Posted on 09/09/2008 6:43:30 PM PDT by flyfree
In all the furor over the Obama "pig" quote, commentators forgot to examine his entire attack:
"You can put lipstick on a pig. "It's still a pig."
"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."
When read in the entire context you can see what he seems to mean with his dual animate male/female references and why he probably evoked two metaphors: most would think that Obama is talking about both on the ticket and his anger how each has expropriated his change motif.
So in that sense he appears both to insult the 72-year old McCain as the "old fish" that is still going to "stink", and to refer to Palin, who had famously evoked the metaphor of lipstick in a nationally televised address, as still the pig despite the lipstick.
The fact that he used two metaphors to attack the two, and used expressions referring both to age and Palin's recent use of "lipstick" don't seem to be accidents and that's why the cooing crowd got the old fish=McCain;lipsticked pig=Palin immediately.
I'll leave it to others to deconstruct the historical use of pig as a sexist term in the recent climate of generic attacks on Sarah Palin.
PS. The VP nominee was just announced and already Biden has called her "good looking" and now “a step back for women”; most know what he intended, but like most Bidenisms they come out wrongly and confirm a popular perception that he suffers from logorhhea and that there is a different standard of reference applied to Palin due to her sex.
Someone in the campaign has got to manage the ex tempore carelessness.
I consider her to be the lipstick and him the pig.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Not to be crass, but I took the fish comment to be meant toward Palin. I could be wrong but that wouldn’t be the first time that men use that word against women.
I would think the “stink” part was when Obama was talking about his wife.
"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink."
SO MUCH NUANCE!!
When it comes to the ugly 'gutter' POLITICS OF PERSONAL DESTRUCTION,,,,Chicago politicians don't take a back seat to anyone!
Context matters. Seems pretty clear that Obama was slamming each of them in turn. Plus, the crowd seemed to have little doubt about what he meant. I hope this breaks through the MSM wall of silence.
Well...
I think you are right...
The crowd "got it". It's too bad that the media isn't playing the entire clip. Even Hannity didn't do it. But when the entire line is played it's crystal clear that it's a jab at Palin and McCain.
So I take it that the kid gloves are off now? All’s fair and all that? I hope so.
Obama is a Muslim....naanananananana
Muslims routinely call Christians “pigs” so Obamadon during Ramadan calls Christians pigs
Dear Victor:
Stinky Fish is a reference to female genitals. Women who stick because of ovulations.
(see also some men chase older women, “they don’t complain, don’t stink, and are grateful.”)
Obama is obsessed with the conservative coalescence due to palin. Palin is proping up mccain.
Stinky Fish is an attack on women.
(respecfully)
I interpreted it as you did. It appeared that the Senator was forming his own thoughts at the time and not speaking from a script. I think that’s when he gets in trouble.
Chicago thug speak.
Chicago thug speak.
God takes the "wise" in their own craftiness.
I’m almost more offended at the thought of insulting a war hero as a stinky old fish.
If this thing gets legs of its own, Obama is done. If it doesn’t, he’ll screw up again, worse, somewhere down the line. Either way, we need to just sit back and watch the show.
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