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McCain Plays Gender Card in Pig Ploy
LEBANON, Virginia -- Sen. John McCain played the gender card on Tuesday night, seizing on a hackneyed statement by Sen. Barack Obama to claim, rather implausibly, that the Democratic nominee was calling Gov. Sarah Palin a pig.
To even entertain McCain's far-fetched attack, one would have to think Barack Obama had a political death wish. Rather than attack Palin, however, Obama has spent the past few days praising her story and personal characteristics at each stop here at events in Virginia, Ohio and Michigan. He has confined all of his criticism to policy differences.
I was sitting at a press table in the Virginia gym as Obama rattled through two cliches to argue that the McCain/Palin ticket could not deliver change. First, Obama reached for a farm analogy: "You can put lipstick on a pig," he said. "It's still a pig." Then he said, "you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink." The pig cliche went from Politico to Drudge before Obama had left the stage. The McCain camp pounced with an emergency conference call, and the press corps unthinkingly dug into the story.
McCain surrogate Jane Swift accused Obama of talking about Palin and demanded an apology. Swift said she thought Obama was referencing Palin because she is the only candidate who wears lipstick. I guess that means no one can take offense at the fish analogy, since none of the candidates are wrapped in newspaper.
This entire non-event -- a candidate uses a common cliche in passing while answering a question about "change" -- barely merits any reporting at all. (It definitely isn't worth the lead of the AP's traveling report on what Obama did today, for example.) Don't take my word for it; even the journalist who jump-started this drama said so. Amie Parnes, who I've been sitting next to on Obama's plane, added this addendum to her short lipstick post:
The McCain campaign is now saying Obama called Palin a pig, which he didn't. They also note that "lipstick is a fairly common idiom he often uses," as in a recent Washington Post interview. McCain has also used the phrase...(emphasis added)
The Atlantic
's Marc Ambinder also swiftly debunked McCain's ploy. But the distraction is already upending the news cycle -- and I haven't even seen a television yet, (since we're en route to the airport). This is the kind of blatantly false charge that works even when reported skeptically, because it shouldn't be reported at all.Campaign journalists don't need to cover two sides to every lie; especially an outlandish gender card trick like this one. (For skeptical readers, I'll note that I filed several policy pieces about Obama today, including one from the Lebanon event; I'm wading into the pig ploy with the minor goal of providing some context from the road.)
Actual sexism still infects our culture and our politics, of course, but John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin undermine the fight for equality when they falsely and cynically stage fake offenses. McCain's decision to put a woman on his ticket was laudable and inspiring, (as I've written before), and regardless of the motives, it was good for the country. McCain's overall conduct is more significant than that single decision, however. His cynical attempt to cloak his ticket in gendered victimhood is an offense to all women and men who value equality, and any voters who still desire a campaign devoted to a truthful debate of the issues.
Original piece here.
Ari Melber is traveling with the Obama campaign for The Washington Independent, blogging from the road here and Twittering here.
Follow Ari Melber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AriMelber
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ah, no John, YOU actually called your VP a pig...
If the lipstick fits...
a pig by any other name is still a pig.
Women: do your thing!
http://womenagainstsarahpalin.org/
Don't let McCain hide behind this female governor.
More HOGWASH from John McCain.
Obama needs to keep repeating the lipstick on a pig phrase until it sticks. It describes exactly what they're doing and they're scared.
George W. Bush is the Original Maverick and YOU John McCain are NO Maverick.
Gender Card...Race Card as soon as the Dems start losing they pull out this old time favorite...Too bad it never works
In case you cannot read, the article states that McCain Camp has been pulling out the gender care, keep up slow one. Yes, too bad it never works.
Never stops 'em from trying though.
What's next? McCain demands an apology for the word "tired" or "old" used in a stump speech?
Senator Obama you'd better not give one iota! Do not apologize nor try to explain! Treat the accusation with the derision that it deserves and do not go on the defense as they want you to do. Stand by every word you said. It's time for the people who should be apologizing to apologize and that's John McCain, his pitbull and the Rethugs!
RIGHT ON LET THE PITBULL TAKE A HIT SHE SAID SHE WAS A PIT BULL SO BE TOUGH AND LET'S MOVE ON THE ELECTIONS ARE NEAR . DEBATES I AM READY UP NEXT PALIN !
I'm sad that she said she's a pit bull - implying the stereotype that they are attack dogs when in fact they are very sweet.
Unfortunately, I remember someone on this very site saying something during the primaries about holding their nose and voting for Obama (a common expression, as I recall, for voting for someone you're not thrilled with), and someone else immediately jumped down his/her throat with, "Are you implying that black people smell?"
Just recently, too, the people on a progressive radio show (one which I love, incidentally), freaked out over someone on a right-wing talk show calling Obama "the boy who cried wolf." So unfortunately the silliness isn't all on the other side.
Oh please. The other side is far from silly, they are evil, money-hungry, slugs filled with themselves. Not to mention, that they took this election straight to the gutter and intend to keep it there and if you can't see that then trust you have more to worry about than this election.
Silliness? I call it downright deceptive.
No party lies so blatantly, so shamelessly as the Republicans. Even when confronted with video evidence of themselves saying the opposite, or endorsing a policy that they now decry!
It is the fault of Journalists and their rating whores of corporate masters that have led us to this point.
I thought men were pigs? Is Obama saying Palin is a man? And then of course if that's true, is she more of a man than he is?
NO OBAMA HAS CLASS AND WE ARE IN A ELECTION YEAR LET'S GET BACK TO THE ISSUES . THIS OTHER CRAB IS SILLY . MCCAIN AND PALIN SHOULD GET TO THE ISSUES AND STOP WITH THE ONELINERS AND KARL ROVE TRASH TALKING PIONTS THEY ARE CORNY.
she's got testicular fortitude!
Being that I ,watch the speech on CNN and he was talking about the policies and not the people. The jigs up Mac!!!
PLUS the fact that it can most likely be seen in it's entirety anywhere on the web.
Wasn't it Palin who said the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom is lipstick?
Yup. She's the one who opened the doggie door.
Frankly, I've been calling McCain a pig for years.
The Republicans are so good at throwing their hands in the air and screaming "VICTIM!!" every time someone looks at them sideways. I really think they're genetically wired for paranoia.
Christians love their martyrs, also.
"Opened the doggie door." Love it! That's exactly what she did.
Of course...they think the terrorists are out to get them .
As long as the Republicans and the Media can keep the masses focused on this inane stuff, McCain and/or Palin don't have to discuss the issues. McCain doesn't have to defend the fact that he is going to give us 4 more years of failed Bush policies.
I believe Obama just tipped McCain's hand...AND his nototious temper McCain almost became hysterical on the subject. I believe Obama was referring to the subject lf "Change"...it's not the Dems fault that McCain made the huge leap to equate his runningmate to a pig. Palin doesn't have the market cornered on the word "lipstick". Perhaps she should've given another analogy other than the cutesy lipstick/pitbull...maybe speak about real issues. She's playing with the big dogs now. McCain should help her pick another shade. Lets see if she or he can pronounce the word Chanel.
It was a very stupid thing to say. He was taling about Pallin.
It describes very well the McCain campaign extreme makeover by pretending to be about change. You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so you might as well vote for Obama.
Was it equally as stupid when McCain said exactly the same thing about Hillary? I don't recall such an outpouring of indignation then.
He was NOT talking about Palin...he was talking about their policies.
However, he is not stupid...like the rethugs like to repeat certain phrases to (thanks, but no thanks) (maverick) he is using it to LINK what he can to McPalin.
No joke, I'm getting frightened. McCain & Co.'s lies seem to be working -- donate to Obama's campaign and speak to undecided friends, or we may very well have another four years of "Hail to the Thief!"
Can the Obama camp now accuse McCain of "playing the gender card" just like they accused him of "playing the race card" when he didn't?
No, see, it's only permissible to act like a victim when you're not if you whine appropriately. Obama really doesn't do "woe is me" very well, and he's too informed and intelligent for people to buy him as a victim anyway. Of course, a doddering old fool and a corrupt young idiot are easy to sympathize with because their deficiencies are so evident,
Unfortunately, if you bother to point out their political failures, they'll use the victim card that plays to the very same stereotypes against which they claim to be speaking out.
the mccain camp jumped too quickly and wrongly on this comment - they exposed their game. it's hooey - and it's obvious they're reaching.
excellent way of looking at it!
Perhaps Obama is waiting just a bit...and THEN he'll jump on this.
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