“Pig”
Image courtesy of http://seaton-newslinks.blogspot.com/2008/03/image-makeover.html.
Oh, Senator Barack Obama thought he could be so clever at a rally in Lebanon, Virginia September 9, 2008. He thought he could take Governor Sarah Palin’s joke she made at the RNC, about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull being lipstick, and twist it to suit himself. And then he tried to mock Senator John McCain and his Republican alliances in Washington, by comparing them to a stinky, old fish. My how things have denigrated. ABC News noted,
“‘We’re really gonna shake things up in Washington,’” Obama said, mocking McCain’s claim to offer change. “That’s not change. That’s just calling something the same thing, something different. But you know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.
“You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It’s still going to stink 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,” Obama said.
Seems like Obama has a cynical way of attacking his opponents. Reminiscent of “that gesture” while complaining about the difficulty at the debate with Senator Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia the night before. He was at a town hall event in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 2008, when to the surprise of many, he used his middle finger to scratch his right cheek, evoking a concerted, muted laughter and surprise by the audience, seen here.
“She was taking every opportunity to get a dig in there,” … while laughing, pausing, alternating between smiling and wry attempt to be serious, looking around the audience, then smiling broadly and saying “you know that’s alright…”
“This is one of those political moments that really needs few words,” wrote the Los Angeles Times in a blog. “He’ll no doubt deny it later, but that mischievous smile seems to confirm plenty. And the crowd sure sees something.”
The prolongation between the offensive gesture, and the repeated ‘that’s alright,’ interspersed with the smiling as the snickering proceeded in the background, certainly made for a lot of tongue wagging, and surprise at Obama’s new low at that time. Someone who has made their point will move on, not perseverate, and not smile and repeat supposed acceptance with ‘that’s alright.’ Innocent gesture? Not Obama, who instead chose the double entendre to wryly deflect criticism and claim others were being unfair in their interpretation. He certainly could have used another finger to scratch his face. Street smarts would hasten any schoolyard weakling to use any other finger except his middle finger to scratch anything, while talking to the class bully. Obama however, dares to challenge public etiquette; a copy of Amy Vanderbilt’s masterpiece is in short order. Seems like Obama likes things that can be interpreted in two ways. That way, he can claim attack when anyone questions his intent, or bask in the glory of audience-praising adulation when it suits their pleasure also.
Whoa! Digression. Corral them ponies back up! Let’s get back to the lipstick and fish.
Lipstick on a pig. A common Washington, D.C. expression that means you can dress something up but it doesn’t change what it is. Common indeed, used in the past by John McCain (much to his daughter’s dismay), Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Texas Governor Ann Richards, and Lynne Cheney. Funny thing is that Barack Obama used the expression to attack his Republican opponents new mantra of “change,” while Sarah Palin’s popularity is sky high, and she is a female, and she is the only one of the current nominees who wears lipstick. Poor choice of words, dude, especially since your audience seemed to enjoy the moment; but not the opposition. And, the polls are favoring the Republican ticket right now, not yours.
“I mean, it seemed to me a very gendered comment.” … It was “pretty clear to the crowd that he was leveling” the insult at Palin, she said. (Gov. Jane Swift, a member of the Palin Truth Squad.)
Obama’s comments about women make one wonder about his true feelings about women, despite his verbal gloss, as noted on Hot Air. Ranging from
“likeable enough” comment and his Annie Oakley goof on Hillary, but then came “sweetie” and now this. How come The One keeps running into these funny little misunderstandings with comments aimed at women politicians?
Let’s not forget some other folks have also witnessed double entendre from Obama. Larry Johnson over at No Quarter brought back the events and cynicism. Remember that infamous rally January 2008 covered by the New York Post?
But of course, Barack would never use subliminal messages to convey his true feelings. Wait, what about Jay-Z?
PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Barack Obama claims to run a clean campaign, but someone in his camp took a swipe at Hillary Clinton through the candidate’s theme song. As Obama and his wife, Michelle, strolled triumphantly into his victory party in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 3, Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” was blaring — a song where Jay raps, “I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one.” Most listeners took it as a not-so-sly reference to Clinton. “We didn’t know he used that,” a shocked Clinton spokesperson said. Obama has no problem admitting he’s a rap fan. “I tell you what. I can tell you the kinds of stuff that I love dancing to, and that is, I’m sort of, of the generation of Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire,” he told CNN along the campaign trail. “But I’m sort of hip to the younger stuff. You know, like Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy in Love.’ That’s a good song to dance to.
Sure, he wasn’t calling Hillary a bitch. Of course he came back to that theme when he brushed his shoulders off in front of an adoring crowd. In fact, Matthew Iglesias found it “pretty cool.”
“Blade camouflaged in lipstick case”
Image courtesy of http://www.sakuramartialarts.com/Martial_Arts_Weapons_Self_Defense_Knife_Lipstick_p/wea-9180-a1.htm.
“Old, rotten, fish”
Image courtesy of http://www.smellgone.com.au/thatsmell.html.
And about the old fish thing. Let’s see. Palin is young relative to McCain. Obama has been well known to attack McCain for supporting Republican White House Policy for the last 8 years. Is McCain the “old rotten fish?”
Told of the whole quote, (Republican Gov.) Swift suggested that Obama was also calling his opponents “an old rotten fish.”
Odd how the Democratic Party web site has espoused the currently politically incorrect pig on a lipstick sentiment, by highlighting this selected blog on the party’s web site: ”McCain’s Selection of Palin is Lipstick On A Pig.” Might be wiser to let sleeping dogs lie. While Obama wants the hype to die down, the Dems obvously do not.
Just one more take on the double speak. Obama sure was hot under the collar when defending his pig with lipstick analogy, claiming these were
“lies and phony outrage,” “Swift-boat politics,” and “made-up controversy” was “catnip for the news media.”
Sensing the backlash later in the day though, Two Way Barack went on David Letterman to spin another take on the pig with made up lips line. In typical Obama form, as in his other moments of defense, his visage and mannerisms slyly revealed more beyond his words. ABC News Jake Tapper on Political Punch noted,
“Keep in mind that, technically had I meant it this way –- she would be the lipstick!” … The failed policies of John McCain would be the pig,” Obama says.
Ahhh, is that better? Soothe those frazzled voters with a little “humor” so maybe they will forgive the “unintended” pun of sorts? Read the pig lips “sweetie:” In light of political overtones and correctness, limit the aphorisms one might see directly portrayed in your opponents. They can haunt. See the just released McCain ”Lipstick” TV ad responding to Obama’s remark, saying: “Ready to lead? No. Ready to smear? Yes.”
As they say in COMEDY: TIMING IS EVERYTHING!
“Don’t Mess With The Pig. The Muppet Show. Miss Piggy.”
image courtesy of http://www.mysci-fi.com/Sesame_Street.htm.
1. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5769091&page=1. http://www.nypost.com/seven/09102008/news/nationalnews/holy_sow__bams_lipstick_bungle_128304.htm.
2. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/18/did-obama-give-a-flip-response-to-clinton-attacks/.
5. http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/10/lipstick-jungle-team-mccain-responds/.
7. http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/10/barack-words-matter-obama/#more-4724.
8. http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/10/oh-nooooo-they-never-meant-to-liken-palin-to-a-pig/.
9. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/10/obama-accuses-mccain-of-swift-boat-politics/.
10. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/obama-on-letter.html.
2 responses so far ↓
Jamie Holts // September 11, 2008 at 5:57 am
Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template if you need any assistance customizing it let me know!
H // September 11, 2008 at 10:39 am
Clearly the coincidence of the pig and old fish comments (Palin, McCain) is too great and therefore mush have been intended (so quickly after the previous lipstick comment and given the ageist attacks on McCain).
H.