failed plan she offered as first lady in the early 1990s.
"I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," he said of her proposal.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/mccain_rolls_out_health_plan_a.html
Barack Obama was not even TALKING about Sarah Palin for at lease 65 words before he used that joke, so to claim that he directed it at her is wrong, a lie, and ludicrous. Just like virtually every position you've taken on this board, POV.
He wasn't playing on her joke....McCain has used this phrase and I believe Obama has used it in the past as well. He wasn't talking about Palin when he used it, the point everyone is missing about the smear.
On MSNBC Morning Joe, Pat Buchanan said that the lipstick on the pig comment is not about sexism, it’s about “Him looking down on her”.
Though most on the show thought the comment had nothing to do with sexism, the hosts continued to discuss that Obama has been attacking Palin, and he should be going after McCain. Of course, Obama is not attacking Palin….and his comment was about McCain’s campaign saying they were for change from old politics when they were clearly are not for change.The discussion should not have been if he was directing it at rural America, or working America. Obama was attacking McCain’s focus on change, which Obama constantly points out, is just the same.
Obama's lipstick on a pig comment was probably an oblique reference to Liar Barbie's reference to herself as a pit bull with lipstick. So what...? If Barbie is that thin-skinned perhaps she should go back to heading the PTA.
Obama should respond by pointing out that both John McCain and Sarah Palin are well acquainted with pork.
Pointy, why are you wingnuts always seeing anger in others posts? It's just weird.Is it just that projection that rears its head when you feel yourself getting upset?
Anyway, this is ridiculous. Palin has already described herself as a dog with make-up, and I think pigs are smarter than dogs, so it was a compliment.
Col
Pretty simple...you came to this one a little late. When the posts all start by calling her names......a liar.....barbie....all of the attacks....when in this case she did not say anything to start this latest attack/scandel/talking point......that is clearly anger.
Seems like the world forgot about your pick......what was his name........Joe somebody
Well, that's understandable...Joe Biden isn't a celebrity like Barbie is.
Indeed. Where's all the bellyaching about "celebrity" from the Right now?
Oh yeah. IOKIYAR.
Your "girl" is just George W. Bush in a dress.
Which conjured up THIS image of Rufy Giuliani:
Sorry I'm late, somebody has to work all day or you don't get yer food stamps. Irony's post didn't start with name-calling, he just referred to her as "Liar Barbie" while making his point.
It's a harmless nickname based on some facts about Ms. Palin -- her tendency to lie, and her position as a pleasant -looking prop. I realize "Barbie" may not be the most accurate choice, as she's three times the age of what most consider a "Barbie Doll", but that's a play on "Caribou Barbie".
Anyway, for somebody who describes herself as a tarted up hound, she should be tough enough to handle "Barbie". And if she doesn't like the "liar" part, she should have Karl come up with a new speech that has more "true stuff" in it.
Col, I haven't had the impression that Gov. Palin can't take the heat ... there's been neither woof nor oink outa Sarah.
This isn't heat, though, this is just hot air from the kiddies in the McCain camp.
"When the posts all start by calling her names......a liar..."--POV
Technically, calling her a "liar" is not calling her a name. Unfortunately, there is a basis for it. She has been caught in a substantial lie. If you saw a person consume an entire bottle of Vodka in front of your eyes and he was staggering and slurring his speech, calling him a drunk is not a name. It is what he is at the moment.
Now calling her "Barbie" is a name. You are right about that.
Point of view: ."when in this case she did not say anything to start this latest attack/scandel/talking point......that is clearly anger."
But everyone is mising that it was not an attack on HER. Obama and McCain, and WASHINGTON politicians use this phrase all the time. Obama was talking about McCain and his use of CHANGE, nothing about Palin.
When the posts all start by calling her names......a liar.....barbie....all of the attacks....when in this case she did not say anything to start this latest attack/scandel/talking point......that is clearly anger.
Nope. We're just speaking the truth. And the truth is that Caribou barbie is a serial liar who can dish it out but appeas unable to take it.
Obama's lipstick on a pig comment was probably an oblique reference to Liar Barbie's reference to herself as a pit bull with lipstick. So what...? If Barbie is that thin-skinned perhaps she should go back to heading the PTA.
She can't do that - there will always be milk money controversies and the like.....
Here is a good take on it.
>>There was one glaring problem with the argument: McCain himself used the exact same phrase to describe Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care plan just last year. "I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," McCain said in October of 2007, describing Clinton's universal health care plan when she was running in the Democratic primary. He also, in February 2007, used the phrase to describe conflict over a resolution on the Iraq War. "It gets down to whether you support what is being done in this new strategy or you don't," McCain said at the time. "You can put lipstick on a pig, [but] it's still a pig, in my view."
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/09/palin_camp_takes_umbrage_at_li.html
LOL. Spin, Spin, Spin.
Hillary didn't just make a famous speech referring to lipstick.
Watch the tape, everybody in the room knew what he meant.
So much for Obama's promise to run a positive campaign. But that is they way it is every election so no big deal. But it is a bad strategy for Obama. The high road would have been better, but he's worried right now no one is listening to him.
Watch the tape, everybody in the room knew what he meant.
Leatherhead, can I borrow your magic TV that shows what the people in the picture know? Thanks.
I did enjoy the "spin spin lol" part of your post too. Were you playing outside?
"Watch the tape, everybody in the room knew what he meant."--leatherhelmet
Hahahaha! I love how you guys are mind-readers. It's so adorable!
I guess LeatherHelmet inadvertantly answered the question "Who falls for Hannity's bs?"
"As far as I know there is only one candidate in this contest who wears lipstick," Swift said.
This is like the McCain "losing his bearings" comment. Context means nothing I guess. You just have to laugh at how stupid and defensive this kneejerk reaction makes the McCain campaign look.
Perhaps he was calling McCain the pig and Palin the lipstick.
Jake Tapper:"She is the only one of the four candidates for president, or the only vice presidential candidate who wears lipstick," Swift said. "I mean, it seemed to me a very gendered comment."
So let me get this straight. McCain names a radical who can't hold her own against reporters to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and questioning her positions and his judgment is a sign of great desperation. But when Obama uses a common phrase, it's perfectly legitimate to bitch and moan because Palin happens to wear lipstick too. That doesn't come off as desperate at all.
Future conversation, very near future.
Moonbat: I still really enjoy a good cheese sandwich.
Wingnut: Stop trashing Sarah Palin!
Mb: Cinnamon toast is one of those simple guilty pleasures in life.
Wn: Why do you hate Sarah so!!
Mb: So what do you like for breakfast?
Wn: Your so deranged by your hatred of Sarah Palin that no impressionable honest person should ever have to hear what you say! Have you no shame at all sir, go hide away from the sight of all right thinking AMERICANS!!!?..oops!!!!!...!!
There's more...! Read this...
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/a-piggish-debat.html
McCain's campaign is also suggesting Obama called McCain an old fish. This is priceless...! And just think...we have two more months to go... ;>)
"Some of them no doubt were thinking he may have been in some way alluding to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's ad lib during her vice presidential nomination acceptance speech last week" -- Jake "the mindreader" Tapper
Conservative mindreading knows no limits! How do you guys do it?! Where do you go to school to learn telepathic journalism?
The new campaign slogan for the Reepers
SURF AND TURF
McCain's campaign is also suggesting Obama called McCain an old fish. This is priceless...! And just think...we have two more months to go... ;>)
There are manu differences between Gramps Mccain and an old fish. An old fish can be used as bait to catch otehr fish, or added to a compost heap to make fertilizer. Gramps McCain serves no useful purpose, other than serving as a bad example.
Today the reich wingers are claiming that the 'old fish' line was a reference to the odor of Caribou Barbie's vagina.
I'm not making this up. They're actually out and making this claim. They really DO think that the voters are that stupid.
"UPDATE: The McCain campaign quickly struck back convening a conference call with reporters and former Mass. Gov. Jane Swift to paint the common expression as a sexist jab at Palin. "As far as I know there is only one candidate in this contest who wears lipstick," Swift said."
"As far as I know"? I guess all the right-wingers who claimed that Hillary was deliberately planting doubt about Obama's religion will be chastising Swift for planting doubt about whether McCain wears lipstick or not. I can't wait.
Any chance this comment will be played in context? If this comment hurts him, I will lose all faith in this country. McCain can use the expression to describe Hillary's health plan, he's not sexist. Obama talks about the plans/ideas of McCain/Palin and uses the same expression and he's sexist.
McCain makes a horrible joke about Chelsea Clinton, he's hilarious, he laughs at a question "How do we beat the b!tch?" No problem. Obama uses an old expression, the Right (thank you for reaffirming some of my faith in people, POV) goes ballistic. Unreal.
McCain's "wrestle with a pig" comment about Romney is even better evidence of how idiotic all of this is. "Lipstick on a pig" is about policy here, not people. But McCain's comment about Romney was regarding Romney's attacks against McCain, so that was about Romney himself. But Swift said McCain wasn't calling Romney a pig in that instance. How does that work?
Even Mark Halperin said it was a load of crap. The only way to make this look like any sort of controversy is to take it out of context and pretend that it's not an old expression at the same time. Otherwise it couldn't fool anyone at all.
They ARE pigs and they know it.
Let this be about Palin, she is a zealot pig who would overturn Roe v. Wade and author a rapists a bill of rights by outlawing abortion even in the case of rape or incest. I mean, damn, if Palin's attacks indicate a person of low character, then Obama should have no problem attacking Palin's low character. And low she is with her snide, "Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's (Obama) worried that someone won't read them their rights?"
It is damned un-American to divide us like that, as if we justice loving liberals wish death to our own families. That is the lowest of the low and does not deserve to be said without pointing out how filthy such an accusation it is.
And just who does she think she is, trying to tell us about her family values and abstinence only? Low character indeed. Hypocrite.
See, if she gets her way, our only choice will be her choice. I don't know about anybody else, but I have had it with these religious extremists using government to tell us how we ought to live.
Like I said. They really are pigs, ain't no lipstick gonna change that.
To his credit, smarmy churchmeister Mike Huckabee was questioned on this tonight (on Fox, I believe) and he couldn't bring himself to get on the bandwagon. Huckleberry has squandered pretty much all of his "decent guy" reputation he may have had in the past with this campaign, but he had to "cut Obama some slack" on this one.
Scary that it's that noteworthy when one of the prominent Repubs occasionally has a little flicker of conscience and doesn't jump on the taling point smear.
Colonel, Maybe the Huckster is a little pissed about his rapid decline in the Top 20 list of Republicans. Palin is sort of like the Arkansas Football Team being 0-3 then whipping the School of the Ozarks and being ranked #2 in the country the next week. (Huck, 9/11 and My 5 Sons are history). SORRY, I used the wrong team..Arkansas' nickname is the Razorbacks, something to do with a hog or a pig...POV, cut me some slack. And if you do, I'll never say that Sarah brought home the bacon.
Any chance this comment will be played in context?
Unfortunately, no. I didn't see any news last night, so the first thing I heard about this was this morning, compliments of the right-wing morning DJ on WJR (Detroit), Paul W. Smith, who has been a substitute host for Limbaugh. Smith and his stooge, whose name I can never remember, recounted the incident 'fully':
Smith: So, what about Obama's comment, "Lipstick on a pig." What was that all about?
Stooge: Palin.
Smith: Figures. Sheer desperation, that's all I can say. Desperation.
So no, no context, no proof, no acknowledgement that the comment could have been about anything else, and a quick insult dropped in at the end. This is right-wing political discourse, folks, in a relatively mild form.
Ever since the RNC the media has been deceitful with the public about the John McShame/Sarah PiledOn ticket the propaganda media has been doing a yoeman's job of helping the republicans sell it.
Barack Obama better not apologize the Palin for his putting lipstick on a pig statement. Putting lipstick on a pig is a common phrase not unique to Obama and existed long before Palin appeared on the national scene. It's meaning describes what the Republican Party is attempting to do with the McShame/PayLong ticket. It is attempting to dress up, "put lipstick on" the same old republican incompetence, but even lipstick cannot hide the fact that McShame's policies are no different than Bush's. No apology needed. He cannot apologize because it would make him appear to fall for another fake republican controversy.
The first thing my wife said after watching Palin's nomination speech was that she was fake. That was my first impression and remains my impression no matter how well the republicans attempt to market the ticket as authentic when it is so far from authentic it would be laughable if the stakes were not so high.
This isn't some silly game. It is the life of the country at stake here, because McShame/Painin ambitions make them willing tools for the corrupt Washington lobbyists, business interests, and others who see the ticket as the easiest couple of people to manipulate for their silent overthrow of the American people.
McShame/PainIn may not be neo-fascists, but those who will be cracking their whips are and neither of them would let something as trivial as the fascist overthrow of our democratic republic get in the way of their greatness.
Palin is a Holy Roller, and in these dangerous times the last person we need holding the second highest public office in the land is someone who believes that she speaks in tongues. Sensible people cannot possibly believe that it is a good idea to have a superstitious voodoo Christian attempting to cope with foreign policy. She'll abdicate her responsibility to McShame and if he is gone she'll hand over the responsibility to the CFR. Then we will be right back with the same people whose decisions screwed up the past eight years four more years to continue weakening and damaging America.
A friend of mine said that he had to believe that at the very worst our elected officials would not deliberately cause harm to the U.S.
I harbor no such belief.
Isn't it nice to hear from those long time femanists, the GOP, right after Obama hauls out an old chestnut about adorning unattractive things like pigs? The only question is:
WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?
Must be another one of those Pentecostal miracles...
Randy
Certainly the comment will go unchallenged by the mainstream media, but could you imagine the uproar if Palin or McCain made the comment "you can put a tie on a monkey, but it's still a monkey".
I believe the record shows that she is in fact a Pit-Bull with lipstick; a noble attack dog one usually sees chained to a fence and looks nothing like a pig (pigs have a short, curly tail). And she is certainly no ordinary smelly fish wrapped in newspaper but rather a smelly Barracuda wrapped in The Washington Times (maybe with lipstick). Her running mate, McCain – nothing short (pun intended) of a very old Clown Fish (I’m sure he’s smelly but no one cares about him anyway).
So stop with the sexism Mr. Obama – Noble, Pit-Bull with lipstick chained to a fence and a Barracuda that smells after about 3-4 days – 5 tops.
PS - correct me if I'm wrong but I think a Barracuda would eat a Clown-Fish. Thought I saw it in a movie.
Thought I saw it in a movie.
And then the barracuda began speaking in tongues, smote the gays and single-handedly overturned Roe v. Wade. I saw that movie...scary. ;>)
Off topic, but I just heard that the group Pigs For Per Diems (a splinter group of Hogs At The Trough) are supporting the Palin/McCain ticket. They greatly admire the way Governor Barbie has paid herself a per diem for working at home. ;>)
It's depressing to watch our political system devour itself, with the worthless Corporate Media sprinkling salt on it.
It's pretty much worthless now. Why is Bush in office....twice none the less.
If it goes republican this time....I am out of politics for good. What would the use be, its sewed up with Diebold, and with the media.
Obama turned Bill Clinton’s comments that Obama’s record of voting against the Iraq war was a ‘fairy tail’ into a smear that he said a black man becoming president was a fairy tail. Obama can’t then go around talking about lipstick and pigs and not expect it to be seen as calling Gov. Palin a pig.
What goes around comes around.
I can't believe how fast this campaign has gotten dirty!!! Now all the news media outlets can talk about is a "pig comment"!!! Its amazing to me that when McBlame says the SAME comment in regards to Hillary's health care proposal NO ONE accused him of calling her a pig. But of course, NOW when OBAMA says the same comment, he's accused of calling Palin a pig. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!! Is this actually the behavior of rational mature adults or are we back in jr. high school? I just watched FOX/fix news and they're actually implying that YES Obama meant to call her a pig while they convienently ommitted McShame's same comment about Hillary. Now, that doesn't surprise me at all of course since everyone knows how slanted they are to RepubliCONs. But now every other media outlet is hopping on the same bandwagon. Lets be fair people! It seems to me we should have one rule. If Obama was calling Palin a pig, then McCain was calling Hillary Clinton one. If McCain wasn't, then Obama wasn't. End of story. Focus on the friggin' issues and leave this childish crap on the playground!!
Reginald Denny said it best: "Why can't we all just get along?"
I would like a media blackout - no commentators - no pundits - no spinners - no ' no spin zones' - and the rest of the baloney.
Just candidates debating. Period. F- the rest of this.
Palin made (read) the joke, and Obama made his quip, and she should take it like the lipstick wearing hockey mom she purports to be. Hillary should be screaming from the rooftops. USA will be the laughing stock of the world (again) if the Republican Guard (oops, freudian slip...) slime their way into that oval office again. F-ing pathetic. I feel like I'm watching E! Entertainment television.
-Depressed at the fear&smear, divert&pervert, lie&buy, distort&distort some more power brokers that prevent an honest discussion of what the country needs and how we can work together. GWBush let unity slip after 9-11: a chance for America's shared purpose. At this point I am beginning to believe that only a more devastating disaster will pull us together. God (and citizens) help us.
-- The "analysis" is perhaps marginally interesting as cocktail party chatter; as journalism, it is pointless vanity and role-playing -- if reporters want to be campaign managers, they should go do that. But if they want to be journalists, they should start by giving their customers important information -- Jamison Foser
That was Foser on the lousy state of the news media...and it is perfectly applied to the "lipstick on a pig" hoopdedo.
Was Obama playing off the "lipstick on a pitbull" comment?. Could be, but so what. He was clearly not calling Gov.Palin a pig. The only thing newsworthy about the pig comment is the fact that Obama was emphasizing that he doesn't believe in McCain's "change" message.
Hannity is the poster boy for the shabby journalism that Foser identifies. He very predictably jumped on Obama's pig comment...with the only goal being a healthy dose of red meat to his audience. But a more telling aspect of Hannity's performance of late has been his screech that Obama is attacking him.
So what! The presidential race has nothing at all to do with Hannity. The boy is cruising for a rather loud and heavy fall...as a result of his out of control ego and crappy journalism.
Now that would be newsworthy. The collapse of the Karl Rove Propaganda Machine would be a wonderful and beautiful thing to see.
The hell with journalists, blogs, talk radio and MSM why doesn't Sen. Obama ask Sen. McCain if he believes that Obama is a sexist.Why can't Americas' Man be a man. Has anyone noticed him lately. Nope. Does he talk. NOPE. This man approved 2 ads concerning the lipstick stuff,already.
Let us be honest. McCain is being TOLD to hide behind the skirt of a woman. McCain is being TOLD what ads to approve. McCain was TOLD who to pick. Please SEN/POW McCain, be all the man you can be and come right out and tell Obama that he is a sexist. No table, no chair and I add, NO B@ALLS.
P.S. You can varnish a turd and it is still a turd.
Daily Kos:
"McCain criticized Democratic contenders for offering what he called costly universal health-care proposals that require too much government regulation. While he said he had not studied Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's plan, he said it was "eerily reminiscent" of the failed plan she offered as first lady in the 1990s.
"I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig," he said of her proposal"
And this from FOX NEWS! Are they being fair and balanced by showing the FACTS??????
by FOXNews.com Wednesday, September 10, 2008"............. Obama’s campaign said the “lipstick on a pig” expression — frequently used in Washington D.C. — wasn’t referring to Palin, and GOP outrage is “a pathetic attempt to play the gender card.”
The common analogy is “the same analogy that Senator McCain himself used about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health care plan just last year. This phony lecture on gender sensitivity is the height of cynicism and lays bare the increasingly dishonorable campaign John McCain has chosen to run,” said Obama campaign senior adviser Anita Dunn.
The Obama campaign swiftly circulated a 2007 article that quoted McCain using the term “lipstick on a pig” to refer to a health care proposal from Hillary Clinton.
Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki also noted that Obama too has used the expression before — to criticize the troop surge in Iraq.
“I think that both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker are capable people who have been given an impossible assignment,” Obama told The Washington Post in September 2007. “George Bush has given a mission to General Petraeus, and he has done his best to try to figure out how to put lipstick on a pig.”
This is poll is shameful for MSNBC..........
The poll clearly is there to feed the smear that he attacked Palin with his comment, since they ONLY want to know if voters think he was crossed the line, or if the attack was"rough and tumble politics".
There is no choice, for: "No I don't think it was meant to attack Palin.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26637798/
Vote to see results
Michelle Malkin has the funniest take on the whole thing:
Lipstick on a pit bull, genius.
Pit bull.
Not “pig.”
The reaction of the audience speaks for itself. Watch the clip here.
Now, can you imagine if McCain had joked like this about Michelle O?
Michelle apparently hadn't heard the phrase before, so she jumped to the conclusion that he really meant to say "pit bull". And this would be offensive...why? Palin called herself a pit bull. It's not the sort of "I can say it but you can't" thing like "I'm gaining too much weight...". She's proud of being a pit bull, so there's no comparison to some joke about Michelle Obama.
It gets better:
There’s lots of debate here in the comments thread and across the blogosphere about whether the McCain camp is overreacting, whether Obama should get the benefit of the doubt for using a common old metaphor at the wrong place and time, etc., etc.
Was he being malicious? Probably not. But it’s yet another in a long line of rhetorical gaffes that demonstrate his ineptitude.
Or, as one commenter below summed it up succinctly: “The guy’s a jerk.”
***
I should also note Obama’s diss of McCain. Welcome to civility, hope, change, and new politics:
First off, if it's a "common old metaphor", why didn't she recognize it? What "wrong place and time"? Anytime after Palin's speech, or what? So we get an admission that it wasn't malicious, yet it was a "gaffe". Um, why is that? It's not Obama's fault you're a moron.
Best of all, Malkin is now claiming that this was a mistake, yet the charge of "jerk" somehow has merit. And then she wants to talk about "civility, hope, change, and new politics".
Who looks desperate, again?
The MSM is now says that the young staff and bloggers of McCain saw the word "lipstick"as a similarity between Obama's comment, "lipstick" used by Palin, and thought, hey that could be offensive and they went for it. Well, there you see, it's just the silly staff and bloggers who took off on something they shouldn't have. Is that an explaination or appology? Nope.
The MSNBC host just called this whole thing a "scandal" before the news segment leading into the McCain/Palin rally.....shouldn't it have been more correctly called a McCain smear tactic?
BTW....Palin is now giving her same speech about taking on the big old boys, BUT she just left the "I said no to the bridge to nowhere", and she stumbled several times because her speech is now rewritten and she's having a difficult time reading a new speech...too funny.
She just said she took a pay cut and upset her husband, and fired the chef which upset her children.....so obviously they still haven't learned their lessons about telling fibs have they?
McCain's facial expressions during her speeeches make him look so uncomfortable and emotionless .
Marsha Blackwell McCain advisor was just on MSNBC claiming that Obama called Pail a "sweetie". Did anyone from MSNBC ask for example or clarification of this statement? No.
The only reference I saw of this was a poster's question asking if Obama would lose votes if he called Palin a sweetie.