Ad-libbed during her speech at the Republican National Convention and repeated countless times since then, Gov. Sarah "Hockey Mom" Palin has said,
"You know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick."At a campaign event yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama said this about Gov. Palin's and Sen. John McCain's talk of "reforming" Washington:
"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."Predictably, McCain-Palin surrogates -- and a stunningly large number of otherwise misogynistic conservatives -- are waxing apoplectic over Sen. Obama "playing the gender card."
Pull-eeze.
To start with, "putting lipstick on a pig" is a common colloquial expression, used often in political rhetoric to demean a proposal lacking credibility. Sen. McCain invoked it when he criticized Sen. Hillary Clinton's universal-healthcare plans.
Besides, the first to equate Gov. Palin to an ill-tempered quadruped wearing face paint was the Governor herself.
And to anyone who claims to be defending Gov. Palin's feminine honor, but who wouldn't have done likewise for Sen. Clinton: Sit down and shut up.
The longer Gov. Palin struts and frets upon our national stage, the clearer it becomes that Sen. McCain's choice of a running mate was a cynical one. That cynicism is well-founded, of course -- for proof, look no further than today's hot political topic.
The people now falling at the feet of Gov. Palin are the same ones who disparage others for joining Sen. Obama's "cult of personality" -- just as superficial, equally impressionable -- making Sen. McCain's cynical choice look positively brilliant.
Red or blue, sheep are sheep.
For me, the test is this: Do I want to be associated, in any way, with a mindless flock? I mean, I can tolerate the occasional insult to my intelligence, as partial payment for some greater good, but I have my limits.
I've said previously that I won't vote for the gun-grabbing, entitlement-happy Obama-Biden ticket, and I stand by that. I've also said that I favor, reluctantly and by default, McCain-Palin.
As of today, count me among the undecided. Somebody alert the pollsters.
I will vote on November 4th. And as much as I'd hate to squander this precious American right on a minor-party candidate with no shot at winning, I'm going to begin researching what I've been ignoring -- starting with Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr.
