I agree with you Jay - she has to get out there stumping on her own. The media is really giving them some slack about the lack of individual campaigning right now, saying that they are campaigning together to ride the wave of popularity they've had coming out of the convention.

Tomorrow will be her first test when she sits down with Charles Gibson for a one-on-one. We'll see how she does.

That's a really interesting observation Truff, I hadn't thought of that. Makes you wonder if this is very carefully scripted by their campaign.

Rebuttal ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZd_Y_D-RaA

kms, for those of us blocked at work, what do the ads say?

Pooh, of course it was part of the when and the why. I'm sure it will come up in the questioning. It will reinforce the image of her as a working mom. But that would have happened if she did the interview today, tomorrow or next week. She is real and does know firsthand what it's really like for women today. I admire her chutzpah doing it on the day her firstborn ships out to Iraq. I'm sure I won't be the only one.

Perhaps he heard it at home growing up?? His grandparents were from Kansas.

The Palin camp needs to get thicker skin.

it has sarah palin saying what she said about hockey moms and pit bulls and then obama makig his statement about pigs. and then katie couric says something about the continued sexism.

the it says obama ready to lead - no
Obama ready to smear - yes

There are millions of words and at least as many analogical phrases in the English language. It doesn't matter who used it before. BO should have chosen a different one. You know, taken the high road he said he would in this political battle. Lead by example, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

I think reasonable people understand the context in which Obama was using the phrase. Besides, do you think McCain was calling Hillary a pig when he used the phrase to attack her policies?

I agree with JJ. I want to see everyone get past the horsecrap and get down to the issues. I am sold on her character, but I want to see what her positions are with respect to a number of fiscal policy and foreign affairs issues. I do not care that she may have to learn some foreign policy or be coached, but I want to see how well she can communicate the issues to the American people.

Why? It's a phrase in common usage. Did you see the link to the book with that title or to Cheney's use of the phrase four years ago? Do you think Obama does not read or follow politics?

The point he was making is that McCain's policies are just Bush's policies with minimal disguise. The "pig" is Bush's policies.

MofS, this post is long overdue. Thanks! I agree. I don't need to feel a personal connection to Palin. I need her to explain to me why I should feel comfortable with her being a heartbeat away from the presidency. I don't feel the GOP has done anything thus far to address this concern.

Except for the deliberate pause to allow the worshippers, who obviously got the reference, to cheer as though they had just won the lottery. IMO the phrase was specifically to allow for plausible deniability.

TMOS, her positions are irrelevant. The only positions that matter ar McCain's. Her job is to support him.

She needs to be communicating his positions to the American people, not her own.

I have similar feelings about Senator Biden's positions. Things he may have been for or against in the past do not matter - only Obama's positions count, because in the end, his will be the policies implemented if he becomes President!!!!!!!!

(Hey, that exclamation point key is fun!!!!!!!!!)

Yoss, you could be absolutely right. The point I'm trying to make is that, whether or not it's common place or right, it was a poor choice for BO to use it. He could have made his point in any number of different ways. There are lots of people like me who think he did it as a slam.

btw, I've never heard that phrase before and I grew up in Chicago and went to a good college and .....

The presumption, however, is that her positions, or at least the very important positions, woul dbe consistent with McCain's, or why bother having her on the ticket. So yes, communicate McCain's positions, but she should be sharing most of them anyway.

It's very true that we are not electing per-se the VP's. But's let's be logical here.

McCain is what - 72? So there is a possibility that something could happen to him and Palin would then become President.

And here is something that no one is talking about, but unfortunately could become a reality. Barak Obama is African American. Unfortunately, there are still many people in this country who still have major problems with accepting black people. Even though we are not hearing anything about it, don't you think that the Secret Service and FBI are up to their ears following up on leads to the wacko's out there who would seek to harm either him or his family?

In reality, in this election, we do need to consider the positions of both Palin and Biden.

Personally, I think Obama is smart enough to know that he could hide behind a folksy proverb and everyone would clearly understand the connection.

Oh yeah that was diercted at her, he could have used so many other phrases but chose that one.

Why do you think that? Here is the quote:

"Now think about it, these are the same folks that have been in charge for the last eight years," he said.

"You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. You can wrap up up an old fish in a piece of paper and call it change. It's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough."

Was she in charge for the last eight years? No, Bush was. Was Obama also calling her a fish? Was he saying we've "had enough" of her after a few weeks? Or was he talking about the claim that McCain's minimal differences with Bush are just a disguise for the same policies of the last eight years?



That's why I posted the links to the book and Cheney's use of the term, in case there was anyone that wasn't familar with the phrase.

Yoss - Palin had just used the Hockey Mom/Pit Bull lipstick reference. If she hadn't, no one would be calling Obama on the carpet for it. But because she did, and because of how it was said, well - if it smells like a pig and looks like a pig, it most likely IS a pig.

Neither have I, oh and my hubby grew up in Chicago and his grandparents are from Kansas...if only he was born in Hawaii...maybe then this would be "just a phrase"...

can you point to a time when he said it publicly before Palin was picked? This is the same spin people made when he was using subtle words to bring race into the public eye, while claiming it shouldn't be about race...

Sounds like he hooked at least one person...

And if it smells and looks like an election year, it most likely is an election year. This is not the last partisan attack we'll see (from both sides). It happens every four years.

^^^agreed