News-Record.com

At the most, it was a Freudian slip...and that is hardly surprising--Obama is tired and Palin's appointment probably has caused him nothing but grief.

He would probably do well to delete from his vocabulary any references linking lipstick and pigs, lipstick and cows, lipstick and sheep and so forth. He shouldn't try to be funny--he's going to sound sexist and it will backfire on him. If he keeps it up, the McCain campaign should start paying him a small stipend for his efforts on behalf of the McCain/Palin campaign.

Stick with the issues.

Obama Remark Causes Firestorm

Responding sharply to Barack Obama's comparison of the Republican ticket's reformist credentials with putting "lipstick on a pig," Arnold, the former Green Acres star and current president of the activist group Equity for Pigs, denounced the Democrat's choice of metaphor. "Porcine slander has no place in our public discourse," Arnold said in a prepared statement. "Such language in inexcusable in a presidental candidate, although not surprising from Obama, who referred to 'his Muslim faith' in a weekend interview with George Stephanopolous."

The McCain campaign issued another statement Wednesday taking offense at Obama's taking offense at the McCain campaign's taking offense. Noting that Obama had previously taken offense over the McCain campaign's predicted (but as-yet-unrealized) characterizations of him as "not looking like those other presidents on dollar bills," McCain spokesman Jim Smith said that Obama had no grounds for complaint. "It's like the pot calling the kettle black."

Obama immediately denounced that figure of speech as racist. McCain took offense at that, noting that Obama had used the phrase in a 1992 speech.

McCain has used the same phrase three times in recent years, in one case aluding to Senator Clinton.

But enough of that. Try the following from Josh Marshall:

As we've mentioned elsewhere on TPM, Sarah Palin was not quite as conservative as she claims in her requests for earmarks. And here's a great example from just this year.

According to Alaska's 2009 catalog of earmark requests the state's sea life are in great need of federal money. As Politico points out, Palin's office requested $2 million in federal monies to study crab mating habits; $494,900 for the recreational halibut harvest and $3.2 million for seal genetics research.

Those requests for the study of wildlife genetics and mating habits seems pretty antithetical to the long-standig views of Palin's running mate, John McCain.

"We're not going to spend $3 million of your tax dollars to study the DNA of bears in Montana," McCain said earlier this year, referring to a request from Montana for federal money to study the endangered grizzly bear. "I don't know if it was a paternity issue or criminal, but it was a waste of money."

It is funny to watch the candidates act offended.
It's even funnier to watch the newscasters take it seriously.

Amen to that.

Thankfully, Obama cleared things up on Letterman, noting that Americans should "Keep in mind that, technically had I meant it this way –she would be the lipstick!"

McCain responded that, hypothetically speaking, had he known that Obama had technically meant it this way, had he meant anything by it (a position Obama denies), he would still have been offended on behalf of Palin, whom Obama would have had compared with lipstick. "To reduce America's women to status of cosmetics," McCain said, "insults the mothers, stewardesses, and vice-presidential candidates of this great nation."

John Riley, it is the governor job to get pork barrel money for the state! Also Alaska's check book is on line! I love this Obama is tired excuse, you know like, I am campaigning in all 57 states! My Muslin Faith. I always said when you are in a tough spot
you will also revert to your true ways. Mr. Johnson, you can now defend Carolyn Fowler, The only thing Palin is qualify for is she never had a abortion. Are maybe Michael Moore, Gustav proves there is a God. Don Fowler, god sent Gustva.

Now, Doug, I've challenged you before for jumping to conclusions based on dubious "facts. "Are you saying Obama is a Muslim, and is merely pretending not to be?
And if he actually were a Muslim, how much would that matter to you?

Non-issues have ruled this campaign so why stop now. I was actually pretty amazed when I heard Obama say that because I heard the joke that Palin made about the difference between bulldogs and hockey mans, lipstick. When you add that into the mix, I can see where it would be taken as a jab at her and inappropriate.

On another matter and to respond to Brian's absurd comments. We all know that "Equity for Pigs" is a bias organization that only represents rich retired pigs. A comment from a more hip group's spokesperson should carry more weight. I saw a spiderweb outside that said Vote for Change, so that is what I am going to do. Of course, now that change is both candidates platform, Charlotte's PR crew could be seen as fence straddlers if they don't change their message.

Apparently, Obama didnt seem to ready to move on last night on Letterman.

In all honesty, I never thought what he said was aimed at Palin. I accept his explanation and find no apology or anything of the sort needed.

Never the less... stupid thing to say as timing is everything.

Mama Rules for Obama

Stay on the high road. That's where we first met you and liked you. This is your strength.

A corollary to the above suggestion: Send Joe into the ring to fight--that's his job. He can make the pig/sheep/cow remarks, say he's not talking about you-know-who and it will not reflect on you at all. Win-win.

Remember to never say anything condescending. Practice this every day. Start with what you would normally say and then come up with a substitute that doesn't start with Hello-I-have-a-law-degree-from-Harvard.

Act like you might actually want this job. Stop frowning. You look annoyed and somewhat entitled. No one took your crown away...you have to earn it.

Hail Mary passes work. Appoint Hillary to an important cabinet position...now.

Publicly patting your wife anywhere near her buttocks is a no-no. You can hold her hand, put your arm around her, hug her or kiss her. That's it.

An occasional beer or glass of wine is not going to make us think less of you. It might even relax you...and us.

Leave the cuff links in the limo.

Inspire us again.

Never, ever personally take on you-know-who. She bites and you don't look good in bandages. Need a reminder? Check out the first letter in each suggestion.

Sorry--the above is mine. TypeKey identity messed up.

As far as non-real issues are concerned, the LTE section has featured two counterfactual Palin slurs in the past few days: today's allegation that "Since Palin previously tried to assert her elected mayoral position to have the town librarian fired because she refused Palin’s request to ban certain books" and Stephen Yarbrough's allegation that Palin slashed the special needs budget by 60%. Both have been soundly debunked by factcheck.org.

Is it the N&R's policy to public letters with counterfactual information? If so, would it publish a letter claiming that Obama is or was a Muslim? If not, would it run a correction indicating the facts of the matter?

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html , if you care to check the details.

The above is from me; the typekey thing isn't working correctly. Also, "public" should of course be "publish."

Allen , he is the one who denies he is Muslim. Then he said on tv MY MUSLIN FAITH. Which is it? Would it bother me if he was Muslin*, yes. Saying that do I think all Muslin people are bad, you may want to ask some of my muslin buddies.
If he is Muslin he should be proud of it.
Brian ever thing you have read about Palin is bunk
Yesterday a paper did a major hit job on Palin, about the bridge to nowhere. They said she did not return money to feds. Can anyone tell me one dollar that has ever been returned to the feds. Do they even have a department for this? I know for a fact $100,000 was sent to our county on the clean water thing. It took less than a $1000 to fix the problem. I think the rest went into tennis courts. Allen ,balls back in your court. Does NC return money to the feds? Please answer Brian question.

Brian, I have been having trouble posting for a couple of weeks. I think people may think I am dodging them. Not so, I just can not get the darn things to post, I thought it may be my computer.

To Anonymous on the facts about Palin and letters:

On the librarian issue, there is some confusion. Pailin did attempt to fire the librarian, but it is not clear whether that had anything to do with Palin's interest in possibly banning some books.
On the special-needs budget, you're right. The Washington Post, among other media, reported that erroneously and I'm guessing the letter writer took his cue from them.
We'll run a correction. Because so relatively little is known about Palin, some of these "facts" tend to be moving targets.
We're trying to vet the letters as best we can.
This can get dicey. For instance, if a letter praising Palin for being against the so-called Bridge to Nowhere, is that factual?

Did someone write such a letter?

Thanks for your response. I can see the difference in the two situations, but with the librarian, an empirical situation (she attempted to fire her) is linked to a dubious cause (the librarian wouldn't ban books). That's a serious allegation, I think the standard of evidence should be fairly high (much higher than is the case, as factcheck concludes). It would be roughly the same as "Obama's association with terrorists contributed to his opposing the war in Iraq." Well, he was associated with William Ayers, who was a terrorist by a reasonable definition, and he did oppose the war in Iraq. So is it "unclear" whether the former "contributed" to Obama's position? Who can say? But there's no evidence that it did, so I would refuse to publish.

One's sense of what is "unclear" and what is "wrong" is likely to be related to one's sense of whose ox is being gored.

With so many allegations flying around, I would vet a bit harder: otherwise, you have simply amplified dubious allegations: more tempests, more thimbles.

As for the bridge to nowhere, I can't see that the letter you describe is at all problematic. Palin was empirically against the bridge in that she did not fund it when she had the power and opportunity to do so. Another letter pointing that she had (verbally) supported it before then is equally valid.