Lipstick on a Pig?

You can't be serious!

from PolMach Forums

I'm sure all of you are as tired of hearing about this as I am, so I will be brief.

Yesterday, Barrack Obama used a familiar expression to illustrate a point.  Barrack's point being that he feels the McCain campaign is using the same Republican platform of the current Bush administration, only packaged differently.  The expression in question is, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."  The McCain campaign was quick to turn this into a political add that aims to paint Senator Obama's statement as sexist.  I heard the comment in it's context.  It was immediately followed by another familiar expression, "You can wrap a fish in paper, but after 8 years it's still going to stink." 

I don't agree with Senator Obama on many issues, but I really can't attack him for these remarks.  It's clear to me that he was not comparing Governor Palin to a pig, but rather calling the Republican platform a pig.  I do believe that many people took it as an insult to Sarah Palin, and he would've been better off just using "fish wrap" to avoid the whole mess.

I have to say shame on the Republican campaign on this one.  A much smarter strategy would have been to come out and say that Obama's remarks clearly weren't meant to be sexist, let's get back to the real issues.  Unfortunately the opposite was done, and the McCain lead in the polls will soon be in danger because people will see this latest add for what it is, an ugly smear campaign.

republican
5,339 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

I'm with you.  They should have either 1) shut up or 2) countered the initial media conclusion-jump by simply saying "get real, folks."  I don't think it will significantly hurt them unless they make it a pattern, though.  They should just let this stuff hover off the edge of the cliff for a minute & fall to the canyon floor like Wile E. Coyote.

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

I have to say shame on the Republican campaign on this one.
End of quote

Obama may be blameless (but do check out democrat.org for a possible source of his quote), but his followers were not.  WIth chants of "Pit Bull" after he made the statement, he did nothing to dispel the DEMOCRAT perception that it was Palin he was talking about.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from PolMach Forums Top

I respectfully disagree with you.  I believe it when you say that it was used to show Obama's attitude on the Republican party.  I also agree that the term was used previously, but I think the remark was calculated to get a response after the RNC speech by Sarah Palin and her lipstick remark.  It was a very clever tactic and after her speech it was immediately associated with her joke.

Reply #4 from PolMach Forums Top

Okay, the audience did interperate this statement as being associated with Palin's joke.  But crying sexism over this won't help the Republican party.  Cries of sexism didn't help Hillary Clinton, and making a big deal out of this will do nothing but hurt the GOP cause.  There are plenty of real issues to discuss, and plenty of valid cases of sexism in this campaign to address.  There is no way to prove that Obama's comment was meant to be derrogatory, so focusing on this instance can invalidate the other more serious accounts of sexist remarks.

PastyD, I do believe what you say is possible (I wouldn't put it past him).  I just think that the ad the McCain camp put out in response to this doesn't help anybody.

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

the ad the McCain camp put out in response to this doesn't help anybody.
End of quote

Actually, it was the first ad worth watching.  But then I am an anarchist at heart. ;)

Reply #6 from PolMach Forums Top

Gotta love that sense of humor! :HOT: