Posted by
Matthew on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 8:10:50 AM
The Obama campaign set off a firestorm yesterday with the repetition of the old saying, "If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig."
The McCain campaign was quick to jump on the statement as sexist, the Obama campaign reminded us that McCain used the same saying referring to one of Hillary's proposed policies, and the 24-hour news cycle was protected for another day from political fatigue.
Whatever else one might say about Obama, he isn't an idiot. I don't buy the line that he was showing sexism with this comment, as he was referring not to Palin but to some of the policies of the (R)s. One can find plenty of other examples of Obama's sexism that don't require much of a reach (Right, Sweetie?). So what was this man who is so careful with words saying?
One of the ripples that is spreading from the Palin nomination is the recognition that Palin's strongest appeal is to the group of people least likely to be affected by the snobbish denigrations of the media - the average American. Obama is trying to be "a little bit country," as Marie Osmond used to sing. He is trying very hard to be Main Street instead of Hyde Park. He is trying to connect/reconnect with the American midwest, the place where people can use the pig analogy without anyone thinking the speaker sexist.
If you approach his comments from that perspective, the "pig" comment is about as likely as Paris Hilton working on a farm. The visual doesn't work; and you get the feeling that, once the cameras are off, the "star" runs to the shower as quickly as possible. Got to get that demeaning stench off. That stench of commonness.