If John McCain’s “Lipstick on a Pig” attack was criticized for being petty and irrelevant to the “real issues” of the campaign, what should we make of this stellar piece of investigative reporting?
Sarah Palin brought one unusual accessory to the Alaska Governor’s mansion after moving in last year: A tanning bed.Al Giordano’s NarcoNews first reported that Palin had the apparatus installed in the mansion in Juneau, and a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Roger Wetherell, confirmed the account to Politico.
“She paid for it with her own money,” Wetherell said in an email.
It does get awful dark up there in Alaska, but health authorities like the American Cancer Society generally frown on tanning beds as cancer risks.
The McCain-Palin campaign didn’t have an immediate comment on the purchase.
Matthew Yglesias, true to form, puts the tanning bed caper in “proper context” by pointing out that only those weird, hillbilly Alaskans who eat stuff like “Moose Stew” would think it middle class to have a tanning bed:
But that’s all pretty weird. Normal Americans don’t live in Alaska, don’t experience 22 straight hours of darkness ever, and don’t own personal tanning beds. Long story short, tanning beds are about as all-American as moose stew, which is not to say not all-American at all but rather idiosyncratic elements of the culture of an odd state located northwest of Canada.
I thought that kind of venomous, class conscious, dripping condescension went out of style for the left when Gus Hall moved on to that great proletariat gig in the sky. Jesus Lord God and they wonder why those of us in flyover country believe people like Yglesias to be effete, elitist snobs? Substitute “moose” for “rabbit” or “squirrel” or even “possum” and you have a delicacy enjoyed by millions of hunters and just plain folk all over the south and mountain west – two regions where Democrats, not surprisingly, are as scarce as hen’s teeth.
But the point isn’t that Yglesias and other lefties are out of touch. It’s hysterically funny that they threw a tantrum over McCain’s “Lipstick” attack for being irrelevant to the campaign and now they are attacking Palin for having a tanning bed that she paid for herself?
What is Obama’s position on tanning beds? A vital issue like this and Obama hasn’t formulated a position? How many tanning bed advisors does he have? I would say that’s just one more piece of evidence showing that he is unfit to be president.
Then there’s the latest Obama ad that comes right out and says McCain is “lying” about Obama’s record. The press, rousing itself temporarily from its peripatetic slumber, has suddenly realized that John McCain is indeed making a mockery of the campaign by attacking Obama mercilessly, exaggerating his record beyond recognition. To their mind, it is unfair – especially since it seems to be working. The pushback on the editorial pages and even by friendly columnists has probably hurt McCain or at the very least, blunted his momentum.
But the question is: Are they going to referee this contest and call both candidates out when they exaggerate or lie about their opponents record?
They didn’t do very well when Obama was using McCain’s “100 years” quote to falsely claim his opponent wanted to fight a war in Iraq for 100 years. In fact, most of these same columnists who are tsk-tsking and wagging an accusing finger in McCain’s direction never lifted a pen to take Obama to task for that hugely unfair portrayal of what McCain was saying.
But now that the press is awake and have presumably had their morning coffee, perhaps they’d like to do something about the lying being done by both Biden and Obama regarding McCain’s common sense statement yesterday that the fundamentals of the economy are sound:
“You know that there’s been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall St. And it is—people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think still—the fundamentals of our economy are strong. But these are very, very difficult times.”
What does McCain mean by “fundamentals?” Old Wall Street hand Mayor Bloomberg of New York, agreeing with McCain, helps the clueless Democrats and liberals out:
“I do agree that fundamentally America has an economy that is strong,” he said. “America’s great strength is its diversity, its hard work, its good financial statements, its broad capital markets,its enormous natural resources” and its work ethic, he said at an afternoon press conference devoted to reassuring New Yorkers that the city’s finances and its economy are intact.“I’d rather play America’s hand than any other country,” he said. “Without problems? No.”
Obama and Biden both twisted McCain’s words and made it sound like he was saying all was well, that the economy was doing great. First Biden yesterday:
I believe that’s why Senator McCain could say with a straight face, as recently as this morning, and I quote “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.” That, “We’ve made great progress economically” during the Bush years. But friends, I could walk from here to Lansing, and I wouldn’t run into a single person who thought our economy was doing well, unless I ran into John McCain.John McCain just doesn’t seem to understand what middle class people are going through today. I don’t doubt that he cares. He just doesn’t think that we have any responsibility to help people who are hurting.
That statement is a vicious, false lie. First, McCain did not say “as recently as this morning” that “We’ve made great progress economically…” That is an out and out lie since McCain said it months ago. Secondly, McCain did not say the “economy was doing well.” In fact, he took great pains to say the opposite. What he said was that the underpinnings of the economy – imports, exports (McCain was wrong in saying we’re the #1 exporting country – Germany is), capital markets, and the most productive work force in the history of human civilization – are still strong. There is nothing myopic about this statement. It is a fact despite Obama and Biden’s attempt to lie about what McCain actually said.
Obama’s lies were even worse:
Why else would he say that the economy isn’t something he understands as well as he should? Why else would he say, today, of all days – just a few hours ago – that the fundamentals of the economy are still strong?Senator – what economy are you talking about?
What’s more fundamental than the ability to find a job that pays the bills and can raise a family? What’s more fundamental than knowing that your life savings is secure, and that you can retire with dignity? What’s more fundamental than knowing that you’ll have a roof over your head at the end of the day? What’s more fundamental than that?
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great – that promise that America is the place where you can make it if you try – a promise that is the only reason that we are standing here today.
Obama is not describing the “fundamentals” of the economy and he knows it. He is, in fact, talking about the micro of all micro parts of the economy – the individual citizen’s pocketbook. Obama knows damn well McCain’s statement was about the macro economy. It was not only common sense to say what McCain said. It was the sign of a responsible leader that on a day when hyperbole and lies were coming from Democrats about a serious but manageable crisis on Wall Street, John McCain stood up and sought to remind people that despite the turmoil, we were not going into a depression. He didn’t seek to minimize what was going on. He didn’t try and sugar coat what was happening. But his common sense words sought to keep people calm and try to reassure them that there was nothing to panic about, that the Federal Reserve and the government were on the job.
He never said the economy was doing well. He never said individual Americans weren’t suffering. He said that the economy was not going to collapse – something the statesman Obama did not do and instead, the messiah tried to use scare tactics by totally misrepresenting what McCain said.
So where’s the press? How about a little fairness here? Obama and Biden have shamelessly lied about what John McCain said and not a peep from our guardians of truth in the media. They have reported what Obama and Biden said yesterday without any mention of the fact that they lied through their teeth.
That’s the problem, of course. They never will – especially now that they’ve called McCain out for lying, they are going to allow Obama to get away with even more exaggeration and hyperbole. This is “fairness” as far as the press is concerned.
9:36 am
Actually, I will disagree with McCain here. The Fundamentals of our economy are NOT strong, at least as commonly understood (Bloomberg’s fundamentals are stronger).
This country has a coming entitlement sh!tstorm that is going to crush us. We have fueled too much of our economic growth on borrowed money – both as individuals and as a government – and that debt is held by foreigners. How long they will continue to hold that debt is the key question. Maybe as long as we continue to be the reserve currency of the world, but that isnt’ guaranteed. There are already some rumblings of some countries switching to the Euro, and if our weak dollar policies continue, more will follow.
Additionally, our economy still relies on cheap energy, and our inability to find suitable alternative fuels and sources is going to contribute to our mess.
In short, the only way to get our looming crisis under control without painful remedies will be a great fuel innovation that will give us the equivalent of 1.50 a gallon gasoline and keep that wealth here in the US.
And, if McCain or The Obamessiah have any serious ideas on how to make that happen, I’d be interested in hearing them.
9:46 am
Thanks for the clarity. Knowing what both candidates are saying and in what context is important to me. It’s sad to think that many people will accept someone els’s interpretation of what is said without examining it’s truthfulness and context.
10:41 am
Everything I know about Alaska comes from the show Northern Exposure; so my question is does Sarah Palin have one of those little head lights they wear during the dark months?
As I posted before, I think Ms. Palin was chosen to reignite the culture wars. When in danger of losing an election based on the issues (or the unpopularity of your party) the right knows it can whip the base up into a frenzy with wedge issues. No matter how unrealistic a prospect of overturning Roe v Wade (or for that matter gay marriage becoming legal in every state) the social conservatives need only hear the mention of either issue and the folks in power on the right know they have rallied the base (something that alone McCain was not doing).
I wish someone would call this woman out on her crazy views with regard to Creationism; you can’t teach it both ways either the world is 6000 years old or not. And birth control – the abstinence only policy makes me wonder if any of these folks were ever teenagers.
11:50 am
“He is, in fact, talking about the micro of all micro parts of the economy – the individual citizen’s pocketbook.”
An uber Republican friend of mine is fond of saying, “when in doubt, vote your pocketbook”. He does this in attempts to get me to vote Republican. I’ve heard this on more than one occasion from Republicans.
Hearing Obama discuss individual citizens pocketbooks in a setting where he is talking to, well, citizens, only seems to make sense from a political standpoint. Most people I know personally are not better off than they were eight years ago. That part is a no brainer as well.
On the macro level, the major economic indicators are definitely worse than they were eight years ago. The “Now” is inauguration day 2001.
Unemployment Then: 4.2%
Unemployment Now: 6.1%
Budget Then: $281B Surplus
Budget Now: $357B Deficit
Debt Then: $5.7 Trillion
Debt Now: $9.7 Trillion
Gas Avg Then: $1.46/gal
Gas Avg Now: $4.00+
(these numbers are from the US. Dept. of Commerce and the Census Bureau.)
So, if I voters are looking at Macro or Micro, and voting with only the pocketbook in mind, I think the Republicans are in trouble.
You are deliberately avoiding the point and lying to boot. McCain said nothing about whether we were better off 8 years ago. He said nothing except what I wrote above. You and Obama both are lying about what he said. McCain was making a sound, reasonable, point about the underlying strength of the economy. We are not headed for collapse – no responsible analyst I have read has said anything close to that. And yet Obama chose to try and instill fear in people in a time of crisis by misrepresenting – deliberately- what McCain was saying.
You should get a job in the Obama war room. Your lying would fit right in.
ed.
12:32 pm
Remember the days when GWB was ‘flagged’ by the media and the Dems for ‘talking down’ the economy. Bush’s crime: noting a factual statistic (measure of leading indicators) without much elaboration.
Now, the Chicken Little media and Dems take turns to see who can hyperventilate the most. It’s just par for the course over the last eight years: BDS has turned the brains of the left/MSM/Dems to mush.
12:48 pm
When John McCain says that the fundamentals of the economy are strong, he is, in fact, correct. But saying that he “sought to keep people calm and try to reassure them” is an opinion. That is your spin, which shows your editorial bias. My opinion is that he is trying to minimize the damage that the bad economy is having on people’s perceptions of the Republican Administration, and by extension, his candidacy.
I think it’s fair game to challenge this truth on that basis.
I will buy part of that arguement. That would probably let Obama off the hook.
But Biden’s statement was pure lies – saying McCain said things that he never said.
ed.
1:20 pm
Whatever, Rick. Which part of what I said is a lie? Was it the personal opinion or was it the cold hard facts?
Postagoras is right on.
McCain saying that the fundamentals of the economy are strong is a face saving red herring. Which is, of course, why he’s saying it. It sounds fantastic. But, unfortunately, it’s the equivalent of him saying, people exchanging money for goods and services seems to be working out really well for our country.
I would have voted for McCain in 2000 if Rove hadn’t destroyed him. He seems like a different guy this time around though.
2:18 pm
Palin Excites Parents of Disabled Kids…
Sarah Palin gave birth to son Trig four months ago despite a diagnosis of Down syndrome, and her app…
3:33 pm
You can’t have it both ways. On Monday, McCain said the fundamentals were strong…then later said they were at great risk. That is a fact. You can’t get around that fact. He said both statements. I believe it was even the same speech (I will have to double check that though). Are you going to do block quotes of his speech and then “explain” it as you do above? Because, you know…maybe I “heard” it wrong…maybe he really “meant” to say something else. Maybe I’m just dumb and when he said “at risk” he meant something totally different. Maybe you are just a bias writer and people should understand that. I do. You write bad things about Democrats and write good things about Republicans. This is what you do. No matter what facts are out there.
I am having problems with both Democrats and Republicans this year…and it all comes down to the lies they tell. It is coming from both sides but I believe every one will admit (at least to themself) that the Republicans are spewing forth the most garbage. I like that you call Obama/Biden out on some of their lies/truth stretching…but to never write about the Republicans doing it? How about where they claim Obama tried to teach “comprehensive” sex education to young kids. We all know what it was about (teaching young children about pedophiles) but note that the ad placed an emphasis on “comprehensive”...like he was going to talk about safe-sex/condoms/STDs/birds and the bees/etc. That is down-right, nasty, disgusting campaigning there. How about where they state they would run a clean campaign…and 5 minutes into it the mud-slinging started. Both sides did it but I believe the Republicans started it. How can you believe in a man who would sell out his integrity like that?
This year I will more than likely have to vote non-dem/non-rep…I feel let down by both parties. I feel let down by people like you, who spout party BS in order to support a party just because they are Democrat or Republican. You are like Sean Hannity…who constantly says Republican Republican Republican…POW POW POW. Or Whoopie Goldberg on The View – Democrat Democrat Democrat…race race race. (Hmm…maybe I should have used Keith Olbermann as an example. That is a man who is full of hate. Kinda like Bill O’Reilly.)
4:01 pm
oye,
disappointed american, you haven’t been reading this blog much, or even recently or you wouldn’t have made your absurd comment about rick’s writing. as well with your obama script in hand you make little of mccain’s finger up bush’s arse for the past 7 years. i know i don’t need to defend el blogetero ricko or mccain, but you can blow your derisive misconstrued lies out your arse… oh yeah you’re ugly…
4:43 pm
Who gives a damn what Joe Biden is saying? The chances of the Republicans using Biden’s “lies” in a campaign ad is nil, since nobody except pundits and political junkies pay any attention to him. By contrast, can anybody imagine the Democrats not using “the fundamentals of our economy are strong” in a commercial? McCain made a gaffe, that’s all. Doesn’t matter how “right” he is, the timing of his statement is bad.
4:58 pm
Sarah Palin had a tanning bad? How crazy is that? Well, I was going to vote for McCain, but now that this incredible scandal has broken, I’m certainly going to think twice. A tanning bed? The outrage! Why, those things cost almost half of what a plate at an Obama fundraiser costs. Outrageous!
I think they’re trying too hard.
5:00 pm
@jambrowski
I’m sorry jambrowski…but it is hard to take your comment serious…if you were being serious even. But I’ll go with the assumption that you were at least attempting to make a point.
I’m not sure which “absurd comment” of mine you were remarking about. Was it where I said Rick was a biased writer? Of course he is a biased writer…everyone is biased one way or other. FYI jambrowski, this website is called Right Wing Nut House. Not obvious enough for you, eh? “Right Wing” Nut House. Get it now? “Right”. As in – Republican. As in – Republican point of view.
I understand this is a biased site. You should too though. Just like I know if I go watch Keith Olbermann I’m going to get some liberal garbage (very biased…but in Keith’s case very hateful). Man, I could go on about Olbermann and O’Reilly all day. They are like Nancy Grace…I love to hate them.
Anyways, I like to think of myself as right in the middle when it comes to politics but the truth is I swing left or right depending on the election. I don’t treat politics like sports. I don’t pick a side and blindly follow/cheer them on. (Those last two lines I got from some other site and wish I could remember who wrote them to give them credit…but for right now it is enough that you know I agree with those statements. Note the word blindly in there.) To be honest I am really looking forward to the debates…as long as they address issues and get past the name calling and lies.
The rest of your comment was just pure trash. Also, what “derisive misconstrued lies” are you referring to? My statement contained facts and then contained my own opinions. I’m not sure how my opinion that I’m disappointed in both parties is hurtful or is a lie but may I recommend that you re-read my post and digest it?
I’m pretty sure Rick Moran does not need your help in attacking what I wrote. He can go edit the comment and make his own remarks. He might even say I’m lying and would fit in at the Obama war room. Rick is using one remark made by McCain and ignoring another.
McCain did not make a a sound, reasonable, point about the underlying strength of the economy. He made TWO! And they differed from each other (4 years ago you would have broken out the flip-flops for that one). Rick is blindly defending one of McCain’s statements which does not reconcile with the other.
6:55 pm
disappointed american,
are you mad, does it feel good, your attacks are baseless and pathetic, and your arguments illogical, i am tired of your rhetoric, you don’t read this site, because if you did, you would know that more independent thinking individuals peruse this site than not. as for rick being biased, why don’t you read one of his latest blogs “not my values”, to see what kind of abuse he took for speaking his voice. as for defense, rick doesn’t need any (you are correct) but i am sick and tired of people like you mindlessly abusing the gentleman cause you have a hair out of place and yes you are still playground ugly, go read the huff or rawstory…
7:47 pm
Interestingly enough, over the past 50 years the majority of the economic indicators have been better when a Democrat has held the presidency. I have no explanation for why that is, but it’s true. Democrats, good for the economy. That’s exactly the opposite of what I had expected.
11:50 pm
aric writes “I wish someone would call this woman out on her crazy views with regard to Creationism; you can’t teach it both ways either the world is 6000 years old or not. And birth control – the abstinence only policy makes me wonder if any of these folks were ever teenagers.”
So now it’s crazy to say one ought to be allowed to discuss alternate views and theories? Because Palin has never said creationism ought to be taught in public schools. She simply said she didn’t see anything wrong with the concept being discussed in schools.
Of course nowadays far too many Americans prefer to suppress debate by insulting others or shouting them down.
As for birth control, this may come as a surprise to you, but not every teenager is a rutting pig. Some actually have the maturity to abstain from sex until they are older and more mature. Some are actually crazy enough to abstain until they are married.
It’s amazing how many people in this country seem to think that their way is the only way and all other ways are wrong.
12:08 am
...All this screaming about “Lies” and tanning beds… Here’s all that matters:
McCain’s economic guru, Phil Grahmm created this mess – Plain and simple. McCain thinks he’s a genius.
McCain keeps talking about CEO’s walking away with golden parachutes yet his advisor, Carly Fiorina did just that. She was fired for screwing up Hewlitt Packard, yet walked away with 40 million dollars. And she’s out there saying who is and who isn’t qualified to run a company. Good one, Carly. You finally did something right.
Then you have McCain’s answer to the economic crisis – form a 9-11 style commission.HAHAHAHAH!
This day will be remembered for all time as a comedy of errors for the republican party. And a tragedy for the rest us who finally realize that the republican “let’s de-regulate everything” is a really bad idea.
This is the beginning of McCain’s massive defeat. And we couldn’t have sealed it any better than him. Truly remarkable…
He actually had me scared for minute there…. Obama is going to pummel him all the way to November!
8:46 am
tim,
be scared, be very scared… empty suits have many surprises… as it goes you know where mccain and palin stand and have stood, you cannot know where the “messiah” actually stands because it is all hypothetical, he has done nothing and has led nothing… except that is throwing people under the proverbial bus. i would have respected the chap had he not dumped his pastor and other members of his campaign, people make mistakes and misspeak (look at biden) but he dumped them (people he knew for years, decades), what is he going to do to his constituency when and if he gets elected? see how thick that ice is tim, you go first though…
9:54 am
Tim, It is obviously more worthy to sell out ones integrity and honesty in a bid for the white house than to distance yourself from people. I would say morals but McCain decided a long time ago to cheat on his last wife…yeeaaaa…..morals….down the toilet there.
Now according to jambrowski my arguments are illogical. I would like him/her to refute the fact that
1. McCain sold out on his integrity and honesty (just look at his ads)
2. McCain cheated on his last wife
Plus I like the fact that jambrowski says “messiah”...next will come “elitist” and other GOP buzz words. P.O.W! P.O.W! P.O.W!
jambrowski, I believe you are indicating that I stumbled upon this article by mistake. I have had Right Wing Nut House on a feed to bloglines for awhile now. You are obviously one who picked a party line and started cheering your horse on..no matter the controversy. You are an “independent thinking individual” are you? Riiiiight. Just like Bill O’Reilly is a non-partisan moderate independent.
My main argument with this site is that Rick has been letting McCain get away with all of his crap and not calling him out on any of it! On no
! Obama said “lipstick on a pig” lets write an artical on it. Listening to the speech you know Obama was talking about McCain policy…just hearing a soundbite you think he is referring to Palin. McCain said same about a policy of Hillary’s in the past…you know what…we just won’t bring that up. Never happened. P.O.W! P.O.W!
Tim brought up a valid point about Carly Fiorina…and all you (jambrowski) can say is “you know where mccain and palin stand” and then try and turn around on Obama. Uh-Oh! Something bad about McCain. Throw up the smokescreen. P.O.W! P.O.W!
Gets tiring hear someone say (in my case write) P.O.W! Doesn’t it?
11:40 pm
Rick,
While I don’t begrudge Sarah Palin a tanning bed, at $12,000, it is a couple orders of magnitude greater an extravagance than John Edwards’ $400 haircut which conservatives wouldn’t let go of.
So if you want to go after liberal hypocrites why spare your buddy conservatives who were, IMHO, far more hysterical over far less?