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Who would have thought that a colorful cosmetic could have so much impact on a campaign? This is a topic that I've hesitated to blog about, only because I disagree with all the attention the media has given it. But I have to remind myself of my news philosophy.

“A news sense is really a sense of what is important, what is vital, what has color and life - what people are interested in. That's journalism.”

SO...if THIS is what is important to people, then let's talk about it. Are we making an issue out of non-issue? Here's something I wrote on my personal blog about Barack Obama's LIPSTICK ON A PIG comment.

"We all heard Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin say the only difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull is lipstick. Enter Barack Obama. The Senator and Presidential hopeful told a crowd "You can put lipstick on a pig" (insert giggles and clapping here)..."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." Insert outrage and backlash here. You guessed it. The McCain camp came out swinging. McCain's campaign says it was "offensive and disgraceful." Say your sorry he says. Obama's response? He wasn't referring to Palin when he made the comment about LIPSTICK ON A PIG."

Listen. The truth is "lipstick on a pig" is one of the oldest political phrases out there. John McCain used it when talking about Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan. No one called him a sexist, but people are calling Barack Obama a sexist. Obama didn't mention Palin's name once during the 25 minutes of his speech prior to making that comment. BUT critics say he KNEW what he was saying, that it WAS directed toward Gov. Palin. You be the judge. Some women, many Hillary supporters are retracting their support and throwing it to Mrs. Palin. How do you feel about the comment? Was it offensive? Was it sexist? Or is this a topic that just got too much media attention?

Maybe Obama shouldn't be on the offensive. Maybe he should just apologize, smooth it over and move on. Even if he didn't intend to offend anybody (only he really knows what he meant when he said it), perhaps he should have said "Listen the timing was bad. I apologize if I offended anybody etc etc etc." Now we're left with a mess...the media is obsessed with talking about LIPSTICK ON A PIG. Should it be addressed to the degree it has been? The national news media has latched itself on to this subject like a leech, and I have a feeling it won't stop until its been sucked dry. There aren't many things I share my opinion about in public because I have to remember to respect my boundaries as a journalist, but I think I have a right to say something about my industry. I am disappointed. Let's focus on the real issues my fellow journalists. Sure. Let's talk about it, but let's not dedicate endless hours of coverage to the topic. There are other things on people's minds besides lipstick on a pig. Every candidate in this race should be treated equally, every candidate should be faced with tough questions. The media has a tremendous impact on public opinion. It's a responsibility we have to remind ourselves of. This is an election year. America's future is in all our hands and the public depends on us when it comes to getting information about the candidates running for President. That's why I say, let's move on and FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUES.

Here's what I want to know. If you had to vote today, who would you elect to be the next President? And then ask yourself and answer this. Before the conventions, if you had to vote then, who would you have elected? Has your opinion changed about which candidate you favor? OR do you feel we are forced to pick between the lesser of two evils?

NinevehDinha's Blog

LIPSTICK on a Pig.

NinevehDinha

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