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Take the Day Off, Guys

by Carolyn Barta

Thu, Sep 11, 2008, 02:42 PM

On the seventh anniversary of one of the most tragic events in American history, let’s hope the presidential candidates – and all their lackeys and spokespeople and talking points-repeating elected officials – take the day off from their silliness. With all the serous problems facing this country, the campaigns are debating whether Barack Obama called Sarah Palin a pig…when he obviously did nothing of the kind.

This is “swift-boating” of the worst order and shows the McCain campaign to be no better than the George Bush campaign in saying and doing anything to get him elected. McCain, once again, is showing that it’s all about getting elected – not about governing. The American public is beyond gullible to fall for this kind of nonsense.

Both of these candidates won their nominations with primary campaigns by pledging to take the high road. Obama has, for the most part. John McCain has stayed above the fray himself but his boys and girls are doing the dirty work.

It’s all about distracting the other side and forcing them off message.

As Obama said, “The McCain camp would much rather have this be about phony and foolish diversions.” It’s reminiscent of previous GOP tactics of “lies, phoney outrage and Swift Boat politics,” he said, referring to 2004 charges made against John Kerry service in Vietnam – where he won three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

The Swift Boat campaign threw Kerry off stride and he never recovered.

McCain has tried in recent weeks to adopt the Obama mantra of change, which he has used from the git-go. These kinds of campaign tactics do not reflect change but the same-old, same-old Karl Rove tactics.

It was, in fact, change that Obama was talking about when he uttered the “p” word. Talking about the economy and other issues in a speech, he called into question McCain’s claim of offering change, he referred to McCain’s comment about shaking things up in Washington. “That’s not change. That’s just calling something the same thing, something different. But you know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”

McCain, in fact, has used the same phrase many times in campaigning, including when he talked about Hillary Clinton’s health care plan.

Obama tried to explain himself in an interview taped for the David Letterman show. “In this case I was talking about John McCain’s economic plans – that just calling them change, calling it something different doesn’t make it better. Hence, lipstick on a pig is still a pig.”

Today, on the anniversary of 9/11, both candidates will attend ceremonies and make a joint appearance. Let’s hope McCain’s lackeys will note the seriousness of the day and take the day off from pushing this ridiculous line of attack. It’s unbecoming for a candidate of his patriotism and stature.

Obama is right: Enough is enough.

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written by dt , September 11, 2008

The only comment by anyone in this vein that I've seen on this day is your hysterical tome, Carolyn, which is a totally unfair promotion of Obama. You say that Obama has followed the high road and that McCain has stayed above the fray, but his "boys and girls" have not. What about Obama's "boys and girls" comparing Obama to Jesus and Sarah Palin to Pontius Pilate on the floor of the U.S. House?
Why don't you mention the various debunked rumors surrounding Sarah Palin, including but not limited to the "report" that she slashed funds for special needs kids when in fact these funds were tripled under her administration, which CNN continues to propogate? Do you deny that US magazine is one of Obama's "boys and girls?"

Carolyn, you used to be known as an objective reporter who generally stayed even-handed. Now you've become a shill for Obama. Yes, there is silliness going on, but on both sides. Why not report on the silliness of Obama's "boys and girls" or confine these types of comments to the comment section under an assumed name so you don't jeopardize what's left of your journalistic integrity?

It is obvious that you are an Obama supporter. It is also obvious that all of you are starting to panic.

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written by HSH , September 12, 2008

Carolyn is absolutely right. Ever since John McCain put Steve Schmidt, Karl Rove's mini-me, in charge of his campaign, the lies have poured faster than champagne at a shotgun wedding.

Today's lead editorial in the Washington Post, a paper that has been very kind to John McCain, called him out on this issue and the repeating of the "I told Congress thanks but no thanks" lie that McCain/Palin keep repeating even though ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, MSNBC, and the Wall Street Journal have proved it's not true. It's clear that John McCain will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means lying repeatedly to the American public.

Yes, he is the reincarnation of George W. Bush.

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written by ElHombre , September 12, 2008

A good message from Ms. Barta. I would add the missing element from it, though: the media once again proving that they are content this election season to be nothing more than Republican lapdogs. The main reason McCain (and his campaign) keeps acting the way he does is because he doesn't suffer any sort of penalty for doing it. The press just repeats the lies and doen't bother to call him on it.

This follows into the bigger problem of the media feeding at the same old rotten slop trough of sources. A semi-recent example: The DMN interviewed Grover Norquist about his views on Texas' finances. Hello! The guy who continually gets everything wrong keeps getting an invite back to the table!

Need we even mention all the pundits and 'experts' who got everything wrong about the Iraq War are still on the A-list of opinion makers. It's said that the sure way to never be interviewed about Iraq is to be right from the start about what a dumb idea it is.

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written by socialismisevil , September 12, 2008

As liberal self haters look for more ways to separate people from their money to give to those that cant or wont make it, the rest of us wonder, How could people who have profitted from this great country ( can ya hear me Oprah) vote for a guy who will take more of their wealth than the Queen of England does to her subjects.

Ignorance is all that it comes down to.

They sell their rap music and make it out of the ghetto and then dont even understand that it is wealth that they have and that is what Obama is going to take.

Whites want to show how unracist they are so they would vote for a guy who is only interested in tearing down white neighborhoods.

good people of all races should denounce socialism but they cant see it or dont want to see it so they say words like Healthcare for all ITS FREE
HOUSING FOR ALL TAXPAYERS WILL PICK UP THE TAB.

ALL THE WHILE, LIKE OJ, MAKING IT HARDER ON THEMSELVES

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written by jb , September 12, 2008

While I agree with Carolyn to the extent that the pig comment is in the common vernacular and it probably was not an overt insult, it is absolutely worth noting that BO's audience cackled and hooted with glee as soon as he said lipstick.

They obviously drew the same inference of denigration that many others have drawn. Generally, if someone is merely making a connection with an economic issue, it is not a cause for hilarity. Having watched the tape eight times, it is absolutely notable that BO was not being witty or funny enough to have elicited the reaction that he got.

As far as making an allusion to this as the worst of swift boating, I find the comment utterly saturated with bias and a lack of perspective.

Given the tawdry insults lobbed at Palin, outrage over an audience cackling in glee over what may or may not have been a slur is certainly not an outrage.

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written by HSH , September 12, 2008

jb:

So laughter itself proves your bogus theory? Did you watch Sen. Obama on the Letterman Show?

"Tawdry insults?" Where? When? One silly woman in South Carolina does not an avalanche make.

Come on folks, stop the whining. For years the Republican Party vicerated Hillary Clinton in every possible way. Sen. Obama has been nothing but respectable to the woman from the North Country.

But she has alot to answer for, and that she must.

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written by jb , September 12, 2008

HSH,

As is invariably the case, you have once again misinterpreted my contention. I agree that one has no way to know whether BO was lobbing an overt insult [my thought is that he would be too cagey to be so obvious].

However, there is no doubt that the audience began to laugh uproariously when he said lipstick in a comment that wasn't particularly witty or funny.

So, if by "bogus theory," you mean that it isn't true that the audience erupted with laughter, your comment is even more moronic than usual.

If, by "bogus theory," you mean that I accused BO of lobbing a purposeful insult,...you need reading comprehension help.

If you think that Palin has not been subjected to insulting scrutiny that goes beyond the pale, then seek help. Your bias is blinding you.

Even most democrats are fair enough to see a hatchet job when they see one. One lie about Palin after another has been debunked. No, she did not ban books, she did not support policies making women pay for rape kits from their pocketbooks, Trig was not her daughter's baby, she did opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, and the list goes on..and on.and on

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written by HSH , September 12, 2008

Again, you offer no evidence to prove your theory that the laughter was geared at Palin (expecially since he was talking about McCain). Nothing, nada. Could it be because it's mere rhetoric?

Debunk:

(1) "she did not ban books." Nobody said she did. The charge was that she went to the librarian and quizzed her about removing books, then fired the librarian when she reacted in a less than cooperative way.

(2) Wasilla did charge women for rape kits, to the tune of $400 each, when she was Mayor. That's a big reason the Alaska legislature barred the practice.

(3) As to the baby, nobody in the MSM reported that. Only the very fringe of the bloggesphere promoted that one. And they are not MSM.

(4) She supported the bridge to nowhere before she opposed it. The audio interviews exist to prove that. And she never said "Thanks but no thanks to Congress." In fact, she kept the $223 million dollars.

Yes, your new hero has a tendency to stretch the truth.

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written by MRN , September 12, 2008

At least Carolyn's article is now on the opinion side. When I saw it in the beginning, it was on the news side.

Anyone who says the silliness is all on the McCain side is either an idiot, delusional, or deliberately disingenuous (read: "lying.". It's about 90% on the Obama side. You people are going to lose, you know it, and you can't do one thing about it. There is no way to properly "handle" Sarah Palin to neutralize her. I expect she will carry Dallas County with her since she will bring the Republican base back out.

Squeal away!

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written by Boo , September 13, 2008

MRN: Did you happen to see the commercial from the McCain camp about this very issue? The commercial where they accused Obama of calling Palin a pig? Just in case you missed it go to Youtube. You won't see it on TV since the McCain camp pulled it for pretty obvious reasons that went unstated.

Ms Barta: Thank you for continuing to post relatively partisan articles that are reasoned and factual. The constant flow of editorials that are blatant, inflammatory hit pieces on this site make all citizens of Dallas seem like rabid, frothing at the mouth partisan lunatics due to the unfortunate choice of the site's name. Thank you for demonstrating to anyone on the outside looking in via this site that we are all not partisan loons.

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written by MRN , September 17, 2008

Obama campaign lies:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/16/fiorina-obama-camp-deceitful-in-clipping-my-quote/

Perhaps Carolyn would have a criticism of that. Probably not.

Boo, I'm not sure what relevance your post had to my post. Of course you think any one who disagrees with you is a partisan loon. And there is little factual in Ms. Barta's conclusion that all the sinning is on the McCain side.

I think he was trying to create a controversy at worst. At best, he was displaying a shocking lack of sensitivity, which would not serve him well if elected. But I guess you don't have to show sensitivity to Republicans, because we're all loons. Have you caught the irony yet? I doubt it.

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written by Ken Dickson , September 27, 2008

Carolyn has finally slipped into the Liberal-hype in favor of this leftist!...comparing him to Jfk, etc. High road? i think not! Hussain Obama is just full of words with nothing of substance to back them up!

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