New McCain Ad: Complimenting Palin’s Appearance Is Sexist
New McCain Ad: Complimenting Palin’s Appearance Is Sexist
In recent days, conservatives have attempted to characterize progressive critiques of Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) record as sexist. A new McCain campaign ad repeats this strained argument by suggesting Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) attempted to diminish Palin when he remarked that the “‘obvious’ difference between Palin and himself is ‘she’s good looking.’”
As FactCheck.org summarized, the ad uses quotes from news organizations “out of context in an effort to portray [Barack Obama] and his running mate, Joe Biden, as unfairly attacking Sarah Palin and making sexist remarks.”
Despite what the ad insinuates, conservatives certainly haven’t been exempt from commenting on Palin’s appearance — often using much cruder language. Karl Rove, a McCain adviser, called Palin a “young, attractive, fresh-faced reform governor.” Rush Limbaugh said the GOP had a “babe on our ticket.” Glenn Beck exclaimed, “Man, she’s hot!” Watch a compilation:
At the Republican National Convention, one of the fastest selling items was a button that read “Sarah Palin, the Hottest VP from the Coolest State.”
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yes she is hot, but take in to account she has the mental capacity of a brick, kinda cancels out the hotness.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pmLet’s be clear about one thing: Sarah Palin is not very attractive. If you compare her to the rest of the box headed, 1950’s throwbacks in the GOP, she might be more attractive than they are - but that ain’t saying much.
Sarah is the prettiest girl in the ugliest school.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pmIOKIYAR
September 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pmConservatives do not value the truth. Period. This is why it is perfectly okay to them to lie and distort reality, because they see nothing wrong with doing that. Growing up I was taught the Golden Rule, “Treat others the way you would want them to treat you.” For a group of people who claim to be religious, I can only conclude that conservatives would like for us to lie to them, distort reality to them, call them names when we disagree with them, and try to drive them into financial insecurity. Otherwise, they cannot claim to practice what they preach.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pmIf the Pentacostal Pork-barrel Princess of Wasilla were, in fact, attractive in any way, this line of attack on the democrats might actually have some traction.
The truth of the matter, however, is that her shrewishness oozes from every pore of her being as soon as she opens her pie hole.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pmCorrectionon the note below the video: “hottest VP“, not “Governor“
September 12th, 2008 at 3:32 pmIOKIYAR
McPuke claims Obama has been unfair cause she’s a lady.
Now they want to exploit that fact.
Repukes are hypocritically challenged fcuking idiots.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:32 pmSorry a brick is smarter. It knows how to do the job it’s being asked to do.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:32 pmYeah right, the progressives are the sexist mf’s. You only believe that if you want it to be true.
I particularly consider palen herself to be sexist. Why would you re-victimize a rape victim as she has done?
I gave up on shame coming into play for these creeps a long time ago. I just wonder how the truly religious Americans can live with themselves.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:37 pmOne more distraction from the issues. Anyone surprised?
September 12th, 2008 at 3:38 pmRepukes find plastic blowup dolls attractive, they find children attractive, they find farm animals attractive…so much for taste.
Most people go beyond physical attraction, and find personality and values attractive…in these she is neither.
The Talibunny is a serial liar, a fraud, a corrupt fascist, creationist and should never be let near the red button.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:38 pmI know the first thing I look for in a Vice President is boobies. I would recommend she get a boob job if she ever wants to compete with Cheney. That man has Grade-A boobies…
September 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pmIf wingnuts are to care about social ills, they could at least learn to correctly identify them.
There’s a post-Hillary ghost they’re exploiting here, and I think Hillary needs to send the message that she will not tolerate the outcome of her candidacy being used in any form as red meat against her party.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm.
Sexism only counts if it’s directed at Hillary Clinton people…
.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pmI don’t buy the “dumb as a brick” description, not by a long shot. From what I’ve seen and read, she is smart (even that long letter from a neighbor reported that), even though she displays the lack of curiosity that marked Bush and that seems to appeal to a lot of neocons. She demonstrates a lack of curiosity about foreign affairs, the Iraq occupation . . . anything, in other words that doesn’t directly affect her and her ambitions. Now that there is a direct connection to her career, I’m willing to bet that she’s been coached night and day while avoiding the press and that by the time she’s in the debate with Biden or any real interviews, she’ll be far better prepared than anyone here gives her credit for.
She doesn’t need to have thought anything through or come to her own conclusions by study and consideration, she has to convincingly report the answers and reasons being stuffed into her head.
Believe me, no matter what the result in November, we’re going to have to contend with this person for years to come. I mean, heck, Schlafly has to die someday, right?
September 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pmseriously lame
September 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pmI think Karl, Rush and Glenn are finally giddy to have a pretty neocon princess they will have access to after all their years of service to the party. Because all they have to do is schedule an interview and “ta-da”! But are such “inexperienced” men like them ready for Sarah Barracuda?
September 12th, 2008 at 3:44 pmFunny, it seems to be fine and dandy for McGrumpy and other Republicans to say that Palin is physically attractive (or the GOP rabble at the convention to hold up signs that say, “Hot,” but that it is wrong for Democrats to compliment her attractiveness. Double standard? Double standard! Hypocrisy? Hypocrisy!
September 12th, 2008 at 3:45 pmIn light of John McCain’s decision to follow the same swiftboating path that he so fervidly denounced in 2004, it is now apparent that the Obama campaign has been too kind by simply suggesting that a McCain-Palin administration would be a continuation of Bush-Cheney.
After the scurrilous McCain approved ads lying about Obama’s record, it is clear that John McCain believes that the best way to win the presidency is to lie to the American people and that a McCain-Palin administration would be much worse than the current Bush-Cheney administration.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pmLet’s be clear.
The last two elections the Republicans won because they were able to ’speak mistruths’ as the media says or, as us simple folk say, outright lie about the Democratic candidate. And because the media no longer seems to want to do their job of finding the truth, the Democratic candidate has the option of either responding to the lies and then not getting their message out, or ignoring the lies and allowing the sheer repetition of the lie to become the truth.
It’s a tactic that’s worked twice, and so they’re trying it again.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:47 pmIssues please.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:50 pmIt’s only sexist if a Democrat says anything about her appearance (or anything else about her, for that matter).
Republicans and conservative talking heads, on the other hand, can act like drunken frat boys with no consequences.
Why this double-standard that’s so obvious even by GOP standards? Simple. The “sexist!” accusations have nothing to do with genuine sexism. It’s merely a deflecting tool to use whenever anyone asks Palin a question she hasn’t rehearsed the answer to, questions her credentials, or suggests her resume is a bit on the thin side.
Sort of like playing the 9/11 card every time citizens question having their rights taken away. It will get old, in time. The sad thing is that “sexism” will now be the latest term to be completely cheapened for political purposes, making it next to useless for when REAL incidents of sexism rear their ugly heads.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:51 pmThis is precisely why she was picked for the running mate. Everything can be turned into a charge of sexism, watch ‘em try. Nevermind that it’s absolutely ludicrous since a woman fought through the primaries and ended up taking it to the very end. They’re only using everything they were saving up for Clinton and flipping it to the perspective of victim. It’s still just a distraction.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pmIsn’t it sorry enough that McDepends is a gigantic boob , without the GOP adding 3 more to their presidential ticket ?
September 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pmSuggested reply re. Palin-based sexism. “The existence of an unqualified hack with tits like Palin on the ticket is sexist.”
September 12th, 2008 at 3:54 pmHasn’t Barack been described as good looking?
Were those commentators trying to get in his pants or were they just demeaning him? Or do we have a double standard?
Personally, I’ve seen them both in bathing suits and I’ll take Barack over Sarah any day.
PEACE
September 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pmand how do you think the right would respond if Obama mentioned the racial slurs being spoken often and loud?
Would that be different? Yes, he would suddenly be the one “playing the race card”
I don’t see how that can be happening and not be a major issue, the sexist thing is just like the lies about sex education….just lies.
The racial slurs are real and no one is saying a thing, why?
September 12th, 2008 at 3:59 pmI don’t know about anyone else, but I find nothing to be attractive about this woman. She is a lying, vindictive, scheming, shameless, egotistical person and that picture that TPM is always showing with her biting her tongue is really starting to creep me out.
In case you haven’t seen this Palin ad, please do so.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:01 pmThe McCain campaign is using Sarah Palin the same way Rupert Murdock uses long legged ‘info babes’ to read GOP propaganda.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:03 pmWhat about lusting after Palin’s ass — like McCain?
September 12th, 2008 at 4:07 pmOn the flip side, it’s so feminist to insult a woman’s appearance, as McCain has done to his wife, Chelsea Clinton, Janet Reno, who knows who else.
McCain’s right- he’s totally divorced from reality. Any further and he’ll have departed the space-time continuum.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:07 pmI heard he was looking at her speech, but this take is much funnier. Nice.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pmThere’s already a web ad out that has jumped on Palin’s Bush Doctrine gaffe. It’s pretty good.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:13 pmHey, GOoPers - projection much??
September 12th, 2008 at 4:15 pmYou cant disprove a negative. Dont listen or reply to it.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:15 pmConservatives should lay off Biden for the ’she’s good looking’ comment. He obviously not trying to be mean spirited. He’s a nice guy that doesn’t spend much time thinking about what he says, but he’s not trying to demean her.
Honestly, Joe is often more refreshing than the obvious partisan attacks.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:16 pmit’s clear that John McCain would rather lose his integrity than lose an election
September 12th, 2008 at 4:16 pmYeah, you get the sense that he actually means the compliments, same with Obama. Guess when you talk about the obvious partisan attacks that you are refering to the right, almost exclusivly.
It wouldn’t be happening at all if it were not for the right using it. Now it’s all they have.
Seriously, when mccain looks at the camera and tells what you know for sure is a lie, do you get the same feeling of honesty and integrity that you get from Obama and Biden?
September 12th, 2008 at 4:21 pmBut once again, McCain is driving the media and the day. Obama needs to do two things:
1. Take on McCain with some really, really nasty ads - like on abortion and rape. Then tell McCain publicly that there are two ways in which the campaign can proceed: On the issues or to be matched ad for ad in nastiness. Then Obama ought to play McCain’s statement that this is happening because Obama would not accept the Town Hall meetings. Obama ought to say straight out: “The lies, distortions and nastiness is coming from McCain as the press has already discovered. Apparently, the Senator is throwing a little tantrum like an undisciplined little baby just as he admits to doing when he did not get his way as a child. Grow up Senator McCain, this is too serious to act like a child.”
2. Obama needs to chastise the press and simply call them cowards noting that for years the Republicans have falsely accused the press of having a liberal bias. The press has reacted in a cowardly manner that does not befit their once proud heritage. Obama needs to say that the press keeps complaining that they are powerless against McCain’s driving the news cycle with frivolous, trivial issues that drive the news each day. Obama needs to mock them for being compelled to amplify stories that they really believe are trivial, frivolous and false. It would be remembered in the future.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:35 pmIt was okay when McCain was looking at her a$$, but now that others are doing it, he’s just jealous.
(Palin is not attractive at all in my opinion.)
September 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pmFred: Several weeks ago I came after you very harshly. I mocked you and attacked you. You felt picked upon with very good reason. But do you now see where such unprincipled attacks have taken this race? Do you see how McCain has turned the race in his favor and crowded out the only messages that can win for the Democrats? No, we can hope that the Democrats will now realize that there is a significant difference between fighting back against low road ads with tough, personalized ads pointing to the character weakness of the attacker. It may already be too late.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pmMcWars Says:
There’s a post-Hillary ghost they’re exploiting here, and I think Hillary needs to send the message that she will not tolerate the outcome of her candidacy being used in any form as red meat against her party.
Frankly I’m getting pissed at Hillary all over again. Where is She! Why isn’t she out there letting her views be known. Did she really put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling to have Sarah Barracuda slip through?
September 12th, 2008 at 4:41 pmI’m not seeing the hotness but to each their own.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:52 pmdbadass Says:
I’m not seeing the hotness but to each their own.
God, can you imagine coming home every night to listen to that nasal screechy voice? I can’t even listen to her. McBush puts me to sleep, Palin is like fingernails on a black board.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:53 pmGod, can you imagine coming home every night to listen to that nasal screechy voice?
It kind of makes me understand why her husband, Toddy, is a “snow-machine racer”. I would much rather listen to the whine of a “snow-machine” than put up with her grating “nasal screechy voice”, too.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:56 pmIt would be nice if someone, anyone on the National stage would call this as it is and charge that McCain is the sexist.
The only possible reason that she was chosen for VP is that she is a woman. It certainly wasn’t for her credentials…
What could be MORE sexist? Get real.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:58 pm“So much is expected, so many untoward circumstances may intervene, in such a new and critical situation, that I feel an insuperable diffidence in my own abilities. I feel, in the execution of the duties of my arduous Office, how much I shall stand in need of the countenance and aid of every friend to myself, of every friend to the Revolution, and of every lover of good Government.”
George Washington
“The thought of being president frightens me. I do not think I want the job.”
Ronald Reagan
“I answered him ‘yes’ because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can’t blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can’t blink. So I didn’t blink then even when asked to run as his running mate.”
Sarah Palin
Anybody who isn’t a more than a bit frightened at the prospect of becoming the president is even more simple minded than Bush…
September 12th, 2008 at 5:04 pmAre there any hot rightwing females? I can’t really think of any.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:06 pmbackup Says:
What about lusting after Palin’s ass — like McCain?
I heard he was looking at her speech, but this take is much funnier. Nice.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
She was keeping her speech in her ass? Come on…
September 12th, 2008 at 5:13 pmThe sexist remarks are coming from their own party.
McCain is hoping to shield her from any word spoken against her by claiming that such words are sexist.
Yet, when their own party was hooting about her being “hot” there was nothing but smiles and applause.
Hypocrites.
All is fair in campaigning, but this group of weasels and hyenas are among the worst I have seen.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:14 pmSince when does the republican party and their corporate mouthpieces ever separate themselves from their hypocrisy? Critical thinkers these guys are not.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:17 pmSarah Palin says…”you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission”
The Media needs to Closely Examine what this “Mission” is, exactly.
If they do, I think they will find the Same Wedge Issues that Gov. Huckabee and Sen. Brownback LOST on.
Overturning Roe v. Wade
Prayer in School
Creationism taught in Science Class
The Ten Commandments on the court house wall
US Foreign Policy as a Mission from God
Abstinence ONLY Birth control policies
And Most Importantly…forcing this Ideology down All American’s Throats.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:21 pmHey man, she’s hot. Dumb, but hot. But lots of hot people are dumb.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:21 pmPalin should become a Hooter’s girl. This would be a far better match than V.P., govenor or mayor.
However, Palin is wearing those high heels and skirts to play opposite of Hilary. Her legs look as though they would be uninteresting to Hooter patrons without those heels.
September 12th, 2008 at 7:28 pmMy first reaction after Palin’s convention speech was just another pretty face with no substance. (There are lots of women better looking though.)
She may subjectively have a pretty face, but the lying is not pretty.
I know politicians can lie and distort the truth beyond this team is beyond the pale. Republicans have mastered the art of lying with a straight face and the media likes to ignore it as much as possible.
Worse, I don’t think the R base even cares how much they lie. There only concern is getting the Republicans in the White House because of their religious ideology.
I can’t wait for the Veep debate. Joe will eat her alive or let’s hope. Maybe the entire point of calling “sexism” is a message for Joe to go easy on her precisely because she’s a woman.
September 13th, 2008 at 1:16 amO screw that Puritan horseshot. The GOP is the Anti-Sex League.
====
September 13th, 2008 at 11:00 amhttp://pufferfish.typepad.com/weblog/page/3/ McCain in his true form…Check the McCain/Feminist video..uncalled for, and I think that everyone needs to send this around…he has no respect for any woman. His wife included
September 13th, 2008 at 11:02 am