When Life Gives You Pigs with Lipstick, Make Sexy Bacon

Glenn Greenwald is understandably apoplectic that the chattering classes are wasting any of our precious time talking about whether Obama was making a sexist remark about Sarah Palin when he used a phrase no one has ever heard before, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

Greenwald writes: "The only actual story here is how brazenly deceitful and cynical the McCain campaign is, and what helpful and easily manipulated allies the establishment media is in all of that. The efforts of a few isolated reporters to debunk the story won't end up mattering much because, once injected into the Freak Show stew with the help of Jake Tapper, AP and MSNBC, it festers."

Mmmm! Festering stew! Greenwald is right up to a point. But he's missing something that I sincerely hope the Obama camp does not, which is that Obama can make this idiotic non-story work for him by repeating the line over and over again. As Mickey Kaus muses, in the extremely unlikely possibility that Obama intended people to think of Sarah Palin, the quip is deviously "brilliant" in "memorably undermining three of her central virtues at once... 1) Attractive 2) Anti-pork 3) Non-Bush anti-Washington reformer." And I'll add a more important 4) this may be the best opportunity Obama has to get the media talking about which candidate really does offer a change.

Think about it. All Obama needs to say is, "Recently I compared John McCain's ideas about changing Washington to putting lipstick on a pig. John got all upset by this. Apparently he thinks putting lipstick on a pig is enough. I've tried to look at it from his perspective, but I'm sorry, all I'm still seeing is a pig. Now, if he wants to argue that you can put lipstick on a pig and make it not a pig, that's a debate I'm happy to have."

The folksy, self-parodying language is important, because it communicates to voters that Obama thinks this is a big joke, and he's having fun with it, while still making a real point. If McCain and Palin respond to that by whining again about sexism, they're going to look like thin-skinned, humorless, and cynical. Obama's surrogates could hammer that home: "The idea that this has anything to do with women is ridiculous. Hillary Clinton is a tough leader. When John McCain used the exact same phrase about her, she didn't throw a tantrum."

Sensing that they're losing traction, the McCain camp will have to shut up and move on. But Obama won't let them. He'll use the line every opportunity he gets, forcing the media to make "he's still saying it" part of the story. And since the sexist angle will already have played out, maybe they'll start arguing about whether McCain really is putting metaphorical lipstick on a metaphorical pig. Regardless of what they conclude, the fact that it's been repeated over and over again on the news will trigger an automatic response in voters minds: When John McCain says "change" think "lipstick on a pig."

Comments

[iraaolcom]

Obama's statement was a reference to Palin's support of PORK BARREL SPENDING--which she lied about in her convention speech. As both a mayor and governor, she has actively lobbied for and accepted all the EARMARK CASH she could--including that for the "Bridge To Nowhere".

[Whinger]

Personally I prefer Ms Piggy, being environment friendly a much more attractive option!

[DarthVector]

Yay!

[Rockerbabe]

In Dekalb County, GA, pit bulls are illegal. The owners are ticketed, the dogs taken away. Maybe we need to do that to Palin. A pig with lipstick is still a pig and I know a few pit bulls and rotweillers who are not happy with the Palin analogy. Palin, put her on a stick and BBQ her bad attitude, then send her back to Alaska whence she came.

[wearyvoter]

Morph Karl Rove into John McCain...then apply the lipstick.

[mesut]

I like the post and find it might be effective if used the way you described. (Loving the smell of bacon)

[Ave-Gabrielle]

In my college graduated family we have a couple sayings. "You can give a dog a college degree, it's still a dog." "You can paint a garbage can solid gold, it's still a garbage can." So, a pig with lipstick is not an attack on pretty Sarah Palin. It was probably a generalize remark made referring to her lack of qualification. Not poorly made--because isn't it the Republican McCain party who is trying to refer to Barack as a man who wants to teach sex to kindergardners? So who's attack is the most disgusting? Wait. I forgot. This country likes wasting time on the unimportant to divert our attention away from the real important topics. Let's bring up Paris Hilton's jailtime, Anna Nichole's death, Reverend Wright, Michelle's comments on her "patriotism," even Palin's 17 year old pregnant daughter. Let's not look at a man, Barack, who is trying to speak to the Republican party about not being divisive and stick with the ISSUES and BARACK wants to unify us but we're (my words) bubble heads who bobble at any and every noise in the room. Here's a phrase: this is stupid.

[smag]

Look Folks. I know that the Dems and GOP want to "WIN" this presidential thing but it is not for any wonderful selfless reason. It is Power and money and nothing else. Obama and McCain couldn't tell the truth even if their bribe money was on the line. I don't care about this pig thing. It is an expression used from time to time but as we have all learned with special groups, if you say something that woudl otherwise be harmless to someong in a "special status" then you catch hell. With all of the pros on the Obama staff they had to know this would be a suddle slap. They just misread the temp of the public at the moment. At some time they are going to have to talk facts, figures, real plans and commitments. Not just trust me slogans.

[knighthowl]

Sorry, I first heard this phrase as a child in Indiana. No rational person would believe it to be sexist. There would be no reason to suppose this would be taken as a "suddle" (subtle, perhaps) slap.

Apart from the idiotic, Obama did go on to talk specifics and real plans for education reform. You cannot believe that the media has shown all the content of a presentation because they have shown one clip over and over.

[ewoman]

Hey - if Obama won't keep saying it, a number of supporters will - it shows, as you say, the lack of depth that the McCain camp has reached. I'm still trying to find a way to connect pig to pork. I'm sure it won't take long...

[rixter1965]

Reading this column earlier, then --- just now -- watching McCain supporter Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) on HARDBALL, she (and other Republicans making similar remarks) seem to be following a mainstay of their ideology through to its logical conclusion. They have privatized government functions (including war), they have partially privatized natural resources in national parks and on Federal land, and they would like to privatize Social Security, so it stands to reason that would like to privatize vocabulary. Summing up Rep. Fallin: because Gov. Palin used the word "lipstick" in a prime time speech -- in "one of her punchlines," Fallin said -- Obama's using a phrase involving the word "lipstick" and pig, ipso facto means he was talking about Sarah Palin. Really!?!

[donkat]

Absolutely correct.

[Openeyes]

Graet post.

Obviously it must have struck a nerve - the right wing-nuts must have realized it could be effective - USE IT! It's short and sweet - every one of McCain's ideas is just "lipstick on a pig" - it's the "where's the beef" line that can be applied to everything and anything.

I hestitate to offer something softer, (because we need hard punching right now) but along the "pig" lines, here's a great quip from Mark Twain:

"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It is a complete waste of time, and it annoys the pig."

[bbrecht]

I agree it's PERFECT. It's perfect because he isn't talking about Palin. If anyone thinks about Palin when he says it that's their problem-- and its memorable-- and for all the reasons you pointed out, it's the correct phrase. The truth hurts.

[Clarabell]

I think it's a great line too-- and since Sarah considers herself a pit bull with lipstick makes it even better -- let the listeners decide for themselves what is or is not being suggested.

[gopindrag]

Excellent post. The first I've seen to successfully use their own force against them. You are absolutely right about this and I hope Barrack and his surrogates are listening.