What Sarah Palin tells us about Obama

Here are a few thoughts of my own on the lipstick on a pig moment (see this earlier post for the views of others).

First, demonstrating that  McCain had used the same phrase before doesn't cut it.

The reason the pig idea popped into Barack Obama's mouth is that Palin had used the pitbull and lipstick joke in her speech. Can anyone doubt that?

So Obama was using it as a jibe against her. This was monumentally foolish. And this raises questions about Obama's character.

Second, the character question it raises is not that he is a sexist or that he lacks courtesy. It is that he folds under pressure.

Obama has looked amazingly uncomfortable under the pressure that Palin has put him under. He relies on his cool - it is a core part of his appeal. So he looks bad when he loses it. During the Hillary contest he rarely came under any pressure from the media. When he did he reacted badly.

So the problem caused by Palin isn't really about Palin - it's about Obama.

Which brings me to the third point. Obama cannot change how Palin is seen anywhere near as much as he thinks he can. He needs to work on how he is seen.

But, as Jay Cost argues, he hasn't been disciplined enough to do this.

Comments

[Stu]

That's bullshit Danny and desperate bullshit at that. The phrase is well established in US culture (if less so here) and has been for decades. The meaning is well known by all sane people and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Palin (or any other woman for that matter).

These attempts by the McCain camp to present it as anything else are deeply disingenuous and actually say some rather unattractive things about HIS character and he really must think the voters are stupid if he thinks they'll buy it. I thought you treated your readers with more respect...

[Linda in Georgia]

Great analysis! And right to the point. Obama does in fact need to focus on his own program and forget what the other team is promoting.

Good point on whether he is up to the job of president. I consider him to be the better choice, however I hope he improves his ability to respond under pressure. The Commander in Chief of our armed forces needs the ability to be rational under any circumstances.

[armchairpunter]

The fact that the smell of fear is wafting from the Obama campaign is bad enough. What makes it particularly terrifying and/or entertaining is the fact that so much effort has been devoted by the Obama camp and its media sympathizers to painting Palin as a mouse. The watching world is left to wonder whether (a) Obama et al are afraid of a mouse, (b) Palin is really a lion or (c) all of the above.

I suspect I am not alone among American voters in wondering whether the Senator's reaction to Palin is any indication of how he might react to Putin or other formidable international figures who may challenge the interests and security of America and its allies.

[hippie_chucker]

Can any serious person watch him:

1. Give Hillary the finger, to audience applause
2. Brush dirt off his shoulder, to audience applause
3. Compare Palin to a pig, to audience applause

And still believe in his new kind of politics bullshit?
Now, after promising to not use 527's, he's released them to do his dirty work.

[Roy E]

Agreed. This has been most revealing.

Obama does not have the proper disposition for the office of President of the United States. The Democrats failed miserably in vetting this candidate. Obama is a petty man that cannot take any heat. I'm sure we'll see more evidence of it as the campaign progresses.

[Ampontan]

Obama is going to be forced into attempting something that is extraordinarily difficult for most people to do.

When people who are used to succeeding with a certain line of behavior start failing due to that behavior, the usual response to the failure is to do the same thing that was successful in the past, only harder and more often.

That just makes things worse.

He has never had a serious electoral challenge before in his life. He is going to have to change very quickly, or wind up losing.

Unremarked in this lipstick business is how clever the GOP is being. First, Obama got away with similar comments against Hillary Clinton, but he is now being told that he is no longer getting a free pass. Indeed, he has been and will be put on the defensive.

That forces him to have to weigh his words more carefully than he is used to, particularly in unscripted situations, which are not his forte.

Second, the GOP is goading him into more of the same (or goading some of his closer supporters to urge him to do more of the same).

If he wants to win, he is going to have to start demonstrating a level of maturity that he has never shown before, in a situation that he has never dealt with before.

[Ace]

To quote your article:

"The reason the pig idea popped into Barack Obama's mouth is that Palin had used the pitbull and lipstick joke in her speech. Can anyone doubt that?"

I disagree completely. The expression is commonly used in business and in politics. I've used the expression during debates in college and other similar ones to talk about dressing up a bad subject. It's a very common metaphor and there is no reason to suggest that this is a shot at Sarah Palin.

I also want to say that this detracts heavily from the meaningful issues at hand. I am disappointed in the media and the GOP for embracing a single metaphor and trying to use it as a tool to sway votes. This isn't an issue, this doesn't represent an issue, this won't effect the future of the country under the leadership of either candidate. The embrace of this as a tool to change the direction of an election by either candidate away from what's important should be considered heinous and tolerated by none.

[David Hunt]

I think there's another factor - Mr. Obama has bought into his own hype, and Mrs. Palin's fame and rise are challenging his Messiah-hood.

"Thou shalt have no other God before me"

Exactly. Obama either didn't understand that people would think that the lipstick comment referred to Palin, or he did understand it. If he didn't understand how people would take the comment, then he is not politically astute. If he did understand how people would react, and said it anyway, then he is also not very astute. Either way the comment speaks to his poor judgment.

[bct424]

Watching the video of Obama making the pig jibe, I was actually taken back at how physically uncomfortable he looked as he spoke; holding his head and leaning over slightly as if cringing. I think it speaks to his literally folding under pressure but also that he really is very uncomfortable with humor. He tried to make jokes in a speech a few days before and it was just painful. It makes him come across not as the 'regular guy' he hopes to portray but, really, a self-righteous jerk.

[jim southerland]

Distilled to it's very essence, the difference is middle America plain-speak versus elite nuanced sophistry.

To this middle American in "fly over" country, Sarah represents US.

Obama and company represent THEM.

[Dave Farmer]

Obama should have taken on Hillery as his running mate and I think he may have just clinched it!

[Anthony]

Palin has gotten into Obama's head. And he is obviously uncomfortable.

When Palin was announced, he did not even refer to her as a governor, but as the mayor of a small town in Alaska (hence the Palin comment comparing being a small town mayor to a community organizer).

This really makes you wonder -- if Obama can get so rattled by someone he derided as a small town mayor, how will he react when Putin threatens to nuke Poland or the Iranians or North Koreans start acting up again.

[Snorpht FingerPoot of E. Mesa AZ]

If you watched the video, there was a hesitation and a thoughful half-second where he make the decision to throw that line out or stifle. You can see where he made the 'what the hell, gotta go something to stop her from kicking my ass' face and went for it.

Anything else is stupidity or bull.

[30yrdem-not any more]

Thank you for pointing this out because the media is just going with the Obama talking points.

Obama is very slick and he knew what he was saying and doing then he shouts "enough enough" at the press when it does not play well with anyone who was not there cheering him on. Yes the crowd tells the story, that may be why all the clips get cut off right after he gets the last pig out of his mouth.

I saw a screen shot of where a post was up at the democratic party web site on the 30th of August saying "McCain's selection of Palin is Lipstick on a Pig"...they went after her before the public got a chance to find out about her. Then Obama says no one from his campaign is behind the smears, no it is just his whole party.

screen shot link
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/dems-pig-1.jpg

[Dectora]

Obama has had such an easy ride from the media to date that he has failed to realise that he cannot always walk on water.

[ObviousComment]

Actually this so called "diversion" is revealing something of fundamental importance - how Obama acts under pressure. As was mentioned above, take another look at that time he gave Hilary the finger - he had the same "know what I mean" look on his face.

[unseen]

The only one not talking about issues is Obama. change is not an issue. hope is not an issue. what's Obama's plan IRT Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who lobbied him with more than 100,000 in campiagn funds? What is is plan to reform our schools? the schools that he doesn't allow his children to attend. What his is plan to deal with Russia? Why does he quailify the anti-missle shield installation with "seeing if it works" It has worked 21 out of 22 times in test.
Why isn't he talking about his plan to raise taxes on stocks, bonds, savings and social security? where is he going to get the money to pay for his programs. the tax plan he is saying will never come close to his spending plans. Something will have to give either less spending programs, higher taxes or more borrowing. Which is he going to do? what is Obama's plan to reform gov. What is Obama's idea of change? Does he want more socialism? Let's talk about issues shall we? Obama will not talk about them because he knows the majority of citizens do not like his plans. Everytime Obamam talks about the issues he loses votes. Let's talk about guns and why he wants to take them if he has enough votes.

[Kevin]

Like one of those red-dots in the movies, you've hit dead-on, Daniel.

In a dangerous world getting more dangerous (Putin in Georgia, Ahmadinejad with nukes, China in the Sudan) there is no possible way I can foresee Obama or the people around him having the discipline, wisdom, or cool to handle the job.

He is an empty suit, and a wuss. The Dems should have picked Michelle.

[Rita]

When McCain said it about Hillary's policy proposals, sure, his remark was just as loaded with sexist baggage. But he grew up in military culture before the women's movement ever started; he deserves some leniency because his cultural conditioning means he's going to be less sensitized to noticing sexist connotations.

What's Obama's excuse? Were Columbia and Harvard Law in the 1980s so sexist that he couldn't help but become insensitive to the implications of his comment?

Even if we ignore mitigating background factors, saying "Oh, Obama isn't any more of an unthinking misogynist than the Republican" is hardly a selling point.

[Shay]

I am disgusted with the media and ignorant people. Why are we continuing to discuss lipstick/pigs/Palin???????

McCain/Palin are so stupid! Instead of talking about issues they want to trash their opponents!
That's because they don't have anything to say. They can't talk about issues because they don't know what they are talking about.

Anyone with an iota of sense knows what McCain/Palin are trying to do!

Get to know Palin and she is a disappointing character! However, Republicans are so shallow they will take anyone who looks like them! Warts and all!!

Get to know McCain and all he has is his POW status! He knows nothing else. He is a warmonger! He's the last thing America needs!

Wake up America!

[Chuckie B.]

"The meaning is well known by all sane people..."

I have to ask you, Stu, what does that say about the Obama supporters who were shouting "No more pit bulls!"? Are you insinuating that the Obama supporters who were there aren't sane? I would like to believe that Obama supporters are fully-equipped of their mental faculties, but it appears, from your own comments, that you don't think so highly of your own brothers and sisters in the Church of Barack.

I have to shake my head.

[Pierre Legrand]

Obama has lived in a bubble all of his political life. Sarah burst it and now he is flailing around. It is wonderful to watch. Thank goodness for Sarah as McCain was never going to be able to expose Obama in such a fashion.

Btw a few of the sentences prior to the Lipstick Pig gaffe were stolen without attribution from Tom Toles. That cartoon was published on an Official Democratic Public Blog along with a picture of a pig with lipstick talking about Palin.

I detail it all on my blog.
http://pierrelegrand.net/2008/09/10/hmm-allah-not-sure-but-these-two-blog-posts-sure-seem-to-have-predicted-obamamessiahs-words-perfectlylipstick-on-a-pig-and-on-the-same-blog-is-tom-toles-cartoon-that-the-one-plagiarizes-perfectl.htm

Obama is rattled and it is a wonderfully fun thing to watch.

[igout]

Agree with Armchair above. The world might prefer that we elect Obama but the world wouldn't have to live with the consequences. Well, not the immediate ones....

[daveinboca]

Good point. You know that Sarah is bouncing around inside Obama's melon on a 24/7 basis and to watch the YouTube is to see that Barry was trying a stand-up schtick that went horribly wrong. The first half had the crowd in titters as it got the reference---he just tried a double-bank cheap shot and now the MSM is trying to pull his chestnuts out of the fire [metaphor alert!]

[Andrew X]

No one has to answer this publically, they only have to answer inside their own head. And I know the answer.

Would we be hearing "it's a common saying"...."well known to all"...."not targeted at anyone"... as the common defense if Senator McCain had said the following:

"Senator Obama seems to react particlarly badly when confronted with the actual facts, which is all I have done. I'm just calling a spade a spade."

Common use? No "other meaning"?Harmless?

What would be the reaction? What would be the reaction EVEN if it could (somehow) be extablished that McCain was not purposely using any racial connotation at all with "spade". What would be the reaction ANYWAY?

Uh huh. You know it, and I know it. So spare us. It IS possible Obama did not "mean it", as have a thousand others who have been crucified by racial demogogues for similar "transgressions". So deal with it.

It is not conservatives that created that reality.

[Stephen Rothbart]

It's not even Obama, but the people in the audience. He uses the word pig and listick and the moment he says lipstick, the audience of women and men in the picture start snickering. He had not even got to the punch line of his joke - 'it's still a pig.' They at least understood the reference, even if Obama failed to understand what his scriptwriters had dropped him in to.

Ugly stuff on all involved.

[Nolan]

I agree I do not think that I have ever seen a speaker that is so poor at thinking on his feet. 0bama is running against Palin and not McCain. You have to remember this was going to be a coronation not a fight!!! Remember what the 0 stands for.

[Melissa]

This is so dumb. I cannot believe that any person with one working brain cell would fall for this latest media creation/ sensation. This entire situation was created by the media for the media. If Obama wanted to talk about Palin he would have said lipstick on a PITBULL! And BTW why is a 43 year old woman having kids anyway? She already has 4. Sounds like an accident to me. She can't even control her own reproductive organs, why would anyone think she is competant to be a vice president?

[Alixfont]

The Smith Act of 1940 makes it a Federal crime to commit sedition (treasonous speech) in support of the overthrow of "any government in the United States". Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party from 1995-2002. Why hasn't the Federal prosecutor in Alaska indicted Todd Palin for sedition for being a member of the Alaska Independence Party which promotes the secession of Alaska from the USA?
Why hasn't any journalist discussed
Sarah Palin's complimentary 2006 video address to the Alaska Independence Party as an act of sedition (treason)?

[unseen]

Shay,

Just wondering. Do you think 9/11 was an inside job?

[Barnstable]

For those whose are saying that, because the phrase "lipstick on a pig" is common, therefore it's okay to use and shouldn't be seen as a dig at Palin, imagine that Mccain stood in front of a crowd in Alabama and offered a couple of other common metaphors:

"Getting Obama to admit he was wrong about the surge is like trying to get the Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe from Colonel Sanders. And Obama's environmental policies are like watermelon--green on the outside and red on the inside."

Still feeling comfy?

[William of Orange]

I am not sure who my audience is but I assume it is to a greater number of people in the U.K. and I wish to be polite.

However, it is the perception of many here that Obama -- his glittering academic credentials and supposed sterling political achievements notwithstanding -- has only been engaged in the enterprise of promoting "ol' number one".

Our press have not held him up to any scrutiny whatsoever during his two-year campaign (yet descend on Palin like a pack of slavering hyenas). He has -- literally -- run against other Democrats and the few in the media who have taken their jobs seriously and has pretty much had things his way.

However, this recent bad patch has been the result of a series of strategic moves by the McCain camp, tagging him as elitist after his vapid, "We are the World" tour, the "experience head-fake" that forced him to pick, arguably, the dullest, most garrulous senator ("Palin's run Alask for two years; Biden's run his mouth for thirty"), and this last selection of the very popular governor of Alaska for vice president.

So he hits a couple of small bumps on a campaign trail over here and gets knocked off stride, off message, and sidetracked into a "depends on what your definition of the word 'lipstick' is" cat fight against the *vice presidential* candidate.

This is largely a no-no over here; the conventional tactic is strategy is pres vs pres and vice-pres vs pres and vice pres.

Who the hell cares who he was talking about with respect to the lipstick and pig remark, it goes to judgement. If he displays poor judgement in this relatively small arena then how's he going to do against the enemies of America who he has pledged to meet with "anywhere, any time, without pre-conditions"?

If he limps across the finish line in November, I do not see his presidency amounting to much but a struggling and confused affair, he and his administration reacting to the declining approval ratings with the glib, off-hand remarks, childish double entendre, and defensiveness that has manifested it self in the last two days.

[A. Reader]

"Putting lipstick on a pig" is a venerable expression denigrating attempts to camouflage a bad idea. "Same old whore in a new dress" is another, more vulgar, way of saying the same thing.

I think Obama meant that Palin was the lipstick, and McCain (or his campaign, or his policies) is the pig. This is not an offensive remark.

[Tony Francis]

It is clear Palin is in Obama's head. But there is something worse. Obama has mentioned Shawn Hannity several times in a derogatory fashion. Hannity is a radio/TV host who has been critical of Obama. It is way below the dignity of a presidential candidate to do this. It raises Hannity to Obama's level. Obama can't take the heat. It is his ego which is getting in the way. This is reminiscent of the rant President Bill Clinton made against radio chatter Rush Limbaugh. It is hardly fitting for the President to let a mere celebrity commentator get the best of him. As far as the pig comment is concerned: who knows what he meant. But in politics, perception is everything. I think Obama wanted to stick it to Palin, and couldn't resist the temptation to do so in front of an eager audience. He got drunk on the momentary power surge he felt.

[kgirl1028]

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/lynnehrlicher/gG5WlV

http://www.democrats.org/page/community/post/elizabethberry/Cgsq

turns out McCain's not being shallow or desperate. Follow the links and you will find out that as early as August the 30 people in the democratic party were using the 'lip stick on a pig " when refering to Palin. obama knew exactly what he was saying and yes he was being vulgar and inconsiderate.

Food for thought, when Hillary Clinton gave her speech and was leaving the stage, the song that was playing was Jay Z's "99 problems but a b*tch aint one. " then you have the middle finger face scratch. All of these show that Mr obama and his democratic cronies are disrespectful to women. I'm going around to as many sites as i can and post these links because A. the public has a right to know that john mccain was not swift boating obama, but telling a truth that people seem to refuse to hear, and B. People needs to see these articles for themselves before they get scrubbed for the websites.

[belisle]

Agree with IGOUT - I do recall the last liberal president - jimmy carter. Barak talk reminds me of that president too much.

In texas - there is a saying - Barak is all hat and no cattle.

[BabbleOn]

Go to the posted URL to learn what one Alaska resident says about Governor Palin's responses to Native Alaskans and African American Alaskans who attempted to reach out to her.

From your friend Andrew Sullivan this morning:
Just a word about the usual excrescence from Karl Rove this morning. Obama knows this lipstick thing is a cynical, knowingly dishonest attempt to push the news cycle one more day into triviality before Palin has to actually face real scrutiny, and we have our first chance to see whether she is who she says she is. It's a desperate tactic to run out the clock or to find a way to navigate the now-tsunami of evidence that Sarah Palin is unfit for the vice-presidency on account of her total lack of knowledge or expertise in foreign affairs, the thinnness and extremism and recklessness of her public record as mayor and governor, and the obvious and most important fact that she clearly cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

Obama mustn't let these schoolyard tactics unbalance him. He hasn't in the slightest, so far, mind you, a feat of astonishing mental and psychological calm. My advice for what it's worth: Hang in. The facts are on your side and the issues are overwhelmingly in your favor. They're trying to force you to blink. Don't. Hysteria will end at some point.

Patience and steel.

Patience and steel.

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[John Ashbery]

This is poor.

'First, demonstrating that McCain had used the same phrase before doesn't cut it.'

Would demonstrating that Obama and many others since the eighties have used the phrase before cut it?

'The reason the pig idea popped into Barack Obama's mouth is that Palin had used the pitbull and lipstick joke in her speech. Can anyone doubt that?'

A rhetorical question is not an argument.

'Second, the character question it raises is not that he is a sexist or that he lacks courtesy.'

Really? You are arguing that Obama called Sarah Palin a 'pig', in public. I'd say that certainly raises a question about his courtesy.

'Obama has looked amazingly uncomfortable under the pressure that Palin has put him under.'

Again, really? I hadn't noticed. Examples, please.

'When he did he reacted badly.'

Examples please, again.

The reason I don't think this is a jibe, is that a jibe has to be conscious. This cannot have been conscious. It's either to be interpreted as parapraxis, betraying Obama's secret distaste for the nominated Republican VP, or genuinely a cliche/ he reached for in the heat of on-the-fly composition, which had he had the chance to reflect he would have avoided like dysentery.

Notice, too, that Palin has called herself a dog.

[Yonkers]

I will happily give my non-American who want Obama to be elected. Just send me a check to cover my tax-bill. Otherwise, shut the hell up.

[Moptop]

"The reason I don't think this is a jibe, is that a jibe has to be conscious. This cannot have been conscious."

Fine, verdict is that he is an idiot.

[Tom A]

I've supported many of Bush's policies over the past 8 years. For 8 years people have been picking apart his verbal gaffes and I've been saying "yeah but that's not what he meant..." It was great for the Democrats to talk about what a moron he was for 8 years instead of having to talk about policy. In short, I find all of this hilarious.

[grumpy old man]

"Obama should have taken on Hillery as his running mate and I think he may have just clinched it!"
Dave, that would be like King Malcolm inviting Lady Macbeth to be his Chief Councillor.
What he should have done is allow Hillary to spend more time with her $12,000,000 campaign debt instead of showing weakness by giving her a multi-million dollar handout.

[Stuart Schneiderman]

If Obama's remark had been an unfortunate and unintended slight against Sarah Palin, he would immediately have apologized. Since Obama has not apologized and has accused the McCain campaign of over-reacting, Finkelstein is correct to say that it must be taken as intentional. You do not have to be a mind-reader to know this. The behavior makes it clear.

[bill]

The humorous part is that when Obama called out the MSM on focusing on fluff and out-of-context quotes instead of the issues at hand, you missed it completely.

You fell for a more divisionary tactic hook-line-and-sinker. At this point, you should turn your journalistic credentials in if this is what makes the news instead of, you know, actual news.

[d00d]

Note that when McCain can't remember how many houses he has, the Obama campaign tried milking it for everything they could get.
I would suggest that that incident was not newsworthy at all, that it was a "distraction from the issues", & the media shouldn't have spent a week talking about it on behalf of the Obama campaign.

This lipstick/pig thing is in the same category.

If Obama wanted to win, he woulda picked Clinton.

McCain gets points for being politically astute. Life just got harder on Obama at this point.

[Vox Personaque]

I can and do doubt that the comments were related. It's like saying MLK wrote "I have a vision" because he happened to walk past an eye doctor a week earlier. Taking two unrelated phrases and fabricating correlation is nothing short of asinine. If he wanted to take a pot shot at Palin, I can promise you he could have done a much better job with it.
Obama doesn't have to make things up to make a point.

[Lee]

Once again, an uppity black man is punished for interrupting Missy or saying something out of line.

It's OK when a white guy like McCain says it about a white woman like Hillary, but it is wrong when a black guy like Obama says anything about a white woman like Sarah. Especially if Sarah says the word "lipstick" means her, and belongs to her now, and others can't touch it without her permission and approval. She also needs John McCain to defend her from the words of black men- she can't say something herself in the matter, because she's too ladylike.

[laurence haughton]

I very much support Obama but...

I would expect that as a married man he had experienced a flip throw-away-comment turned into a big deal.

And as an intelligent man I would have expected that he would have learned that the best course in those circumstances is to apologize without arguing the fine points of the intent or meaning. I'll bet he's done that at home (most of us have).

It appears to me (as it does to you) that his better judgement is being drowned out by the shouts from the least mature, and least cool of his supporters. They're the ones who are going to ruin this thing.

[David]

Nice try Stu and Ace:

Whatever Obama intended by his remark, any person watching the incident can see that his supporters clearly inferred that he was taking a personal jibe at Palin. And, they bellowed and hooted their approval of the jibe. So, assuming arguendo that you are correct that he did not intend to take a personal swipe at Palin, it can only mean that his supporters lack intelligence, manners, and good taste. Sorry to see that you both are aligning yourselves with such people.

[Dave]

What's fascinating about this is that the speed with which this happens means one thing:

McCain's marketing people decided that they were going to make a sexism claim, and had all the materials ready other than the actual sexist act. So they had at least one person whose sole job was to watch everything Obama said until something could be interpreted as sexist, at which point they immediately push the button.

[jblog]

"Obama mustn't let these schoolyard tactics unbalance him."

Too late.

In fact, what's really happening is the tactics he's been employing for the past four months are now being used by him.

Every time he's been criticized -- whether it be for associating with racists, terrorists, or criminals, or his celebrity status, or his experience -- he's retreated to the race-card defense.

Now, he's facing an opponent who can do the same thing, except with gender.

And with this one, he walked right into it with the lipstick remark.

Frankly, if he was a smart as everyone says he is, he would have known that the McCain campaign would play his remark the way it did, and he would have avoided it.

I think his knees are buckling.

Good luck Guys we in the old countries are preparing for ww3

[Amelia]

I agree with a commentator above that Obama's absence of an apology is telling.

If he really didn't mean it, he would have/should have said he was horrified that people thought he was making a crude remark about this woman or any woman, as denigrating one woman denigrates all, that verbal abuse against women has existed from the beginning of history through the present leading to physical abuse, discrimination--yadda yadda--all the things the Democratic party is against and he's sorry if he unintentionally left that impression.

Instead Obama's response was defensive/agressive--how absurd and silly are the critics and the media. He says the criticism is evidence that no one's talking about real issues but the charge of trash talking a woman is a real issue, an issue he failed to respond to.

[julie]

Obama clearly knew what he was doing, and has come over very badly indeed. He really does not behave like any other presidential contender I've seen. If he wins and the West has Barack and Brown as main leaders then God help us all.

[PARep]

Well on the Gun issue, I was actually refreshed to hear Obama take it on. He said he supports the Ammendment, he will not (and here is where it was telling) "take away your shotgun, I will not take away your..rifle, I wont even take away your Handgun" That was the end of the made for radio soundbyte. He lost me there, because he is the same Diane Sweinstein pick and choose what I think you should own gun control democrat. I am a Republican by registration, but I vote issues not party lines. I see Obama being too inexperienced, and feel that he went into government with this as a goal, and is shooting for the net too soon. of the 3 or so years he has been in the Senate, over 2 of that has been spent on some level campaighning for President. That is very telling as well.

Is McCain the cure all/end all? Of course not. I think he has gone against the grain on big issues though. While the the Obama campaigh drives home it was only 10% of the time. Well it was the most crucial 10%. better than none huh. You have to choose your battles, and fight the good fight. sometimes you get a little mud on ya though. Any person with a marginally funtional cerebral cortex should look at it not as a Red/Blue, Dem/Rep but what have they done already, what have they said, and what have they done that they said they would do.

[Terrance]

Ohh, all sorts of fail in the blow.

1. The phrase is common in US culture and one that is very common usage well before Obama and McCain's saying of it.

2. Obama has handled this correctly, calling it out for the fecal matter it is.

3. Palin has put no pressure on him at all. He's even called folks to lay off her family because they are not important.

If nothing else, his handling of this deserves kudos instead of ridicule for the trumped up, faux-righteous indignation it is. If even Bill O'Reilly is defending Obama, you know something is rotten in the state of Denmark. And no, that's not a jibe at the good folks of Denmark.

[paul canning]

Partisan crap Danny. Anyone hearing the comment in context can hear it.

Post about the sleazy 'Willie Horton' ad from McCain about Obama, Kindergarten kids and sex-ed if you want to talk 'character'.

Going to? Thought not.

[Toy Gunn]

"Here are a few thoughts of my own on the lipstick on a pig moment (see this earlier post for the views of others).

First, demonstrating that McCain had used the same phrase before doesn't cut it.

The reason the pig idea popped into Barack Obama's mouth is that Palin had used the pitbull and lipstick joke in her speech. Can anyone doubt that?"

Anyone with half an ounce of intelligence can deny it. If Obama meant to call Palin a pig in that comment then he also said she smelled like an old fish wrapped in newspaper. Where is the outrage with that? Clearly he said Palin needs to douche; that or you guys are grasping at straws and missed that one.

McCain wants to tax your employer sponsored health insurance benefits as taxable income, eliminate employer tax breaks for providing health insurance, and replace it with a token tax credit that won't cover the price of the benefits we are losing. Why does John McCain want to eliminate the one part of the health care system that actually works?

Or is that too much on the issues? It seems you like petty bickering over discussing real issues that working class Americans face.

[Richard]

I didn't actually believe Obama intended to insult Palin until I watched the clip. But then I realised he knew exactly what he was doing. What's interesting is that now, after it's caused such a storm, he hasn't just said: I'm sorry. Even, I didn't mean it (sic) but I'm still sorry if I offended you - that's beneath me. Then it is over. Now it lingers. The 'new' Barack who won't take your guns away, thought about joining the military and misspoke about abortion better find the old Barack in a hurry or it's over. I won't miss him.

[Nan]

Unseen,
Just wondering. Do you think Shay is old enough to remember 9/11?

[Barb]

If Obama used it purposefully, it shows he is very witty and clever and can think fast on his feet.

It is a common expression -- those who live in caves must not realize that!

Palin is a disaster -- her Valley Girl voice aside, I cannot imagine her dealing with foreign officials.

She will turn them off MORE SO or AS MUCH AS Bush has with his in-your-face- swaggering ways.

I think she could get us into more war with her attitudes and demeanor.

[Barb]

David, you said: intend to take a personal swipe at Palin, it can only mean that his supporters lack intelligence, manners, and good taste. Sorry to see that you both are aligning yourselves with such people.
********
Get real! As if McCain and Palin haven't made sarcastic, sneering comments since this campaign began?

It can only work one way?

Typical hypocrit!

[Vi]

[sarcasm] I just love how the republicans, the media, and commentators focus on the REAL ISSUES that matter in this election. And while we're at it, why don't we focus at how OUTRAGED pigs are at this misrepresentation. After all pigs don't even have lips![/sarcasm]

[David/California]

Let me give my U.S. perspective.

BO committed a major political gaffe, but not because of what he said or meant to say. He committed a gaffe because of what his audience HEARD. It is indisputable that his audience heard an insult to his political opponent, and it’s unquestionable most listeners since have heard a slur of Sarah Palin.

Don’t blame me for this upside-down criteria. This is the rule established after Trent Lott’s infamous birthday party - offense is in the mind of the listener, whatever the speaker may have intended. Otherwise ‘macaca’ would still be a random noise in our politics.

The point domestic and foreign commentators (and most of the commenters, above) seem to be missing (deliberately in most cases, I believe) is it’s irrelevant what BO intended by his remark. The Culture of Victimhood rules that its not the action that determines offense - it’s your ‘feelings’ about it.

The Cult of the Left in the U.S. is probably regretting convincing the American public that’s a reasonable requirement, especially given how McCain has taken advantage of it.

BO is currently undergoing the three stages of ‘gaffe management’ - denial, confrontation, and, ultimately, apology - and I’m watching with fascination.

[Hippie_chucker_has_to_be_smrt]

Wow. It's obvious that this column is a republican feeding trough where the lipstick laden pigs heartily devour the garbage slopped through the tiny openings in their narrow minds.

[Muggins]

It's not very credible that a slick lawyer like Obama would not understand what he was saying. I would prefer the subject be about the pressing issues of the day, both in Europe and in the United States, and that's energy and national defense.

[Steve A]

All I have to say is, more than 2,000,000 additional voters have registered as Democrats, while more than 350,000 fewer voters have registered as Republicans. That, coupled with the heavy primary turnout, is telling me these people aren't registering in order to continue the failed Republican policies and war-mongering.

[Mubarak]

Obama is the prototypical bubble boy. His thoughts, like his actions and speech, are rehearsed and rote. His "cool" is part of his shtick, and without it his entire persona melts. It is sad to watch.

[BabbleOn]

I'm female, graduated from high school in 1966, and I raised three children as a single parent. To me, Sarah Palin is Scarey Spice.

http://freerangewriting.blogspot.com

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5778856&page=1

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122109403841221751.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news

[Steve Gregg]

Well said, Brother Finkelstein!

Obama's problem is that he has not talked to many people who disagreed with him, but rather only to friendly audiences. He's awfully good at doing a MLK-lite impression, throwing his high-sounding but empty platitudes down like lightning bolts on his adoring audiences, who applaud his very sneezes. He's not so good at dialogue with people who disagree with him. His ideas have not been tested and tempered in debate and consequently he stammers, hedges, and backtracks when challenged face to face.

Obama suffers from the same intellectual sterility his entire party suffers from: They live in a lefty bubble of dogma. They don't debate the other side, they dismiss it. They're as self-righteous as Wahhabis.

Consequently, Obama does not play defense well and is set back on his heels by the Republican challenge. I expect him to fare badly in the debates. He's wrong for America and should be defeated.

[Robin]

Obama continues to say he wants to talk about the issues... ok.. issues:

1. Socialized healthcare; Do Americans really want that? I, for one, do not. I like having the choice of healthcare. People come from all over the world to benefit from our exceptional healthcare system.

2. Income Redistribution; He says he will reduce income taxes to 95% of Americans.(I fall in to the Middle Class, I would see a reduction in Income Taxes) Well, in his plan, the 40 something percent who PAY NO INCOME TAXES will be sent a check, a rebate, from $500 to $1000. That is not a tax reduction, that is a lie.
3. Death Taxes; Really? what a crock death taxes are. The person who made the money has already paid income taxes on the money. Then, they die and leave their money to their descendants, and the govt. takes even more taxes from money that has previously been taxed sufficiently.

OK ... Senator Obama... let's get back to issues. Your plans will forever cripple the American economy, the American healthcare system. The American way of life will be no more... If you have your way, our country will become a Socialist Welfare State. I, for one, have no desire to be a part of that!

[paul canning]

More from Olbermann, with numerous pig-oriented clips from McCain
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/26649024#26649024

Danny, let's see you go head-2-head with Andy Sullivan over these tactics!

[Anthony]

C’mon get real, she’s just a small-town bully who took public speaking class. And as for fitness for office, picking on the town librarian and other decent public servants isn’t in quite the same league as negotiating with Hu Jintao, Putin and the big guys in a world which is a tiny bit more complicated than outback Alaska.

Mind, her running mate (or is it the other way round?) is even weirder. McCain deservedly earned intense admiration for his courage as a wounded prisoner in Vietnam. But he’s completely forfeited any respect by endlessly bleating on about it. JFK, George Bush Sr and good old Bob Dole were all war heroes but maintained a decent reticence and, yes, actually talked about the troubles facing America. And, by god, haven’t three decades of Republican ascendancy left plenty of those…

Truth is, the bad-tempered moneybags and the village pit-bull make a bizarre duo. Just hope for the sake of the greatest country ever invented that sense prevails on voting day.

[Susan]

Very clear why Obama did not select Hillary for his VP... Can't compete with the female, who wants a whimp for President.

[Juliette]

"The reason the pig idea popped into Barack Obama's mouth is that Palin had used the pitbull and lipstick joke in her speech. Can anyone doubt that?"
No and no. This is a very used phrase, Obama didn't invent it. If he has to refrain from using popular expressions to avoid offending Palin - and if this makes bigger news than foreign policy, or the economy, or climate change, then I definitively lose all hope in American politics.
Republicans were quick to tell Clinton not to play the gender card, and I agreed with them. May they remember not to do it themselves.

[C.S.]

As an American following this election closely I must say that this commentary is utter rubbish.
Obama's comment was not directed at Palin. It was directed at McCain's sudden shift in campaign stategy. The Republican candidate has for almost a year now spoken in the platform of support for the Bush Administration. In the last week he has all of a sudden says he is a champion for change. Change has been Obama's platform form the get go. What Obama's comment meant was you can't simply dress something up as something else and try to pass it off as the something else.
It was not a jab at Palin.

[Greg Moore, Palmer, Alaska]

Daniel,

Thanks for your dead on review of Obama. Sara might be from small town America and Governor of one of the smallest (pop) States, but she is the executive of a State with enough money in the bank that every person in the State will get a check for $3200.00 this Friday. She also a fighter that does not give up or quiver at the sight of a formidable opponent. Obama is falling apart and completely consumed with just treading water. The Dem's are idiots for not selecting Hillary as their VP.

[Chris]

Election run-ups are like extremely complex chess games of the highest order. That Obama would dare to use this phrase without realising how it would come to haunt him later, despite it being a phrase in use all over the place (this is a different situation with a different set of rules), seems to demonstrate a great lack of foresight. Statesmanlike leadership abilities usually put this sort of gutter business back in the gutter and rise above it. Unfortunately, his reaction shows weakness.

[Jill]

If Sarah Palin and her husband have five children it is their business. If she had the last one in her 40s that is their business too!! The family is not on welfare and does not depend on financial support from society at large. Having five children has nothing to do with her ability to govern.

[Frank]

The suggestions that a black guy called Barack Hussien Obama who has risen from no where to defeat the formidable Clintons and then have to take on the nefarious Republicans has had it easy is laughable !!

[Irwin]

sorry dude, looks like you've fallen for the classic Republican way of campaigning...

Republicans are losing... they will never win on policy points, due to the whole Iraq issue.

So what do they do? Resort to painting the opponent as a sexist, racist, draft dodger... whatever works for them and against the Democrats...

They know Obama was just using a phrase that is common place. But they also know that journalists will immediately associate it with Palin's bulldog in lipstick comments...

Milk it for all it's worth and make Obama look like a loose tempered sexist.

Bad timing for Obama certainly, but he's not reacted any worse than McCain in the months he was being ignored whislt the press fauned over Obama.

That's why Palin was appointed, not because she's the perfect candidate to run American government, but that she'd steal Obama's limelight, and gather interest, excitement and attention for a previously faltering Republican campaign.

You can tell the Republicans haven't chosen her for her political brilliance- her speech ignored all the actual issues and instead consisted mostly of generic right wing, patriotic rhetoric and baseless attacks on Obama.

And in a tv interview in which Obama, McCain and Biden are going to be grilled, Palin in conspicuous in her absence.

[John D]

So Obama's remark about lipstick on a pig did mean anthing?

But according to Obama's buddy Deval Patrick Republicans using the term "Cammunity Organizer" is code for Black people?

Of course Obama meant Palin. The only ones that are saying he was not are Obama supporters.

That's kind of like the media always reporting that the recently convicted murderer's mother doesn't think he did it. Not very convincing.

What's worse is the fact that Obama doesn't appear to be able to take the pressure and sharp elbows that go with politics outside the controlled enviroment of the Daley machine.

Coming up through a politcal machine doesn't necessarily mean you're disqualified. Harry Truman was a KC machine politician. But he said something that seems to fit in this case. "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

Things are starting to get heated, which is not a bad thing. I would like to see both sides quit with the 'victim card'.

There's nothing special or particularly honorable about being a victim.

[Chris]

The "it's a common expression" argument simply holds no water. If it had been said in a vacuum and not on the heels of the hockey mom/pitbull line, one of the more memorable lines of Gov. Palin's nomination speech, I would gladly concede the point that it is a common expression. But it wasn't. Watch, and listen to, the pig lipstick clip. The look on Sen. Obama's face and the reaction of the audience leaves little doubt what was meant by the comment.

[DOUGLAS]

Palin v. Obama 2008?

I think it very unbecoming of a President for someone like McCain to run his race in the shadows of a strong female counterpart. Where is he in all this? Why is it always Palin and Obama in the media? If this is a "campaign of personalities," what's McCain's personality? Or does he even have one?
People, let's not forget that it is McCain running for Presidency.

[Kate]

I strongly disagree with this post. If you look at Obama's interview with David Letterman (http://jezebel.com/5048408/barack-obama-on-lipstick-pigs-and-no-longer-being-the-coolest-kid) he explains the origins of the comment, "lipstick pig" means dressing something with different words to camoflauge its inferiority. It's stupid how the media has distorted this to mean that somehow he was calling Sarah Palin a pig. You really think this is about Obama's maintaining his composure? Please, it's about you, the author, interpreting the incident exactly as the Republicans want you to.

[JT]

If you saw Palin's first interview on national television tonight with ABC's Charlie Gibson, it is a preview of Gov. Palin's downfall. She was angry and lacking in what it takes to be the 45th U.S. president. She advocated NATO membership for Georgia and then said that if Russia invaded the U.S. could go to war. It's just the beginning of how journalists will peel back the character of this most unqualified candidate. Be patient, democats. Sarah Palin could be your best friend in defeating John McCain.

[David Fowler]

Obama does not think well on his feet, apart from a prepared, written text. He should have never said anything that could have been taken as a direct insult at Palin. She is more popular than him at this point. Just more evidence that he is not prepared to
occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

[Jack]

Stop over analysing non important stuff like this and talk about the issues affecting America and who is providing the best plans to address them.

The media are failing the voters ever time they react to this trash.

[Joanne]

Don't have time to read ALL the comments but at least Shay had something to say in favor of the Dems. Otherwise is seems like propaganda for the Reps. I'm an independent myself!

[Gulliver O'Brien]

"Whatever Obama intended by his remark, any person watching the incident can see that his supporters clearly inferred that he was taking a personal jibe at Palin"

What nonsense. Supporters can infer all they want Dave. Do you think the cause of serious political discussion was served by this moronic GOP attack? Isn't it just great? We face severe financial meltdown and costly military stalemate and all we want to talk about is lipstick and imaginary sexism. Is this what Americans mean by "model democracy"?

[luxomni]

For months now, Obama has been the suave, cool, impressive fresh face who was outsmarting Hillary Clinton to the delight of a fawning press corp.

Now all of a sudden, the Big Zero finds himself fighting with his opponent's number two and floundering badly. If he can just keep his foot out of his mouth long enough, he will be able to right his campaign, but the vulnerabilities have been shown and much damage has been done.

Instead of being 15 points ahead of McCain and cruising toward the White House, the Big Zero has a fight on his hands. Rookies do make mistakes.

[Dean Rodrigues]

Danny,

Having read this blog pretty much since it began all those years ago, I think this is a groundbreaking moment - for the first time I disagree with you.

Of course when it rains, it falls - and with that I don't just disagree with you, but think you've gone absolutely off your rocker. I fail to see how any sane (and European, thus detached) commentator can possibly make such an analysis of a situation.

Have a look at the video of Obama that was posted by Hannah Strange on the "Over the Pond" blog. Does that really look to you like someone who "can't handle pressure" or "has made a mistake"? I'm just amazed that the Republicans, and now you - a European, of all people - can be stupid enough to think that Obama could be so stupid.

Bad call, Danny.

[Oz]

Utter rot from start to finish Mr Finkelstein. I really am astonished at how anybody in your position could be so wide of the mark.

If Mr Obama did indeed want to have a dig at Ms Palin I am in no doubt that a man of his intellect could have formulated something far more sophisticated than a crude sexist joke. It's a phrase commonly used in Illinois and to take something completely innocuous like that so recklessly out of context and twist it into some kind of sexist jibe is lazy, tabloid journalism.

It really does call into question your own personal feelings on sexual equality if your immediate reaction is to assume it's a sexist remark. Judging others by your own standards as it were.

Next time do a little bit of research before typing such drivel. The entire entry is completely ill conceived with little or no substantiation.

As Mr Obama himself said on the matter, If you actually take the metaphor further in the way it was twisted, the interpretation doesn't really make any sense. If he had been referring to Ms Palin in the remark then she would actually have been the lipstick and not the pig. The whole thing is a ridiculous farce perpetuated by an increasingly desperate Republican party.

I'm very disappointed in The Times for posting this nonsense and to read some of the misguided comments that followed really does make me wonder if we are indeed doomed to another four years of inept and inefficient leadership.

[Chris Wood]

The America public will seize on anything to avoid real issues. Articles like yours help to keep the election trivial.

[Diana]

You are oh-so-wrong about the lipstick on the pig comment. I happened to be at that rally and Obama scarcely mentioned Ms. Palin the whole time, except early on in the event when he commended her for being able to keep up with 5 children. (He added that he could hardly keep up with his two). I truly believe his audience in their uproarious laughter took that comment in a way that he did not intend it.

[LoachDriver]

From the postings it appears that the concensus is Obama's pig comment was a stupid mistake whether it was a gaffe or a deliberate insult. For one thing, it belittled Obama himself. For another, it was a wasteful distraction for Obama's campsign. In addition, it probably cost him votes.

But it didn't cost him my vote; I was going to vote for McCain anyway. Still intend to do so.

[CWM]

Pit bull or pomeranian? You would think if she were really a pit bull she could take it with or without the lipstick!

[One Voter]

Obama showed his character in spring when, in a speech, he sold his own grandmother, the woman who reared him, paid for his education, and demonstrated the value of hard work while rising to a management position in a male-dominated field. The edition of the Harvard Law Review is the least cited one of the past 20 years. He doesn't have the internal strength to be president. I've worked for the DNC and for Democrats over the past 20 years. For the first time, I cannot in good conscience & will not vote for the democratic candidate.