Lyin’ Ted. Little Marco. Crooked Hillary. Dangerous Donald.
With the end of the 2016 presidential elections, these epithets – if not the vitriol – are finally waning. And in this moment between political eruptions, let’s reclaim something that politicians tried to take away from us this year: the affectionate nickname.
Nicknames haven’t always been horrible. The Urban Dictionary defines a nickname as neither kind nor mean, but rather “something used instead of a person’s real name that either makes [the name] shorter, is a joke or describes the individual’s personality.”
In fact, the nicknames of our past presidents have usually been friendly. George Washington was not Fat George or Old Wood Chops; he was “the Father of our Country.” Theodore Roosevelt was “The Hero of San Juan Hill,” Thomas Jefferson the “Sage of Monticello,” and Zachary Taylor “Old Rough and Ready.”
It is true that our most hated presidents have sometimes attracted negative nicknames. Richard Nixon became “Tricky Dick” during Watergate. But before that, people “liked” Ike and “backed” Jack. And afterward, they called Ronald Reagan “The Great Communicator” and Bill Clinton “The Comeback Kid.”
Our current president has been called a lot of things, but his most lasting nickname is mostly positive: “No Drama Obama.” His predecessor, meanwhile, with a lesser legacy, rarely got slammed with a negative nickname; George W. Bush was simply called “Dubya.”
It may be that Bush the Younger avoided nasty nicknames by being a purveyor of positive ones. While president, he called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “Guru.” He labeled his education secretary, Margaret Spellings, “La Margarita.” He nicknamed Barack Obama “The Rock,” and labeled other political opponents “Sabertooth,” “Hogan” and “Big George.”
In the end, Dubya used nicknames to disarm. He observed people closely, found a harmless or impressive trait, and pinned it to the person cleverly. Nickname recipients couldn’t help but feel connected to a president with a playful side.
When it comes to hurling nicknames, in my view, we need at least four more years of Bush. Let’s make America relate again. BL
Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is executive director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegiecenterlex.org) and author of “FatherLoss” and “VoiceMale.” The Carnegie Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Chethik at neil@carnegiecenterlex.org or 859-254-4175.