I wonder what shade Miss Piggy would recommend?
When I first heard about Barack Obama's statement I was confused for a good minute about what the big deal was. I had heard the saying, "you can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig" many times throughout life. I knew he was saying that in reference to McCain's policies. I never even remembered Palin's lipstick joke about herself and Hockey Mom's until the media tied the two together.
The cynical part of me will occasionally wonder if Obama contrived it that way in hopes that it would speak one way to his base (slamming Palin) but still seem innocent. He does that well in other ways. I hope my initial impression is true about this though.
Even so, it was a stupid thing to say and I bet he is kicking himself for saying it. Obama's response today of "spare me the phony outrage" isn't very professional either.
But there is SO many other nyah nyah accusations going back and forth today … it's all rather futile. Not much change happening (from either camp) on this part of the campaign trail.
… moving on …
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Just wondering….did it work
lol…. I think you guy's had mentioned that in earlier postings.
Janey,
The problem with what you're presuming happened is that Obama didn't make “a poor choice of words” on the spur of the moment. His public statements and speeches are written for him by his staff, and reviewed by himself and multiple members of that staff. There is no way that a room full of a dozen very smart people who have been completely immersed in this campaign missed the fact that the line about lipstick would be seen as a reference to the most popular and important line of Palin's acceptance speech, but that an audience immediately picked up on it.
American political speeches very often tend to be composed of lines that are oblique references to much larger issues (rather than speeches about the large issues, hence the lack of depth in our campaign coverage). Because of this audiences are listening to every line and trying to fill in the references. Obama's speech writers know this, and they would have realized what people were going to assume he meant, even if they didn't originally intend that meaning. They chose not to fill in with another idiom, and this reaction is what they're getting for it.
Janey,
The problem with what you're presuming happened is that Obama didn't make “a poor choice of words” on the spur of the moment. His public statements and speeches are written for him by his staff, and reviewed by himself and multiple members of that staff. There is no way that a room full of a dozen very smart people who have been completely immersed in this campaign missed the fact that the line about lipstick would be seen as a reference to the most popular and important line of Palin's acceptance speech, but that an audience immediately picked up on it.
American political speeches very often tend to be composed of lines that are oblique references to much larger issues (rather than speeches about the large issues, hence the lack of depth in our campaign coverage). Because of this audiences are listening to every line and trying to fill in the references. Obama's speech writers know this, and they would have realized what people were going to assume he meant, even if they didn't originally intend that meaning. They chose not to fill in with another idiom, and this reaction is what they're getting for it.
ok, Ellie, I think you're too funny!
I don't think the lipstick on a pig was in reference to Palin. I think that it was just a poor choice of words used and perhaps, I'd also agree with Randy that, well, in my words, the back and forth game is exhausting and I'd like to see Politics that don't get like that.
Canada is beginning an election campaign and sad to say is that it's beginning to look like the Presidential campaign … you can put a lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig…lol….not that I am saying this is a bad thing but this is just my observation. Canada is becoming more and more like the States. I could go on but I don't want to both the yankee's and southerners with Canadian stuff.
Perhaps Obama just didn't make a wise choice in words given what Palin had said prior.
Well, that might be so, but he along with all of his team still make a choice that wasn't exactly the best choice. I think we can agree on that one.
But then again, I think with Obama he just might have the tenacity to say something live that hadn't been rehersed before hand. He gives me that kind of impression. I can almost hear his team saying, “Obama, what were you thinking out there?”
Well, that might be so, but he along with all of his team still make a choice that wasn't exactly the best choice. I think we can agree on that one.
But then again, I think with Obama he just might have the tenacity to say something live that hadn't been rehersed before hand. He gives me that kind of impression. I can almost hear his team saying, “Obama, what were you thinking out there?”
Of course politicians do that. The hockey mom, pit bull, lipstick line was Palin's only extemporaneous line in her speech, hence it's being the most important (it shows she can think on her feet, respond to her audience, and knows how to deliver a joke w/out much or any practice). The fact that it has also proven to be one of the most popular lines may be regarded as a minor miracle.
Obama is famously terrible when he does do interviews and debates unscripted, see the paygrade comment at Saddleback (plus, if you pay attention to him in interviews and such, with no teleprompter, he tends to say um or some other kind of crutch word constantly, which is extremely annoying).
But when candidates do go off the script, as with Sarah Palin's pit bull joke or Obama at Saddleback, we know because their speeches are released before hand to the media so the real deal can be checked against the script, and their campaigns like to trumpet their 'authentic' moments when they come across well (Hillary crying, anyone?) and use it as an excuse when they fall flat. The Obama campaign has not said that the remark was extemporaneous. Obama delivered an ill-considered scripted line, and he is reaping the whirlwind.
Of course politicians do that. The hockey mom, pit bull, lipstick line was Palin's only extemporaneous line in her speech, hence it's being the most important (it shows she can think on her feet, respond to her audience, and knows how to deliver a joke w/out much or any practice). The fact that it has also proven to be one of the most popular lines may be regarded as a minor miracle.
Obama is famously terrible when he does do interviews and debates unscripted, see the paygrade comment at Saddleback (plus, if you pay attention to him in interviews and such, with no teleprompter, he tends to say um or some other kind of crutch word constantly, which is extremely annoying).
But when candidates do go off the script, as with Sarah Palin's pit bull joke or Obama at Saddleback, we know because their speeches are released before hand to the media so the real deal can be checked against the script, and their campaigns like to trumpet their 'authentic' moments when they come across well (Hillary crying, anyone?) and use it as an excuse when they fall flat. The Obama campaign has not said that the remark was extemporaneous. Obama delivered an ill-considered scripted line, and he is reaping the whirlwind.
Janey, if you click reply under a specific comment and leave a comment that way, the author of the original comment will be notified of your follow up.
Well, Ellie, I'm not going to argue against you with your comment. There isn't much I disagree with you on. In times like this I am glad I am Canadian. If I get tired of the politics in Canada I can just vote for the Green Party because I don't think they'll get enough votes to even count for the race! There I go, just throwing away my vote because politics….is beginning to look like who can throw the best punches and mock the other better and it's becoming more and more difficult to find politicians that actually follow through with what they say. They can make the pig comments, the hockey mom comments and so forth but none of that ever really brings a solution to the growing problem in America.
Well, Ellie, I'm not going to argue against you with your comment. There isn't much I disagree with you on. In times like this I am glad I am Canadian. If I get tired of the politics in Canada I can just vote for the Green Party because I don't think they'll get enough votes to even count for the race! There I go, just throwing away my vote because politics….is beginning to look like who can throw the best punches and mock the other better and it's becoming more and more difficult to find politicians that actually follow through with what they say. They can make the pig comments, the hockey mom comments and so forth but none of that ever really brings a solution to the growing problem in America.
Just wondering….did it work
lol…. I think you guy's had mentioned that in earlier postings.
Janey,
The problem with what you're presuming happened is that Obama didn't make “a poor choice of words” on the spur of the moment. His public statements and speeches are written for him by his staff, and reviewed by himself and multiple members of that staff. There is no way that a room full of a dozen very smart people who have been completely immersed in this campaign missed the fact that the line about lipstick would be seen as a reference to the most popular and important line of Palin's acceptance speech, but that an audience immediately picked up on it.
American political speeches very often tend to be composed of lines that are oblique references to much larger issues (rather than speeches about the large issues, hence the lack of depth in our campaign coverage). Because of this audiences are listening to every line and trying to fill in the references. Obama's speech writers know this, and they would have realized what people were going to assume he meant, even if they didn't originally intend that meaning. They chose not to fill in with another idiom, and this reaction is what they're getting for it.
Well, that might be so, but he along with all of his team still make a choice that wasn't exactly the best choice. I think we can agree on that one.
But then again, I think with Obama he just might have the tenacity to say something live that hadn't been rehersed before hand. He gives me that kind of impression. I can almost hear his team saying, “Obama, what were you thinking out there?”
Of course politicians do that. The hockey mom, pit bull, lipstick line was Palin's only extemporaneous line in her speech, hence it's being the most important (it shows she can think on her feet, respond to her audience, and knows how to deliver a joke w/out much or any practice). The fact that it has also proven to be one of the most popular lines may be regarded as a minor miracle.
Obama is famously terrible when he does do interviews and debates unscripted, see the paygrade comment at Saddleback (plus, if you pay attention to him in interviews and such, with no teleprompter, he tends to say um or some other kind of crutch word constantly, which is extremely annoying).
But when candidates do go off the script, as with Sarah Palin's pit bull joke or Obama at Saddleback, we know because their speeches are released before hand to the media so the real deal can be checked against the script, and their campaigns like to trumpet their 'authentic' moments when they come across well (Hillary crying, anyone?) and use it as an excuse when they fall flat. The Obama campaign has not said that the remark was extemporaneous. Obama delivered an ill-considered scripted line, and he is reaping the whirlwind.
Well, Ellie, I'm not going to argue against you with your comment. There isn't much I disagree with you on. In times like this I am glad I am Canadian. If I get tired of the politics in Canada I can just vote for the Green Party because I don't think they'll get enough votes to even count for the race! There I go, just throwing away my vote because politics….is beginning to look like who can throw the best punches and mock the other better and it's becoming more and more difficult to find politicians that actually follow through with what they say. They can make the pig comments, the hockey mom comments and so forth but none of that ever really brings a solution to the growing problem in America.
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