The "lipstick on a pig" lie

[solarbird]

The GOP, with the help of the ever-compliant political media, is trying to create a controversy out of a lie; the assertion that Senator Obama called Governor Palin a "pig." This is, again, a lie. Here is the actual quote:

“John McCain says he’s about change, too — except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics. That’s just calling the same thing something different.”

With a laugh, he added: “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 going to stink after eight years.”

Note the complete lack of any reference to Governor Palin; please note the clear and unarguable analogy of the GOP record. As Andrew Sullivan notes, this lie - being pushed by the McCain campaign, ABC News, Drudge, Sean Hannity, The New York Times, National Review, the recently slapped-down MSNBC, and no doubt others - demonstrates that Senator McCain does not have the minimal public integrity to be president of the United States:

We are being asked to believe that he called Sarah Palin a pig. If the people making that accusation have half a brain they know it's not true. This is not a question of interpretation. It is a fact. So we now find out again that John McCain is prepared to tell an absolute lie - in public, verifiable, uncontestable.

It also demonstrates the depth of the depravity, stupidity, and compliance to power of the American political media. It is beneath contempt.

eta: Wow, MSNBC is really going overtime to kiss up to the GOP at this point; they've put up a poll asking whether Senator Obama "went too far" with this thing he did not actually do. Now that's being a Political Media player! Go TeamGOP!

Comments

[maellenkleth]

regrettably concur as concerns analaogous situation in Canada. Beginning to look as if Conservative Party is using the same fakebook as the Republicans are.

[solarbird]

Yeah, but the difference being the media aren't actively part of the effort. I saw the CBC calling down Harper on some piece of bullshit - I forget which - and he backed down and apologised. Compare and contrast to the political media actively promoting the lie.

[maellenkleth]

Well, then, it behooves Harper all the more to wreak revenge on the CBC if he ever does manage to sieze power, no? Not that any of us are likely to quietly stand by if he does try, and we do have a passing fair chance at stopping him from forming another government. He certainly tried to go after the CBC the last time, but the relevant order papers died in committee (as they well should have).

Damn thing is that we will be laid up while the election goes ahead; are now hoping that at least we can arrange to vote either via proxy or via advance poll. Every vote does count, and thus far we have not yet seen any sort of Rovian attempts to convince various demographic subgroups that voting would be futile.

Colour us more disgusted than frightened, at this point.