Ben Smith on Obama: 'Lipstick on a pig'
Comment on Ben Smith's commentary on the "lipstick on a pig" remark copied below.
Write about commenting on the motives of Obama's surrogates joking that Palin's record
can't be concealed with lipstick, and the motives of the Republican charge that Obama compared
Palin to a pig.
Amie Parnes reports from Lebanon, VA:
Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin's new "change" mantra.
"You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It's still a pig."
"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."
"We've had enough of the same old thing."
The crowd apparently took the "lipstick" line as a reference to Palin, who described the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull in a single word: "lipstick."
UPDATE: The McCain campaign is now saying Obama called Palin a pig, which he didn't. The Obama campaign notes that "lipstick on a pig" is a fairly common idiom Obama often uses, as in a recent Washington Post interview. McCain has also used the phrase.
Though on a day when Obama's surrogates were joking that Palin's record can't be concealed with lipstick, it was hard for those following the campaign not to hear the echo.
UPDATE: Obama aide Anita Dunn responds to the McCain campaign's claim that Obama compared Palin to a pig:
Enough is enough. The McCain campaign’s attack tonight is a pathetic attempt to play the gender card about the use of a common analogy – the same analogy that Senator McCain himself used about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health care plan just last year. This phony lecture on gender sensitivity is the height of cynicism and lays bare the increasingly dishonorable campaign John McCain has chosen to run.
What do YOU think about Smith's commentary? Do you agree with him? Do you think the phrase "lipstick on a pig" shows gender bias?
Ben Smith's commentary on the "lipstick on a pig" remark is a response to a speech by Obama in which he used the phrase. In the speech, Obama was making a point about McCain and Palin's "change" mantra, saying that even if you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. He was using the phrase as a metaphor to suggest that simply rebranding or putting a different spin on something doesn't change its true nature.
Smith's commentary seems to be focused on commenting on the motives of both Obama's surrogates and the Republican charge that Obama compared Palin to a pig. It's worth noting that in the speech, Obama didn't directly call Palin a pig, but some in the crowd interpreted the "lipstick on a pig" line as a reference to Palin, given her earlier remark about lipstick in the context of being a hockey mom.
The McCain campaign, however, is now claiming that Obama did call Palin a pig, which is not accurate. The Obama campaign has pointed out that "lipstick on a pig" is a common idiom that Obama has used before, and McCain himself has used the phrase in the past. So, it seems that the motives of Obama's surrogates and the Republican charge are centered around political spin and trying to use the remark to benefit their respective campaigns.
In summary, Ben Smith's commentary seems to be analyzing the motives of Obama's surrogates joking about Palin's record not being able to be concealed with lipstick, and the motives of the Republican charge that Obama compared Palin to a pig. It's important to separate the actual words spoken by Obama from the interpretations and accusations made by both sides.