Lipstick on a Pig

[pigpenz]

I was really suprised when watching HARDBALL yesterday when Cris Mathews was quizing a Republican rep about the comment of "lipstick on a pig" that it is actually a book written by a former McCain press secretary.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Pig-Winning...e/dp/0743271165

[PassedOut]

I was really suprised when watching HARDBALL yesterday when Cris Mathews was quizing a Republican rep about the comment of "lipstick on a pig" that it is actually a book written by a former McCain press secretary.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Pig-Winning...e/dp/0743271165

We country folk often use this phrase, and so do politicians: 'Lipstick on a pig': Attack on Palin or common line?

 

In Iowa last October, McCain drew comparisons between Hillary Clinton's current health care plan and the one she championed in 1993: "I think they put some lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig." He used roughly the same line in May, after effectively claiming the Republican nomination.

Other politicians have also used the phrase in recent years, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rep. John Mica of Florida and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, among others.

 

Torie Clarke, a former McCain adviser, even wrote a book called, "Lipstick on a Pig: Winning In the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game."

Interesting that the republicans got their panties in a wad over this.

[Lobowolf]

I was really suprised when watching HARDBALL yesterday when Cris Mathews was quizing a Republican rep about the comment of "lipstick on a pig" that it is actually a book written by a former McCain press secretary.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Pig-Winning...e/dp/0743271165

We country folk often use this phrase, and so do politicians: 'Lipstick on a pig': Attack on Palin or common line?

 

In Iowa last October, McCain drew comparisons between Hillary Clinton's current health care plan and the one she championed in 1993: "I think they put some lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig." He used roughly the same line in May, after effectively claiming the Republican nomination.

Other politicians have also used the phrase in recent years, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Rep. John Mica of Florida and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, among others.

 

Torie Clarke, a former McCain adviser, even wrote a book called, "Lipstick on a Pig: Winning In the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game."

Interesting that the republicans got their panties in a wad over this.

Otherwise innocent phrases pick up significance in context. If McCain were running with Romney, Obama might have used the same phrase, and it wouldn't raise eyebrows; however, he's running with a woman, and a woman who made an oft-repeated lipstick reference in front of tens of millions of viewers. Different story.

 

Same idea, different version: Let's say a journalist asked McCain about Obama's plans for "revenue enhancements," and McCain said, "Revenue enhancements?! Let's just call a spade a spade -- he wants to raise taxes." We'd stop hearing about it ohhh...say...never. Even if McCain might have said the same thing about Hillary's economic plan, had she won.

[han]

Josh is probably wondering how we say this in Dutch:

 

Even if the monkey wears a golden ring,

it is and remains an ugly thing.

[Al_U_Card]

As my old Dutch partner would reply when I queried his bid or play....."And if my aunt had wheels she would be an autobus." It covered a multitude of sins... :lol:

[cherdano]

It's just very entertaining to see all the Republican surrogates scream "sexism".

[Lobowolf]

As my old Dutch partner would reply when I queried his bid or play....."And if my aunt had wheels she would be an autobus." It covered a multitude of sins... :lol:

I have to say, I'm partial to the American "If my aunt..." cliches.

[Lobowolf]

It's just very entertaining to see all the Republican surrogates scream "sexism".

Reminds me of the affirmative action protests at my former law school, and the corresponding charges of racism.

 

The main difference between the liberal protestors and the people they considered racists was this: The protestors thought that certain people should be admitted to the law school, and others kept out, on the basis of race; and the "racists" didn't. Somehow, "entertaining" just doesn't quite say it (to paraphrase Will Smith in 'I, Robot').

[Lobowolf]

"Think as I think," said a man,

"Or you are abominably wicked;

You are a toad."

 

And after I had thought of it,

I said: "I will, then, be a toad."

 

-Stephen Crane

[matmat]

if grandma had a mustache,

she'd be grandpa :lol:

 

 

imo she opened the door wide open when she highlighted the difference between a thug and a hockey mom... or was it something other than a thug?

[Lobowolf]

if grandma had a mustache,

she'd be grandpa :lol:

 

 

imo she opened the door wide open when she highlighted the difference between a thug and a hockey mom... or was it something other than a thug?

What's the difference between a pit bull and a thug?

[jdonn]

Josh is probably wondering how we say this in Dutch:

 

Even if the monkey wears a golden ring,

it is and remains an ugly thing.

As Hank's neighbor said to him on King of the Hill:

 

You paint your house? That's like putting lingerie on a monkey!

 

It does take some serious creativity to even make the connection between his common expression that everyone seems to have used, and her lipstick remark. It wouldn't have even occured to me that it had anything to do with her until the Republicans began whining about it. It would be like Democrats complaining when McCain says "I have the scars to prove it" because Joe Biden has a scar somewhere.

[Lobowolf]

Josh is probably wondering how we say this in Dutch:

 

Even if the monkey wears a golden ring,

it is and remains an ugly thing.

As Hank's neighbor said to him on King of the Hill:

 

You paint your house? That's like putting lingerie on a monkey!

 

It does take some serious creativity to even make the connection between his common expression that everyone seems to have used, and her lipstick remark. It wouldn't have even occured to me that it had anything to do with her until the Republicans began whining about it. It would be like Democrats complaining when McCain says "I have the scars to prove it" because Joe Biden has a scar somewhere.

It'd be more like the Democrats whining if McCain picked Romney and Hillary beat Obama, and the all-male Republican ticket used "lipstick on a pig" in reference to one of her proposals. And the whining would have begun before the "G" in "pig" made it out of his mouth.

[TimG]

It'd be more like the Democrats whining if McCain picked Romney and Hillary beat Obama, and the all-male Republican ticket used "lipstick on a pig" in reference to one of her proposals. And the whining would have begun before the "G" in "pig" made it out of his mouth.

But, he reportedly did make this same comment approximately one year ago regarding Hillary's health care plan

[cherdano]

Josh is probably wondering how we say this in Dutch:

 

Even if the monkey wears a golden ring,

it is and remains an ugly thing.

As Hank's neighbor said to him on King of the Hill:

 

You paint your house? That's like putting lingerie on a monkey!

 

It does take some serious creativity to even make the connection between his common expression that everyone seems to have used, and her lipstick remark. It wouldn't have even occured to me that it had anything to do with her until the Republicans began whining about it. It would be like Democrats complaining when McCain says "I have the scars to prove it" because Joe Biden has a scar somewhere.

It'd be more like the Democrats whining if McCain picked Romney and Hillary beat Obama, and the all-male Republican ticket used "lipstick on a pig" in reference to one of her proposals. And the whining would have begun before the "G" in "pig" made it out of his mouth.

This is easily disproved. McCain already made this comment, calling Hillary's healthcare proposals "putting lipstick on a pig".

 

http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=WMPYkNQlJMM

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics...lth_plan_a.html

 

This was back in October, when Hillary was still the Democratic frontrunner.

 

I am sure you can point me to the big whining on the left that ensued?

 

Btw, there is another problem with complaining about sexism direct at Palin. Some like to cry sexism whenever a gender-specific word is used to describe a female politician. This doesn't really seem adequate for a politician who introduced herself with strongly gender-specific attributes (hockey mom, pit bull with lipstick).

 

So even saying "Sarah Palin is the lipstick McCain put onto his more-of-the-same program" wouldn't be sexist IMHO.

 

[under normal circumstances, it would have had a sexist touch to refer the Democratic primary duel as "Obama vs Hillary" - well except that Senator Clinton herself chose to be referred to as "Hillary" in her campaign.]

 

Of course I am not saying that there haven't been misogynist attacks against Palin, but lipstick on a pig isn't one of them.

[Lobowolf]

This is easily disproved. McCain already made this comment, calling Hillary's healthcare proposals "putting lipstick on a pig".

 

 

This was back in October, when Hillary was still the Democratic frontrunner.

 

I am sure you can point me to the big whining on the left that ensued?

I may stand corrected; I certainly don't remember any sort of furor over that.

[mike777]

Wish Palin goes in front of news boys and says......Barak is fine.......I am cool with his comments.....

 

 

Silence shows a bit of weakness.

 

I think CNN has EC around.....220-188 Obama.

 

Where is this undecided who are voting for her because?

 

I thought most of them are anti gun.....pro choice..pro health care..helping the poor more?

 

Is anyone polling showing the undecided are prolife,,,progun............smaller government?

[Al_U_Card]

if grandma had a mustache,

she'd be grandpa :P

 

 

imo she opened the door wide open when she highlighted the difference between a thug and a hockey mom... or was it something other than a thug?

What's the difference between a pit bull and a thug?

Whats the difference between a bitch and a pit-bull? They can be one and the same....

[Al_U_Card]

From our point of view, the Democrats are right wing and the Republicans are fascists. That may be why our country on the map is pink.... :P

[mike777]

From our point of view, the Democrats are right wing and the Republicans are fascists.  That may be why our country on the map is pink.... :P

:)./....spoken from someone who has brave boys and girls in a war...shooting war....far far away from home.......

 

From a country(Canada) who has brave brave young ones....fighting and being killed far from home.

 

At least your election should decide....send everyone home and spend more on other or send more to fight and spend more to fight.

[Gerben42]

Is the money that will NOT be spent on the war going to be spent on a 10 times bigger Huge Hadron Collider?

[mike777]

Is the money that will NOT be spent on the war going to be spent on a 10 times bigger Huge Hadron Collider?

I do not know...

 

Does Germany spend ten times more on troops in Asia...or ....tens times more on Haldron?

 

Is Germany fighting/killing some...any war in Asia...or nooooooo

 

 

 

 

Germany spending money on science?..ten times more?

 

 

"10 times bigger"

[helene_t]

Josh is probably wondering how we say this in Dutch:

 

Even if the monkey wears a golden ring,

it is and remains an ugly thing.

Something like "Al draagt de aap een gouden ring, hij blijft een lelijk ding" ?

 

Never heard it.

 

Wonder which "thing" is ugly. The monkey or the ring?

 

I cannot come up with something similar in Danish.

 

Btw Pinker in his "How the mind works" refers to an interesting experiment: Children were asked questions

Take a horse. Paint it white with black stribes. Is it still a horse or has it become a zebra?

The answer was that it is still a horse. But similar (I don't remember the examples) examples involving non-living objects elicited the opposite response. The conclusion was that people have an innate belief in the "essentiality" of biological classes, but not of non-biological classes.

[Trinidad]

Josh is probably wondering how we say this in Dutch:

 

Even if the monkey wears a golden ring,

it is and remains an ugly thing.

Something like "Al draagt de aap een gouden ring, hij blijft een lelijk ding" ?

 

Never heard it.

Al draagt een aap een gouden ring, het is en blijft een lelijk ding.

 

I have heard it many times. The first time that I recall was when I read it in a boys' book (From the 'Kameleon' series) when I was 9 or 10. I wouldn't say it is an extremely common expression, but it pops up once or twice a year.

 

The difference between my experience and Helene's may be due to the fact that I read boys' books (the gender card). It could obviously also be that I remind people more often of monkeys than Helene does.

 

Rik

[Al_U_Card]

From our point of view, the Democrats are right wing and the Republicans are fascists.  That may be why our country on the map is pink.... :)

:)./....spoken from someone who has brave boys and girls in a war...shooting war....far far away from home.......

 

From a country(Canada) who has brave brave young ones....fighting and being killed far from home.

 

At least your election should decide....send everyone home and spend more on other or send more to fight and spend more to fight.

Gee Mike

 

Sadly, we couldn't keep our legacy of "peace-keepers" intact. We avoided the profligate and murderous adventure in Iraq, only to have the toady Harper belly up to the Bush criminal enterprise and agree to kill innocents in a land that has known invasion and resistance for over a thousand years. Our presence is not only unnecessary and irrelevent, it is an abomination.

 

Using the "support our troops" bullshit is the bankrupt and immoral reasoning of the blindly ignorant or the criminally insane. Remove them from harm's way and use them as we must, as the protectors of our heritage and the defenders of our ideals as FREELY expressed by others that may request our assistance under the appropriate circumstances.

 

Jaded jingoist sentiment is so passé it is dead as a doornail in this world of instant information and effective scrutiny of those that would lie to us and cheat us of our legacy and our lives.