You botched the joke, Barry O
Lipstick on a pit bull, genius.
Not “pig.”
The reaction of the audience speaks for itself. Watch the clip here.
Now, can you imagine if McCain had joked like this about Michelle O?
***
There’s lots of debate here in the comments thread and across the blogosphere about whether the McCain camp is overreacting, whether Obama should get the benefit of the doubt for using a common old metaphor at the wrong place and time, etc., etc.
Was he being malicious? Probably not. But it’s yet another in a long line of rhetorical gaffes that demonstrate his ineptitude.
Or, as one commenter below summed it up succinctly: “The guy’s a jerk.”
***
I should also note Obama’s diss of McCain. Welcome to civility, hope, change, and new politics:
“That’s not change,” Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said of what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is offering.
“You know, you can put lipstick on a pig,” Obama said, “but it’s still a pig.”
The crowd rose and applauded, some of them no doubt thinking he may have been alluding to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s ad lib during her vice presidential nomination acceptance speech last week, “What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”
“You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called ‘change,’” Obama continued, “it’s still gonna stink after eight years.
***
Reader Linda: “Someone commenting on my blog re. the Obama ‘lipstick on a pig’ gaffe suggested that disgruntled women should send Obama their lipstick. Not a bad idea!”
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Uh-oh, a teleprompter operator is about to get thrown under the bus…
Larry Elder is having a field day on this one.
Palin? Obama was talking about PALIN? I thought he was talking about his wife. Hmmm. He should be clearer about his verbal intentions. LOL
Didn’t McCain make the same joke in reference to Hillary?
Pitbulls, pigs or
Damn…I can’t say anything I have in my head.
Well to be fair he was talking about John McCain and his “change” campaign.
OH…reminds me of ‘Anchorman’…he’ll read ANYTHING on his teleprompter.
“Go F*** yourself, San Diego!” What a line.
Obama is definitely the black Don Rickles.
Bob Beckel made a similar comment on FOX news about Sarah Palin being a pig. So I think it was deliberate. What a maroon.
The reference to ‘old fish’ I took to mean McCain.
This guy is just imploding.
John, you’re not expecting fairness here, are you? You’ve been around here long enough to know that’ll never happen.
Um, I don’t care what he meant, the dude crossed a line with that remark.
Much ado about nothing, imho.
Outraged demands for an apology in 3…2…1…
He also made reference to “stinking fish wrapped in paper” after the “lipstick on a pig” comment. NICE!
You can take the “community agitator” outta the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto outta the “community agitator.” Brotha’ just can’t keep himself from dissin’ the women.
Stupid, drug addled black hole taxer. Drugs kill brain cells and he did a lot. Moron can read well, but he is about as smart as Juan McAmnesty. If not for Palin, we would be totally screwed.
Try a Republican making a monkey joke and see what happens. But remember according to the left it is only the right who needs to learn to be civil. They believe bipartisanship means accepting their views. I can think of no bipartisan bills where the left has moved right.
I’m not a Barack fan but am a huge fan of Politics. Fair Politics and twisting Obama’s word to imply that he was talking about Palin is dirty. Beat him up on the real issues. There are plenty of clubs he provided us with to do that.
McCain Campaign Fumes Over Paterson’s Racism Claim
N.Y. Governor Says Palin’s Repeated Use Of ‘Community Organizer’ Is Another Way Of Saying ‘Black’
Obama’s “Lipstick on a pig” joke (McCain being the pig, Palin the lipstick) is a _different_ joke, people. Not to be confused with the phrase Palin used to refer to herself.
You can send a goober to Harvard, but he’s still a goober.
http://wcbstv.com/politics/paterson.mccain.palin.2.813646.html
John Ansell said: Well to be fair he was talking about John McCain and his “change” campaign.
Agreed. However, Sarah is clearly and universally identified with the word lipstick since her speech. Also, BO’s campaign made a point today to deride her accomplishments by saying that they don’t look good even with lipstick on.
This was a deliberate choice of words that led all listeners to Sarah Palin. I hope that BO is paid in kind by voters for his cruelty.
Already happened and Obama clearly said he was talking about McCain’s new Change Campaign and was comparing McCain’s plan to Bush. That’s why he used the fish analogy.
Come on, we can be fair. No need to play politics like liberals. Things like this won’t help McCain/Palin as they will appear oversensitive.
This black thing is wearing really thin. People will not vote for him based on this type of race baiting politics. Whites are sick of hearing that everything they say is racist. Its so old!
Mookie said: While he [McCain] said he had not studied Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s plan, he said it was “eerily reminiscent” of the failed plan she offered as first lady in the 1990s.
“I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” he said of her proposal.
And at that time, Hillary was not identified with the word lipstick. Sarah Palin clearly is. The same words, used today by BO, had an obviously different application, and everyone hearing them knew it.
TypicalWhite said:,
Hey I understand, but BO also praised her today. It’s a common phrase used all the time. THis is manufactured outrage.
I’ve never heard of pitbull and the lipstick (although it was a great line) I have heard lipstick on a pig. Again, he was clearly talking about McCain. Now if McCain comes out and says he doesn’t wear lipstick, that would be better.
Barry’s boys will be out in force trying to spin this one.
Its like ObamO can’t help himself, he has to play to the crowd and be the funny popular guy.
O’ Barry O’ it ain’t gonna work much longer.
I have the video!
Obama, Lipstick, Pig Palin; What up O’?
If what Mookie posted is the quote in context then I apologize for jumping the gun.
Obama has to be extremely dense if he never considered that this would be taken into a different context.
Is that empty-suit bumbler really the person people want sitting opposite of Vladimir Putin or Ahmadenijad?
Are you talking to me directly, or making a general statement? Cuz I’m on your side, this is a non-story in my book. I was only making reference to how everyone demands apologies over everything these days. I think we’re a nation of pansies in that regard.
Just in: American Association of Lipstick Wearing Pigs Takes Offense, Demands Apology from FauxBama.
** This isn’t directed at anyone specifically **
Quit apologizing for Barack with “this is a common expression”, or “he’s talking about McCain.” Out of all the cliches, idioms, and sayings in the whole world that would have had the same meaning, he deliberately and calculatedly chose this one, and we all know why. Please don’t insult my intelligence by saying otherwise.
John Ansell: I hear you being the voice of reason in this, and as I said, I can even agree with you. I too would rather see BO go down on issues.
However, perception is reality in politics, and the perception on this is just awful. It’s as if someone talked about a Teddy Kennedy policy today and said “He’s out of his mind.” Acceptable old phrase last year; today given his condition, it would be perceived as cruel and vicious.
That’s Barry…smokin’ and snortin’ his way to the White[y] House!
Crackhead/Cracka ’08
O needs his uppity *ss taken down a peg-
I just watched the video riggword linked to and see that Mookie’s post has nothing to do with Michelle’s story here. Sorry, Michelle, I should have given you more credit.
Took a peek at the video clip on HA. I swear Obamie’s tone sounds almost preacher-like.
So if lipstick on Palin makes her a pig, what does it make his wife? (Any answer to THAT question is going to be a RACIST statement!)
I don’t know if this is wishful thinking on my part, but Obama is looking pretty defeated (or should I say deflated) lately.
Barry is a stooge. Off-script he’s a virtual gaffe machine!
What are you talking about? I was pointing out that McCain has used the same expression when referring to Hillary’s health plan. It’s a political expression and silly to try and make something more out of it.
The Anointed One is struggling as are his handlers. Sarah has thrown them for a loop. The Dems are losing it fast, now if we can just keep our Ole Guy out of trouble for the duration we may just stop the Obama Disaster.
He’s either sexist or stupid, neither of which is a good image for the voters to see. After Labor Day, when most people start paying attention to the election, is not a good time to be cracking up.
I don’t have a dog in this hunt. But to be fair to Barry, the expression “lipstick on a pig” is just that. In fact Cheney used it 4 years ago in the campaign against Kerry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjwVEeq7JiQ
He’s both. I’m just waiting for him to call her sweetie.
It would be nice if the people of Wasilla came forward and made a group press conference. They could collectively say: “Ok, listen up because we’re only going to say this once. We love Sarah and are proud of her successes; and enough already with the stinkin’ leftist press digging through her trash like vermin.”
Come on, people of Wasilla! Make a statement!
Sure, I will gladly give the Mighty O the benefit of the doubt on this. Sure, he didn’t really mean to specifically state the Ms. Palin was a pig. Sure, as everybody knows, there are no more than 50 states. But please, in the history of political gaffes, does intent really matter compared to what the man really meant/knows? To anyone? Don’t ask me, ask Dan Quayle.
Everyone here I’m sure recalls that poor RINO Tom Dewey. He certainly did not mean to malign (“that idiot conductor”) all railroad conductors, emblematic of the American working man circa 1948, as idiots when he blurted out his irritation. The conductor of his particular campaign train had just accidentally and temporarily began backing up the train into the crowd that fateful day. Could happen to anyone.
Good democrats that day rushed to Mr. Dewey’s defense . . . Actually they didn’t. The delightful Harry Truman was too busy comparing Republicans with Nazi-sympathizers (yes, the slur goes back that far) and democrats were only too eager to seize the moment. Some historians actually think that was the event that caused Dewey’s campaign to go off the rails, so to speak. True? Who knows, who cares. The point is Mr. Obama is tired and panicking. He doesn’t know what to do, which quickly leads to not knowing what he is saying.
So for all that his associates are doing and attempting to do to Ms. Palin, sorry no pity.
How about a well dressed big eared female monkey with lipstick? Why is it only pigs or pit bulls that can have lipstick?
Many of the right’s references to “community organizer” do so without explicitly referencing Obama, yet he has no problem understanding that they are referring to him. Now are we to believe that when he makes a lipstick/animal reference that he is NOT referring to Palin? Can’t have it both ways. And where are the feminists complaining to Obama about the “stinking fish” innuendo?
We should all give Michelle more credit. She has been fighting the good fight for a long time.
Obama is fighting the bad fight.
Obama, Lipstick, Pig Palin; What up O’?
One final thought. Maybe the Republicans should go with this, using it against the Big O: the Old Fish and the Pig. It’s not exactly Hemingway, but by gosh I bet the photoshop aces could have some fun with it.
BIDEN will be the one to make these kind of comments, and it will be during the debate, I guarantee it. It’ll either be “sweetheart”, or “honey”, or “baby”. (Ew… I’ve heard him use the word Baby on more than one occasion, trying to sound cool, when he really just comes off as gut-wrenchingly barfable.)
Anybody want to take bets on the number of times Biden uses condescending innuendos during the debate?
John Ansell,
It isn’t “dirty” to assume it was a dig at Palin. Notice how the crowd reacted…they obviously thought it was aimed at her. A line like that which is supposedly only about the issues or policy wouldn’t have garnered that type of reaction.
He is the one that said “words matter”, after all…
Personally, I am offended and want an apology. I find the idea of putting lipstick on a pig offensive and now that I know Obama is into bestiality, I want nothing to do with him. Even if he says “that’s not the pig I knew,” it will just never be the same.
A lot of women are PO’d at Obama now.
I heard them on Huwitt,
I have been reading them at my blog.
Obama has shot off his mouth too many times.
He is just saying what he thinks his people want to hear.
Obama is delussioned.
Obama, Lipstick, Pig Palin; What up O’?
Sexism you can believe in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npx-iLv5Cec
Guys, Dick Cheney said the exact same thing. This is not an insult. This is an expression.
Dick Cheney – Lipstick on a Pig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjwVEeq7JiQ
Good grief.
It’s a cliche. Going through the links provided I discovered that Sen Obama has used the cliche in the past. Not only that, Sen McCain has used the cliche, too. We all ought to stop looking to be offended and becoming overwrought with ‘triffle.’
Let’s get really silly. Gov. Palin never said who was wearing lipstick, the Pit Bull, or the Hockey Mom. Or, maybe it takes a Hockey Mom to put lipstick on a Pit Bull.
Muslims hate pigs.
Obama was clear in what he meant.
Obama’s Resume
.
the end.
Rep. Russ Carnahan also took a swipe at Palin.
“For all his tough talk [McCain] buckled to the right wing of his party in his choice. Picked someone with zero experience in national government, zero experience in foreign affairs. There’s no way you can dress up that record, even with a lot of lipstick,” he said.
Bob Beckel also made a ‘Pig’ comment regarding Sarah Palin.
Looks to me like this is a talking point about Sarah Palin.
Like this one?
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/130537
“You can spew Marxist, Leninist, Socialist vomit and call it ‘change,’ but it’s still gonna stink after 100 years.”
Works both ways, Barak.
a. The joke is about repackaging the failed policies of the last 8 years;
b. Michelle O is not a candidate.
Oh, no. That’s not a mistake, even though his delivery was as smooth as a spastic pitbull he meant every word he said.
Putting lipstick on a pig is an old saying, it’s generally used to refer to an ‘ugly broad’. He took a shot directly at Sarah Palin, I’m waiting for him to start quoting the brain dead morons at the Democratic Underground next.
Keep talking Barry! Every time he opens his mouth another voter lines behind John and Sarah.
Will Barry get votes at all the way he and his mind numbed robots marching in lockstep are behaving?
Possibly, even a blind pitbull will find a lipstick on occasion.
(I just made that up – you guys can use it if you want.)
It’s pretty obvious from the crowd’s reaction as to how he meant his phrase to go over. Mookie, I misread your post about McCain using the term and thought to myself, “Oh, if Obama used it like that it’s nothing.”
Actually it’s nothing now, only another indication of how desperate his campaign is. Man, I’m enjoying this.
Every time Obama tries to speak without a teleprompter he sounds more and more like PeePeeDiddy.
At this point, BO will soon ascertain that he must put on the lipstick, and then throw himself under the bus. He’s so over.
It wouldn’t have meant anything IF Palin had never made the comment about pit bulls. (I hate the whole PC Thought Police deal, and I apply that hate across the board.)
HOWEVER. Since ‘lipstick’ is associated with Palin, as he very well knows, it was at best a really stupid gaffe, and at worst, an insult.
So tell me: is this the guy you want talking to Iran?
“57 States”
“My Muslim faith”
“Lipstick on a pig”
Are things adding up?
I’m not sure why people just write this off as a “phrase”. I think most have heard it before but in the context of Palin and everything going on in the race this doesn’t sound innocent to me. Sounds like Obami is off his rocker.
Sorry, but Obama was clearly referring to Palin with the pig/lipstick comment. He waited to deliver his punch line until after the audiience started laughing.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
I suppose he’ll say people are just being too sensitive, huh? Kind of like David Patterson, who today chastised the use of the term “community organizer” as racist. Yes, he said it:
http://wcbstv.com/politics/paterson.mccain.palin.2.813646.html
Excellent point! I was wavering on how to take Zerobama’s comment until I read this.
I personally think it was a gaffe, and he was trying to refer to McCain’s policy as he “sees” it (which may have nothing to do with reality).
HOWEVER, I suspect the Obama campaign had coined both those lines (pig/lipstick and fish/wrap) as a result of the “Pit Bull” Sarah “Barracuda”…. and he meant to slip them in where he could safely get away with it.
I’m beginning to think more and more he has a mental condition (I’m not being mean or flip). And could he be the President of the U.S.?
The best spin that can be put on this and all of his other gaffes is that the guy is a horribly clumsy and scatter-brained contemporaneous speaker.(“New Pennsylvania”?)
Dang, thanks Doo2, There goes the goobers next time I see a movie.
Obama’s issues would be better resolved in a psychotherapists office, than in the Oval Office.
And if you still have a question about Obama’s reference targeting Palin, his follow up line about the “stinking fish” should settle any doubt. And take a look at Biden’s “lipstick” comment today as well. It was not innocent, it was intentional and it was coordinated.
Misogyny at its worst.
Jim M. who’s comment? lol.
Bidet could stay home and nobody would notice.
Bet you good money that at least Biden and likely Obama do know what it’s like to wear lipstick.
Especially given Obama’s campaign’s comments about McCain dressing up policy in lipstick (a clear reference to Palin), this comment by Obama should be understood as being directed at Palin.
There is no way this is not a crude reference to Palin’s femininity, at the same time as it is a criticism of McCain’s campaign.
If this empty suit didn’t have low class, he wouldn’t have any at all.
But of course the MSM will have an assortment of excuses and ‘but what he really meant’ rationales.
Looks like “The One” is turning into a black hole – - sucking up all that light that had come down from the heavens (aka Hillary – and no racism intended).
This is much ado about nothing. Assuming the worst, it was still a pretty mild insult as far as insults go. What matters are the outright lies and slander, which there will be much more to come. Let’s show that conservatives aren’t so thin-skinned and leave the hypersensitive overreactionto the left.
Now, instead of wringing hands and demanding apologies I would like to suggest the following counter insult, with regard to “Hope and Change”:
You can put lipstick on a liberal but it is still a liberal.
..and then pigs got thrown under the bus.
Yeah, he does have a mental condition, it’s called LIBERALISM. And liberalism is a known mental disorder. Combine that with his arrogance and his disdain for the ‘little people’ (every body outside his circle of yesmen) and you have one pathetic individual.Biden is a perfect match for him.
Can he be president? Hell no, his campaign is going to implode before the end of the month because of his arrogance and his smarmy personal attacks on Sarah Palin. He’s not even going to see John McCain walk up and hit him between the eyes with OUR “October Surprise”. (Meaning that he won’t be able to weasle out of a real debate like he has been for months) He’ll spend all of October whining and making accusations and the angry left will be shrieking “foul!” and “Racism” for the Next Twelve Years.
He is delusional. His responses to O’Reilly regarding his “questionable” associations were pathetic. I have no idea why he is touted as being charismatic, I don’t get that at all. He literally turns my stomach.
And also, for those who think this was just a phrase that everyone uses, weren’t we just told after Saddleback that he is oh so “thoughtful”??? And now we are to believe he wouldn’t know how this would come across? Puh-leeze.
Wow, you’re right. Let me try:
Alaska-near RUSSIA (just ask Cindy McCain)
Palin- looks like PUTIN
Bridge to Nowhere-or Bridge to MOSCOW?!!
Pro-ANWAR drilling…
My God! Sarah Palin wants to give all our oil to Russia!
We have a saying in Dallas. You can take the boy out of the Grove, but you can’t take the Grove out of the boy. Same applies to Obama. You can take him out of Chicago, but you can’t take the Chicago out of him. He will always be a community organizer and aligned with the crooks.
It looks like you can put lipstick on a pig after all. Even Li’l Micky smears some on from time to time.
The only stinking fish is you, Barack Obama!
I remember using that joke yesterday on these boards, but can’t remember what it was about…
Oh well, yeah, it was a cheap shot at her if you watch his delivery of the joke. Notice he paused after he said the first part? Sure…he didn’t mean it as a personal attack. Of course not. And I’m Hillary Clinton.
It goes to show you you can’t shuck and jive your way to the Presidency.
…not to mention that his audience, reporters, and moonbats understood it to be a reference to Palin.
This is an expression that was aimed straight at Palin since her reference to “Hockey moms/Pitt Bulls wearing lipstick”
that got so much attention from her convention speech.
It is hilarious to see liberals talking
about getting thick skins and not taking things out of context to use as faux outrage.
These are the same people who in just the last few days have said this about
Palin:
P
This from a leading Canadian paper.You know how much liberals are concerned with how the world views us,this is one
example.
More from our super intelligent elites
that preach tolerance,open mindedness,and civility:
What’s the difference between Palin and Muslim fundamentalists? Lipstick
A theocrat is a theocrat, whether Muslim or Christian.
By Juan Cole
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/09/09/palin_fundamentalist/print.html
Wow!,another lipstick reference we are
not supposed to attribute to Palin.
Here’s another gem:
Great moments in media: Salon’s dominatrix/bestiality photoshop of Palin
posted at 6:00 pm on September 9, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/09/great-moments-in-media-salons-dominatrixbestiality-photoshop-of-palin/
This absolute bigotry and ignorance is on the heels of accusing her of not giving birth to her 5th child,bearing children from having affairs,cutting funds to disabled people(debunked by Fact Check)and comparing her to a nazi because she wore
a Buchanan button(but did not support his campaign).
Yea,nothing to see here people,liberals
are not showing any signs or history what so ever of making sexist,bigoted remarks about Palin.
Just a distraction.
But make sure no one says Barracks middle name (Hussien) because that would
be crossing the line.
Of course the Liberals are crying foul, saying he was just trying to use an old saying…and that might have flown…except that it was what he said AFTER that showed he not only knew what he was saying, he knew EXACTLY who he was saying it about and what exactly he meant.
I heard the comment. I heard the people laugh and applaud him. He was clearly off script, off prompter and adlibbing it. And everyone there knew he was referring to Sarah and John. They knew that he had just called her a pig and him an old fish, and they approved of it and applauded him for it.
Is this what he meant by no one in his campaign is allowed to say and do such things? Does this mean that he is going to have to fire himself?
No, of course not. All he did was give these hate-filled, evil Liberals new things to call Sarah and new photoshop alternatives to choose from.
Excellent job of showing all of us just what and who you are B. Hussein. You are an angry, hate-filled sexist and racist who is going to find it increasingly harder to claim that Pflager and Wright are not exactly everything you claimed them to be…your spiritual advisers and mentors. Good luck trying to even hold onto the Congress at this point.
Yes this a non issue but the speeches are written and every word and phrase is examined carefully. He either has bad judgement or he meant the inference to Palin’s pit bull comment.
Huh. Who’s the one who’s been promising Soviet-style Marxism disguised as change for the past 18 months?
Don’t kid yourself.
Poor choice of words, but there are far greater things to hoist Obama’s petard upon than a botched joke. Just red meat for a friendly audience. Although, I can’t imagine how he thought that was going to help outreach to women and independents.
I do find it hilarious how on other sites the same people saying Obama has been taken out of context (which is a tad true) are the same people who have no problem trashing Palin’s teenage daughter and saying her Down’s Syndrome son is a stage prop.
On September 9th, 2008 at 9:28 pm, grevillea said:
grevillea,
I challenge you to prove wrong even a single one of
the TRUTH statements here.