Lipstick, pigs and the ridiculous GOP double standard
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Amy Weiss
With the most politically motivated vice-presidential pick in years, the Republican Party is trying to take full advantage of a convenient double standard they've set up. Under their rules, Republicans can exploit Sarah Palin's sexuality, but Democrats can no longer use the word "lipstick."
When asked about Hillary Clinton and her campaign's claims that the media was sexist, Sarah Palin accused Clinton and her campaign of "whining." Now, the McCain campaign claims she is facing unfair scrutiny because she is a woman. A new favorite response of campaign spokespeople who don't have a better answer is "Would that question ever be asked of a man?"
Republicans passed out buttons at the Republican National Convention with Palin's picture that said "The Hottest VP from the Coolest State" to no objection from any of the people now crying sexism. Members of the Indiana delegation wore buttons that said "Hoosiers for the Hot Chick." Barack Obama and Joe Biden have not and certainly should not refer to Palin as a "hot chick" -- but should Republicans diminish their own candidate as first and foremost, physically attractive?
Palin embraced her tough-but-feminine image during her convention speech, delivering one of her most memorable lines: What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.
Nothing wrong with that on its own. It was very well-received by the audience and received tons of positive play in the news over the days that followed.
But now apparently, if any Democrat uses the word "lipstick," they must be referring to Sarah Palin. Lipstick is just a code word for Sarah Palin, according to the Republicans.
During a campaign event Tuesday, Obama said:
"The other side, suddenly, they're saying 'we're for change too,'… You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. You can wrap up an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change. It's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough."The McCain campaign and surrogates immediately jumped on this, saying Barack Obama called Sarah Palin a pig and should apologize. They've even released an ad playing Obama's comments under the headline "Barack Obama on Sarah Palin."
Members of the mainstream media, who often go out of their way to avoid absolute, declarative statements are calling the McCain camp's allegations flatly untrue -- saying plainly that he was referring to McCain-Bush policies and not Sarah Palin.
Politico's Ben Smith said: "The McCain campaign is now saying Obama called Palin a pig, which he didn't."
The Dallas Morning News wrote Wednesday:
Down South, we're familiar with the phrase "lipstick on a pig." As in, you can put some on one, but it's still a pig. Barack Obama of Illinois used the phrase today during a campaign stop in Lebanon, Virginia…
The McCain campaign decided to take that as a sexist swipe at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, though nothing in Obama's remarks targeted her specifically.
Former Gov. Jane Swift of Massachusetts -- where, perhaps, they don't have colorful expressions about pigs -- denounced the comment as "disgraceful" and maintained that since Palin is the only national candidate who wears lipstick, it was clearly directed at her.
Mark Halperin of Time Magazine said on CNN's 360 with Anderson Cooper: "Stop the madness. I think this is the press just absolutely playing into the McCain campaign's crocodile tears… They knew exactly what he was saying. It's an expression."
They did know it was an expression, as it is one John McCain has used himself. Meghan McCain admitted on Fox News Wednesday morning that she's heard her dad use the phrase. He used it to describe Hillary Clinton's health care policy:
Obviously, McCain wasn't calling Hillary Clinton a pig, but Barack Obama was calling Sarah Palin one because John McCain is a Republican and Barack Obama is a Democrat and lipstick and pigs are suddenly more important than health care or education or foreign policy. (Note our sarcasm.)
Mike Huckabee has suddenly become the most reasonable Republican (or the only one who didn't receive the Steve Schmidt talking points), as he said on Fox News's Hannity and Colmes Tuesday night that "it's an old expression" and he doesn't think Obama was talking about Palin.
D.C. gossip site Wonkette's sarcastic tongue-in-cheek take is almost identical to the actual Republican thinking. From an entry titled " 'Lipstick' is Sarah Palin's Word":
Nobody is allowed to talk about lipstick and various animals you would put it on, unless you are Sarah Palin. For example, when Barack Obama was talking about the Republican health care plan and called it "putting lipstick on a pig," this was obviously a Sexist and demeaning SMEAR against the vice presidential candidate, who already made it clear that she was a bloodthirsty and vicious dog, not a cuddly, sensitive, intelligent little pig.
Double standards abound in the Republican Party, but the "sexism" card has become the clearest. And the notion that John "No Equal Pay for Equal Work" McCain and the GOP are suddenly the defenders of women against sexism is laughable.
When John McCain said "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father," fellow Republicans laughed. Maybe they laughed not because the joke was about women, but about Democrats.
Guests at a fundraiser of his said he told a joke about how much women -- not just Democratic women -- but all women love to be raped and beaten, especially by primates.
Another account describes him calling his wife a derogatory word and telling her she wears too much makeup. According to three Arizona reporters covering a 1992 Senate campaign event:
At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, 'You're getting a little thin up there.' McCain's face reddened, and he responded, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c***."
Wow, at least he didn't say "lipstick."
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
Technorati Tags: - Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
Buzz this on Buzzflash.net
Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash.com
BuzzFlash: Editorials | Interviews | News Analysis | Alerts | Perspectives | Radio Ads | Reviews: Books, Movies, Music | Television | Books, DVDs, CDs, Hats, T-shirts
Community: BuzzFlash Mailbag | Reader and Guest Contributions | News Releases
Columns: Wings of Justice | GOP Hypocrite of the Week | Last Chance Democracy Cafe | Libby Defense Fund | Jeffrey Feldman's Frameshop | The Daily Buzz | Independent Thinker of the Month | World Media Watch | Blue State Jukebox | Verse-Case Scenario | Ms. Smith Goes to Washington | Caption This
Columnists: P.M. Carpenter | David Lindorff | Barbara's Daily Buzz | Ann Davidow | Thom Hartmann | Steven C. Day | Steven Jonas | Tony Peyser | Shirley Smith
Cartoonists: Kirk Anderson | Steve Bradenton | Tony Peyser | Andrew Wahl
Poets: Tony Peyser
Other: About | Frequently Asked Questions | Headlines | Search BuzzFlash | Put BuzzFlash Headlines on Your Web Site | Get BuzzFlash Alerts | Contact | Home
Support Independent Media: Click Here to See How
Unless otherwise noted, all original content
and headlines are © BuzzFlash.
Contact BuzzFlash for reprint rights.
General Disclaimer: Guest and Reader Contributions, News Releases and Mailbag Letters posted on BuzzFlash are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BuzzFlash or its editors.
If the lipstick fits...
Republicans keep trying to turn a sows ear into a silk purse (hey trolls, that's just an expression, too) by dressing her in designer clothing and glasses.
Democrats need to stick to the issues, mostly to the issue of economy (and related ones like the war, healthcare, etc.), and laugh at the lame attempts at distraction from the other side and the media.
Wilbur and Babe are laughing, can't we?
PALIN HAS REPLACED McCAIN
PALIN HAS REPLACED McCAIN I think the whole media overload on Sarah Palin misses a very important point--that she has become the defacto candidate instead of McCain. The fact of the matter is that if it were any one else chosen for VP--Romney or Pawlenty for example, the McCain campaign would be in the toilet. McCain was finished. So what have the Repugs done? They have replaced him with a total mystery who looks good with her hair tied up, has lipstick, and is an ace with the right-wing one liners. She is the real candidate. And if they win, she will remind McCain that she is responsible for saving his nose-in-the-dirt campaign. Thus she will be very powerful indeed.
The Obama people should stop acting like McCain is the nominee. The GOP has replaced him. Look at the republican rallies now--people are there to see HER. The signs for Palin outnumber the ones for McCain--you can already see the resentment it in his face.
How does Obama counter this? Make it clear that Palin has upstaged McCain. Publicly and openly talk about how weak he is to allow an unknown governor from Alaska to become the unofficial top of the ticket. Instead of attacking McCain, Obama should go after the real nominee, Palin. And he should be open about it. That would drive a deep division into the Republican camp. Prey on the old man's pride. In 2000 he allowed Bush to take it from him--remind the nation that it's happening all over again with Palin. Tell the nation that McCain is NOT his own man--that he ia a weakling who needs this media circus called Sarah Palin to even get close too winning (which could very well happen if no one notices this.)
This race has morphed into Obama VS Palin. That is the reality and it is not too late. Knock down Palin and the whole house of cards will tumble.
Divide and Conquer.
Pigs and Lipstick
STUPIDITY OBSCURES THE ISSUES ON PURPOSE!
Oink, Oink
Oink, Oink. If the pig likes lipstick, smear it on. If the pit bull likes lipstick, watch your fingers.
McCain and the Republicans have nothing to run on but four more years of failed Bush policies. Since Bush wrecked the economy and the military McCain and Palin cannot run on that record (remember McCain thought Bush was right 90% of the time). What's left? Lipstick, pit bulls, and pigs. Or, in other words, cosmetic cover ups, attacks, and pork.
John H
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. --Mark Twain
In a related story "PIGS EVERYWHERE PROTEST COMPARISON TO PALIN"
ok... you can put lipstick on SARAH PALIN, but she's still a PIG
We are a nation 7th graders
It is so unfortunate but that is the level of what passes for political discourse in this benighted country of ours.
Apparantly, the reasoning ability of the general population has been lost. How, otherwise, could John McCain be leading in the polls.
For an election to turn on the use of the word lipstick or the phrase "drill, baby, drill" is tragic.
Even in Massachusetts
I recognize the expression.
Anyway, Palin's the one who introduced animals and lipstick into the conversation in her speech
at the convention. And a pit bull with lipstick is still a pit bull.
Oh, yes, Obama is black so he's guilty until proven innocent.
Shameless Republicans.
Colleen Clark
Cambridge, MA
They're old expressions, but
Deep Breaths
Sarah Palin: PC Republican Afifrmitive Action Hire?
lesbian
Which is supposed to mean ...
whay not tell outrageous lies
This is what political debate has come to in this country
Obama knew damn well who that lipstick and pig remark was about
This is b.s........Obama aimed that comment at Palin .....I don't believe his smirky explanation.......if one of his writers wrote that, he should fire the writer ..but there is NO doubt who that was aimed at no matter how dances around the issue...it is sexist and if John McCain wanted to own that statement, let him....this will be remembered.
Palin won't take it sitting down.
Obama lost probably a good 5-8% permanently with that jackass remark....this was aimed at Palin and if it wasn't, it doesn't matter now because look at the energy he and his jackass advisors are spending to correct what apparently Obama claims doesn't need correcting.....
nice...a black guy behind in the polls calls a white gal Palin a pig....THAT's what the message was and even giving Obama the benefit of a doubt...the South and the Midwest voters are gonna get some payback in the voting booth in November to "protect their women".....Obama is gonna pay a huge price for uttering those words.....
like it or not..fair or unfair...he could have gone on for the rest of his Obama political life without saying those words and lived a fine life....but you don't say stuff like this and then PRETEND it was just repeating something McCain said.
Obama and the DEMS will pay even more of a price since it looks like the GOP with some more amo like this could retake the Senate and House of Representatives...
if the DEMS are this stupid..that they cannot even figure out how a statement like that would be taken..then they don't deserve to win a god damn thing....
Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Reid, Dean....Obama...wow.....
A political UNKNOWN makes a 40 minute convention speech and destroys the entire Democratic Party....blows them up....just shows you how tenuous of a leadership mantle the DEMS have if one gal could sack Obama and Biden 20 yards behind the line scrimmage...
ONE GAL with lipstick did that despite belonging to the party with the worst president in two centuries...a destroyed U.S. economy and U.S. dollar....47 million without health care of any kind, an endless oil war for bush's texas handlers and a stinko Russian foreign policy RELATED to oil from Poland to Iran, nuked housing and REALLY annihilate MORTGAGE market after this weekend.......and too much else wrong to list....yet this ONE PALIN gal could get people's attention away from those CRITICAL so successfully after a 40 minute speech that McCain and she are mowing down the DEMS everywhere.
and then to make matters worse....Obama makes this raw sexist remark thinking it was cute or something?????
Palin will get so many hall passes from here on out, she can stay home at this point and NEVER have to face normal questioning about stands on issues and her affiliations with religious leaders like Jew for Jesus and cessessationist groups that hate America that her husband belongs to and that she praises and supports....no need for Palin to get under the heat of interrogation lamps on REAL ISSUES like even McCain has had to do and all the OTHER candidates over the last two years...
nope..thanks to Obama....she has a permanent hall pass.
good job....
-Karl Rove
aimed at Palin?
IM not running for anything.... so here goes....
GET BACK TO THE ISSUES!
We are wasting valuable time on this lipstink! Every minute which is used to "discuss" this non-issue is not available to expose how Republican policies (aided and abetted by too many Democrats) has led to economic collapse, high official unemployment (and even higher under-employment), lost diplomatic prestige, and a future of conflict and war over diminishing energy resources.
I wish Gov. Mark Warner were running. He proposed an excellent program on how to take the nation ahead and get past the pit that the Republicans have put us into. And he didn't vote to extend FISA!
No 4 more years of wanton violence & unfettered spending
Commentary
Honest mistake
Pigs and rotting fish