UPDATED: OBAMA: ‘LIPSTICK ON A PIG, STILL A PIG’ UPDATE: McCain ad: “Lipstick”

Posted by on 9/9/2008

Allahpundit has good commentary as well as this screen cap:

How well do you think this will go over?

Amie Parnes reports from Lebanon, VA:

Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin’s new “change” mantra.

“You can put lipstick on a pig,” he said as the crowd cheered. “It’s still a pig.”

“You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It’s still gonna stink.”

“We’ve had enough of the same old thing.”

The crowd apparently took the “lipstick” line as a reference to Palin, who described the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull in a single word: “lipstick.”

McCain has a new ad addressing this:

A few more data points for those wondering about Obama’s insensitivity on sexist imagery:

  • “She’s got the kitchen sink flying, and the china flying, and the, you know, the buffet is coming at me.” ” April 20
  • “You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out.” ” February, Tulane University

Others blogging:

  • “I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she’s feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal.” ” February
    • Barack Obama, National News, Presidential Election '08, Sarah Palin, , ,

    21 Comments.

    1. Lisa 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 05:52 PM

      Poor Alan Colmes over at Liberaland thinks the Republicans are taking this statement out of context.

      I wonder what context it was IN to begin with?

      Seriously, in this campaign where literally everyone is tripping over themselves trying NOT to to utter a phrase that would be considered racist or sexist – - you have to wonder what the hell Obama was thinking on this one.

      A PIG? :@)

    2. Mr. Ed 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 06:30 PM

      Clearly he also meant to equate John McCain with a stinky old fish, too… Honestly, does anybody actually pay attention to real issues anymore? Lipstick on a pig is an expression that’s been around longer than Obama or Palin have been in elected office. It may even be as old as McCain. Please, people, start paying attention to things that matter!

    3. Robert 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 06:31 PM

      Wow! Obama is surely getting desperate! He’s so desperate to respond, to do anything to slow down Hurricane Sarah, that even his normal inadequate foot-in-mouth prevention sense has been compromised. Look for even more outrageous gaffes to start flowing from the lips of the TeleprompterMeister.

      Obama is looking more and more like a boxer on the ropes. He’s getting pounded, and he doesn’t know what to do than try to deflect some of it with stupid statements like the above. Well this is only the start. Just wait until Palin takes apart Biden and McCain schools the GaffeMeister.

      The wheels on the Obama bus are about to come off completely.

    4. SpideyTerry 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 07:11 PM

      I just saw Mike Huckabee on FOX, trying to be fair to Obama on this one. He basically said he didn’t think Obama did it on purpose and was that stupid. Well, I think Obama did it on purpose and is that stupid.

      “The wheels on the Obama bus are about to come off completely.”

      I guess that’s bad news for all the people under it, then.

    5. NY-David 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 08:19 PM

      Whatever!! I saw Palin on the campaign trail today along with the guy she’s running with (remember him? John something?). Anyway, she was playing her greatest hits from the past two weeks:
      My husband “First Dude” (The champion snowmachine racer. “Sarah, we know what snomobiles are in the lower 48″)
      I put the plane on eBay (questionable)
      I told them to keep their bridge to Nowhere (after I took the funding for it)
      We’re going to shake things up in Warshington (not going to get much done after my big splash).
      yada yada.
      Truthfully, I hope I’m wrong about everything and that she’s all that and a load of biscuits, but I’ve seen it before and its going to get old really quick if she doesn’t start adding some substance around the lines.
      NY-David

    6. Robert 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 08:28 PM

      I think you are right, David. She needs to come up with new lines pronto. Those are getting stale.

    7. PCD 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 08:30 PM

      Hey, NY-David, how about holding Rangel’s feet to the fire? Or are you mad that McCain and Palin aren’t as corrupt as Rangel, Rostenkowski, McDermott, …

    9. Sasha 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 09:44 PM

      Rangel… Whale on the beach! Whale on the beach!

    10. NY-David 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 10:01 PM

      PCD,
      They’re all corrupt.
      NY-David

    11. snowy egret 9/9/2008 at September 9, 2008 - 11:41 PM

      I DO NOT DISLAKIE A SKUNK I SIMPLEY DO NOT CARE FOR ITS ODER. KATHERINE HEPBURNE in ROOSTER COGBURN;))

    12. Timothy Morton 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 01:39 AM

      Dick Cheney used exactly the same metaphor (in Hawaii) the night Kerry lost in 2004. See YouTube.

      McCain also used the lipstick on a pig metaphor.

      Well done Obama. Fair play.

      Keep em coming!

    13. Ben Dover 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 07:48 AM

      LOOK OUT OBAMA, that lipstick print on your a$$ isn’t from a kiss, it’s from that pitbull, CLAMPED DOWN ON IT.

    14. BonBon 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 08:35 AM

      I think it is the equivalent of someone calling Barack the “N” word. It was an ugly, rude, personal attack. He knew full well what he was saying.

    15. sunii 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 12:19 PM

      It saddens me that this country is so segragated and for that change will never happen with all the ignorant coments on this page…saran palin is a mother of 5 and that is beautiful but anyone who thinks god has declared war on iraq in the name of america!!!! sounds pretty scary. so you mean god is only on americas side and no other country…we all will have to answer to this one day…i hope god will forgive for using the kings name in vein…god bless…

    16. Who are you joking the “lipstick on a pig” was an attack. « The Emotional Cripple - pingback on 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 12:38 PM
    17. Robert 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 01:35 PM

      ignorant comments? How about some specifics?

    18. StopTheAttacks 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 03:00 PM

      While there was no direct mention of Palin, the audience roared and jumped to its feet in a similar fashion as when she used the ‘lipstick line.’

      If Barack Obama wasn’t thinking about the joke Sarah Palin told about lipstick and hockey moms at the Republican National Convention last week, the crowd certainly was…laughing and clapping before he even finished the attack.

      Perhaps this explains the 20-point net swing in McCain’s favor in the so-called pant suit vote.

    19. Robert 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 04:10 PM

      Here’s the comeback I would LOVE to see Palin respond with:

      Obama’s comment just goes to show you can take the Community Organizer out of the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto out of the Community Organizer!

    20. riggword 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 07:13 PM

      It’s not Obama’s silly slur that anybody really cares about,

      It is his “Audacity of Denial” that shows his true problem!

      New post, “Audacity of Denial”

    21. riggword 9/10/2008 at September 10, 2008 - 07:18 PM

      “The wheels on the Obama bus are about to come off completely.”

      I guess that’s bad news for all the people under it, then.”

      Good point,

      McCain/Palin are increasing in the polls and in turnout at speeches.

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