Lipstick on a pig

Once again, the TV press is doing a bang-up job informing Americans about the issues that really matter in this election...

In a recent speech at a campaign stop in Virginia, Barack Obama referred to the Republicans' vow to bring change to Washington as "putting lipstick on a pig" - the implication being that no matter how nicely you dress (or field dress) it up, it's still the same ugly thing it's been for the past eight years. The Republicans have spun this as a direct slap at GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin - I guess, because, you know, she wears lipstick and all. A GOP spokesman called the remark "disrespectful and offensive".

You know what - I think he's right. It really IS disrespectful and offensive. I mean, using an idiom that refers to anything remotely connected with women must be sexist, right?

RIGHT?



In case you didn't hear the context on that one, McCain was answering a question about Hillary Clinton's health care reform proposals. While Barack was using the idiom to describe the Republican campaign in general, McCain used it in response to a question about Hillary in particular. But when he did it, it wasn't sexist, it was funny - didn't you hear everyone laughing at the end of that clip?

He's always been a funny guy, though, that McCain. Have you heard this one?

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?
Because her father is Janet Reno."

HA! That's a joke McCain told at a Republican fundraiser back in '98. He subsequently apologized to President Clinton for the remark. But think about this: McCain made a joke assailing one woman's femininity and ridiculing a LITTLE GIRL's physical appearance, and the establishment media at the time deemed it "too vicious to print" (That's what the Washington Post said, anyway). Barack refers to lipstick while attacking Republican policies, and the media is all over him for being "disrespectful and offensive". (By the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I think that Chelsea Clinton is kinda hot.)

Oh, and while the talking heads have been going ape over this crap, here's what's been happening in the real world:

- The Taliban (you know, those guys who actually WERE connected to the 9/11 attacks) are gaining ground in Afghanistan

- The unemployment rate is the highest it's been in five years

- The government just bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at a cost of tens of billions of dollars to American taxpayers

- Earlier this week, a suicide bomber in Iraq killed 6 and wounded 54, in the same market where last month a bomb killed 28 and wounded 72.

And on, and on...

I've said this before, but I'll say it again: If you're going to get sucked in by all of this superficial, meaningless garbage, then you deserve to pay for all of the bridges to nowhere and billion-dollar bailouts that go with it. But for God's sake, would you please stop dragging the rest of us down with you?

PLEASE!?