Biden on Palin: “She’s good looking”
posted at 7:41 pm on August 31, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Nothing against our pal Tammy Bruce, who’s exercised by his comment, but (a) he’s clearly joking, (b) he himself is the butt of the joke, not Palin, and er, (c) he’s right.
Palin was once a contestant in the Miss Alaska contest, and no less an authority than Rush Limbaugh has called her a “babe,” though of course Gov. Palin is a governor and former mayor and mother and I’ll bet this is the last time Biden comments about her looks.
“From our perspective the whole deal is how does the government help you get back up without getting in the way?” Biden asked. “There’s a gigantic – gigantic — difference between John McCain and Barack Obama, and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. And that is that – ”
The crowd laughed.
“Well there’s obvious differences,” Biden said, beginning to ham it up. “She’s good looking,” he said, laughing. “You know there’s obvious differences. But there’s a whole lot — ”
A woman shouted: “you’re gorgeous!” to Biden.
Not the wisest move to make the first contrast you draw with your woman opponent a physical one, but these endless rhetorical gotchas are wearisome. It sounds like he’s following Team Barry’s strategy of going easy on Palin off the bat, even to the point of paying her superficial compliments as a set-up to drawing substantive contrasts (which it appears he was about to do before the woman in the audience interrupted). Judging from this old photo, Palin herself seems to take this sort of thing with welcome good humor, which will further alienate the already alienated Hillaryistes and not matter much to anyone else. And needless to say, complimenting her looks isn’t incompatible with taking her seriously as a politician; if it was, a good 20 percent of the comments left on righty blogs since the pick was announced wouldn’t have been possible. Exit question: Much ado about nothing, yes?
Update: From commenter Big S, bear this in mind before you bash Biden: “Of course every comment or criticism of Palin will be deemed sexist now. Heather MacDonald was right.”
Update: Babe round-up!
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I should hope not, but context is everything. Biden’s words may have been “inartful”, but knowing Biden, huge gaffs are yet to come. Personally, I’d let this one pass in favor of nailing him when the first big one comes.
petefrt on August 31, 2008 at 9:27 PM
Indeed. It’s going to take some people a while to figure out you’re not a troll. I’m also having trouble figuring out how many liberals snuck in.
BadgerHawk on August 31, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Oh come on. It was a joke. I thought it was funny.
Anyway a sexist is someone who believes that men and women are not equally capable of every task.
They aren’t. In my opinion the lifting of very heavy objects should be tasked to men.
Is that sexist?
In 1948 the Israeli military (being desperate for numbers) gave women equal combat roles with men. Seeing women soldiers being killed and blown apart was so distressing and traumatic for the men that the top brass quickly overturned the rule (with a phony excuse) and its a good job they did because if they hadn’t they probably would have lost the war out of deflated morale (despair, really).
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Honestly, in light of the left saying Palin is a bad mother because she didn’t follow the professional media OB/GYN’s birthing manual, and the kos PI’s thinking they’ve blown the lid off the fake pregnancy scandal, I say we have PLENTY of areas of Palin Derangement Syndrome to focus our energies on.
ZP on August 31, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Hardly anyone is saying this is a big deal. Stop grabbing a couple of comments and pretending they represent everyone. You’re smarter than that.
BadgerHawk on August 31, 2008 at 9:38 PM
No big deal. People talk about how telegenic Obama is as well. Appearances matter, at least since Kennedy/Nixon.
mikeyboss on August 31, 2008 at 9:39 PM
Is he a hero or a skunk, a fighting Patton or a drunk?
Who is Allahpundit?
He’s always at it tooth and nail
There’s always someone to impale
But he relaxes now and then
To take a sail upon the Seine
Some wish he’d sail away from thee
Others wish he would simply come to tea
This plucky ne’er-do-well
No, this lucky bloody swell!
Who is AllahPundit?
BlakeneyP on August 31, 2008 at 9:44 PM
Nonsense. There will be many more posts as incredible, if not more so, than this one. After all…I plan to be here for a while.
ManlyRash on August 31, 2008 at 9:44 PM
I’m sure he’s flatulent and crass
Here, here, the man’s a horse’s ass
No, no, he’s neighborly and kind
But quite eclectically inclined
Whatever guise he may employ,
He’s Hotair’s pride and joy
This plucky nonpareil
This lucky, bloody swell
Who is Allahpundit?
BlakeneyP on August 31, 2008 at 9:45 PM
I don’t think so, Badger.
ManlyRash on August 31, 2008 at 9:46 PM
From this I take that Biden is brilliant and has Sarah Palins best interests at heart. Gee, maybe I should vote for him and Barry. There are such kind and witty individuals.
JonRoss on August 31, 2008 at 9:47 PM
Heh…I never accused MB of trollism, Badger. I know a troll when I see one (Hello, Alphie…here’s another piece of string!).
ManlyRash on August 31, 2008 at 9:49 PM
No matter how hard you try you can not push a string.
Murphy9 on August 31, 2008 at 9:53 PM
Alphie hasn’t yet returned from the methadone clinic tonight.
JonRoss on August 31, 2008 at 9:53 PM
Tammy’s a fraud. She routinely puts up pictures of female politicians she finds hot. She salivated over Valerie Plame.
SnarkVader on August 31, 2008 at 8:22 PM
she’s not a fraud given her proclivities I’d say that makes her genuine.
sven10077 on August 31, 2008 at 8:26 PM
kahall on August 31, 2008 at 9:54 PM
Oh my goodness… I can not wait for these debates! Picture a can of spam blown apart by an AK47… that’ll be Biden… all over the floor!
ErinF on August 31, 2008 at 9:55 PM
Dave’s pretty smart, he’s just a liberal. I posted on dkos for about a year and had pretty much the same tone he does here. He’s civil and makes his points, and uses sarcasm to try to make us look dumb. I enjoy having my positions challenged every once in a while, as opposed to being called evil or stupid just for being conservative. I wish all liberals acted as grown up as he does.
BadgerHawk on August 31, 2008 at 9:57 PM
Kinda drastic. A good friendly kick to the nuts would be sufficient.
JonRoss on August 31, 2008 at 9:58 PM
Yea there are differences like the fact that she could literally kick your a**, and that she has more executive experience that you do!
Palin has actually ran a city and the largest US state in the Union and the biggest thing that Biden has ran is his mouth!
Chakra Hammer on August 31, 2008 at 9:58 PM
Well if you want to take some weird convoluted political meaning from it you can but I didn’t say any of the things you’re saying.
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 9:58 PM
And I didn’t mean to say you thought MB4 was a troll, sorry for that. It’s just that his style can be confusing to people who are new posting here.
BadgerHawk on August 31, 2008 at 9:58 PM
There is nothing more deceptive to some than an obvious fact.
semloh on August 31, 2008 at 10:05 PM
I’m still going to disagree with you there, AP. Most of the comments were mild, but the HuffPost picture with the T-shirt is what I expect to see more of in the coming weeks. The insinuation is that she’s too young and pretty to be taken seriously. Wait and see.
John on August 31, 2008 at 10:08 PM
What fact would that be?
I said was that I thought Biden’s joke was a joke.
Sorry for unwittingly launching a Communist conspiracy against decent, non-sexist people. If that is in fact what I have done.
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 10:12 PM
The fact that some reading your comment are not able to recognize out of a number of facts which are incidental and which vital.
semloh on August 31, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Don’t judge Biden too harshly. He’s old enough that he thinks this kind of “humor” is still acceptable. Not only is Palin good looking, she’s young enough to represent a different generation than Biden- an ancient plaigerising faux-intellectual from an insignificant state. Palin has real life experience. Biden is a career politician.
highhopes on August 31, 2008 at 10:18 PM
A humorless world would be a very sad world indeed. This little revolution is monstrous intolerable.
BlakeneyP on August 31, 2008 at 10:24 PM
What are you bleating on about? All I did was give an opinion. I think that Joe Biden was joking what he made a quip about Sarah Palin’s looks.
What does that have to do with facts, incidential facts, vital facts or the interpretation of facts?
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Its still acceptable to me.
Sarah Palin’s beauty is near insurpassable.
So a mild joke about her being “good looking” doesn’t rankle with me at all.
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 10:33 PM
I am just saying Biden shouldn’t be cut one single inch of slack on anything. No benefit of the doubt on anything. He is an arrogant and corrupt piece of crap (no joke) and needs to be held accountable for any word that comes out of his mouth no matter how innocent.
JonRoss on August 31, 2008 at 10:36 PM
As do I my fine chap and a joke with a large helping of self depreciation which made it all the more delicious.
Your facts and the proclivity of some to only see the incidental and not see the vital in them.
semloh on August 31, 2008 at 10:38 PM
I appreciate your kind sentiments, Badger. However, the first statement you made is inherently contradictory. For one to be a liberal, he must be demented, a poseur, supinely ignorant or a combination of the three. Take your pick as to which applies to Dave.
The second statement does not mitigate a brutally scatalogical fact of life: you can sh!t in one hand and wish in the other…see which one gets filled first.
In light of the past 48 hours which have witnessed indescribably awful verbal assaults on Governor Palin, kindly excuse me if I am less than conciliatory with our liberal “friends.”
ManlyRash on August 31, 2008 at 10:40 PM
SEXIST!!
Oh, wait a minute, a Dhiimicrat said it. OK then, it’s OK. Just don’t let those sexist Repubs say anything like that.
davidk on August 31, 2008 at 10:42 PM
A shame Governor Palin doesn’t have an Indian accent.
She isn’t qualified run one of Joe’s Dunkin’ Donut Shops.
profitsbeard on August 31, 2008 at 10:43 PM
Fair enough. I don’t a lot about Joe Biden. I won’t give him the benefit of the doubt if he does not deserve it.
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Sing, swing
Savour the sting
Flash, slash!
Glisten and gash!
God, when did man lose his reason?
Save us, my God, if you’re there
God, can you not feel the terror like a fire in the air?
BlakeneyP on August 31, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Aw hell profitsbeard, he was just joking. I thought it was a joke. Couldn’t you tell it was a joke ? Beside he didn’t mean it. Give him a break. Trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill are you when he was just joking ? Somebody might think you are not nice.
JonRoss on August 31, 2008 at 10:48 PM
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Actually (re-reading the thread) MB4 you didn’t say anything against what I said but your use of pseudonyms is very unnerving.
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 11:03 PM
A problem with most liberals, as I wrote above, is that they automatically label people who disagree with them as stupid or evil. It causes me to automatically not take anything they have to say seriously. We would do well to avoid doing the same.
Conservatism has the stronger argument, which is why we don’t feel the need to stiffle the debate or shout down those who disagree.
And I haven’t seen Dave post any garbage about Gov. Palin faking a pregnancy or anything like that, though he might have and I just missed it.
BadgerHawk on August 31, 2008 at 11:04 PM
CNBC is playing the Palin interview now in EST. She’s good. She just got in a nice dig at Biden for opposing the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline…30 years ago. Ouch.
Sarah’Cuda Feevah! Catch It!
BuckeyeSam on August 31, 2008 at 11:10 PM
I pray the libs have cornered the market on this “you can’t say anything about Person X because…(gay, black, female, widowed, etc)” so, yes, much way ado about nothing.
That said, watching them squirm in all their prejudices for the next two months is going to be fun.
LibTired on August 31, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Sing, swing
Savour the sting
Flash, slash!
Glisten and gash!
BlakeneyP on August 31, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Hitler has only got one ball,
Göring has two but very small,
Himmler is somewhat sim’lar,
But Goebbels has no balls at all.
I’m going to bed now. Goodnight MB4.
aengus on August 31, 2008 at 11:22 PM
I see him as a pirate!
No – a poet!
No – a prince!
A gypsy mopping sweat upon his brow
Might it be this gypsy of yours stands before you now?
It could be him!
It could be you!
Odd’s fish, it could be me!
This scallawag could be most any sod
BlakeneyP on August 31, 2008 at 11:22 PM
John McCain is a better man than Obama or Biden, because he admires Sarah Palin instead of feeling threatened by her.
Their party shoved the strongest woman in the party off of the podium.
Did you hear that Sarah Palin has an energy plan?
mary jo on August 31, 2008 at 11:31 PM
So, the GOP can never run a woman or minority. Because in the midst of all the sexist/racist attacks from the left, there might be a lesser comment that someone might object to, therefore “proving” MacDonald’s point that a frickin’ Governor isn’t qualified to be VP.
Allrighty then.
Mr. Wednesday Night on August 31, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Biden can’t help it. Biden was a jackass before the comment, and will continue to be one as long as he is breathing. Perfect example of the need for term-limits. Serve one or two terms, and then go get a job. Please.
chief on August 31, 2008 at 11:51 PM
There’s two Americas – old posters and newbies.
B26354 on September 1, 2008 at 1:23 AM
I love the smell of burnt hair plugs in the morning!
TexasJew on September 1, 2008 at 2:45 AM
Everyone is used to Hillary with her bad teeth and wrinkly face so much, when they see a Vp candidate who’s not ugly, they get all excited!
tx2654 on September 1, 2008 at 3:13 AM
McCain picks someone who will grow in he VP position, someone who could be seen as competition for the next election.
Obama picksa someone who would never be seen as a threat.
davod on September 1, 2008 at 7:36 AM
Maybe it is just me. But does it seem democrats are afraid of strong women?
DVPTexFla on September 1, 2008 at 7:50 AM
I am thinking he reloads those things every night. I wonder how much he spends to maintain that mess. For that amount he could feed, perhaps, one of Barry’s brothers in Kenya for an entire decade.
JonRoss on September 1, 2008 at 9:35 AM
So are you and alphie going to be teaming up here ? Alphie left for the methadone clinic a few minutes ago so it looks like you lost your ride. Maybe the local DNC office will make a delivery to your room.
JonRoss on September 1, 2008 at 9:41 AM
Obama has picked a Delaware redneck to help him change a “broken” Congress that Biden has spent 36 years breaking. That shows the experience of brainwashed Daly lapdog. It will be interesting to see if the corrupt Daly machine will use race and sexism to denigrate another female challenger in order to give their puppet the keys to the White House.
volsense on September 1, 2008 at 11:03 AM
I love the smell of burnt hair plugs in the morning!
TexasJew on September 1, 2008 at 2:45 AM
Your obvious prejudice against the folically challenged is despicably funny. BTW, I thought there was only one Jew in Texas. Shalom from a Hoosier Catholic.
SKYFOX on September 1, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Good looking, yes, but is she CLEAN CUT and ARTICULATE???
pueblo1032 on September 1, 2008 at 12:16 PM
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