I totally stole this post from the blog Modest Cake, which was channeling a recent Pew Research Center survey:
"Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of George W. Bush."
Top five descriptions. Look for patterns . . .
FEB 2004: 1. Honest 2. Fair 3. Leader 4. Liar 5. Arrogant
MAY 2004: 1. Honest 2. Good 3. Liar 4. Leader 5. Arrogant
FEB 2005: 1. Honest 2. Good 3. Integrity 4. Arrogant 5. Incompetent
JUL 2005: 1. Honest 2. Incompetent 3. Arrogant 4. Good 5. Integrity
MAR 2006: 1. Incompetent 2. Good 3. Idiot 4. Liar 5. Christian
FEB 2007: 1. Incompetent 2. Arrogant 3. Honest 4. Good 5. Idiot*
Homeland Arrogance and Incompetence Alert: ELEVATED
See the full survey: PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE & THE PRESS FEBRUARY 2007 POLITICAL SURVEY
*If combined, Idiot/Stupid/Ignorant would actually rank #1 in FEB 2007.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Fall of King George, Part 17
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8 comments:
When in doubt, I like to go with "asshole."
Or "douchebag."
Either/or.
"Ass" was consistently on the list, reaching #10 in March 2006. I'm gonna make a big leap here and suggest that the PEW folks may be substituting that term for "asshole." I just find it hard to believe that Americans use the word "ass" so much more than "asshole" to describe people they don't like. The Brits, maybe, but Americans? I've rarely if ever said of someone I truly dislike that he or she is an "ass." In buttocks-related perjorative terms, I would use "asshole." I tend to use "ass" when I'm speaking directly to someone I know and they're doing/saying something temporarily stupid: "Liam, don't be such an ass. Led Zeppelin totally rocks." There's something friendly and affectionate in using the term "ass," no?
Or it's some kind of regional thing I don't know about. Maybe people in Boston use "ass." That wouldn't surprise me.
I should write PEW and see if they're censoring the terms in this survey. All of the words on the extended list could fit in a family-owned newspaper. As if no one in the U.S. ever used profanity when describing politicians. That's realistic, right? I just find it hard to believe that not a single perons in the United States of America would think of "dickhead" at some point in the last three years when describing Mr. Incompetent and Arrogant.
"Sucks" made the list in FEB 2005 but then disappeared. I didn't see "douchebag."
Maybe next year it will read:
Feb 2008: 1: Felon 2: Impeached 3: Disgraced 4. Incompetent 5. Arrogant
Maybe people in Boston use "ass." That wouldn't surprise me.
Not at all, they use the whole proctological alternative. Haven't you heard the chant at the Red Sox games?
Of course, there may be a few Brahmin types living in the Back Bay or the North Shore who use "ass" with a Kennedy-esque inflection. You know, sort of with a long flat A instead of a short flat A? As in, "You'd have to be an aahhsss to try to pock your cah on Memorial Drive next to the Charles River Yacht Club."
Speaking of these terms, I couldn't help getting the sinking feeling this morning that Mitt Romney is going to win the thing in spite of it all.
Jeff,
That Boston reference was written specifically for you! I was being an ass myself.
I'm not familiar with the Red Sox chant, no. Maybe they bleep tht out on TV?
You're scared of Romney winning it all. I sometimes wake up terrified that Rudy will win it all.
But most of the time, I don't see how either one of those two will have a chance - even for the nomination.
I believe the rectal chant came out every time A-Rod took the plate for the Yankees at Fenway park, but this year I think it's been changed to "Mr. Apriiiill!"
Yes, Romney. I afraid he's going to get some mileage out of "the Democratic candidates have never even run a corner store" mantra, and his new glib spin on his abortion and gay rights flip-flops. They're managing to put some damage control around those.
I still cannot figure out who is going to win the Republican nomination. Romeny is just too much of a flip-flopper, and the conservative wing of the GOP won't trust him because 1) He was the governor of Sodom and Gomorrah, and 2) need I even mention his religion?
William, don't be a gilipollas, Zep sucks.
Go Mets.
Liam,
Wait, I thought you lived in Sodom. So how could Romney be the Governor?
Funny, I thought of "gilipollas" when I first saw the list of terms. If the Pew folks had done the same survey in Spain, my guess is that it would've been #1.
Maybe Joe Lieberman will step in for the Republicans.
Jeff,
What is "the Democratic candidates have never even run a corner store" mantra? I've missed this. What is Romeny trying to say by that? If it's about experience, how does his one-term as Governor and being a CEO stack up to people like Richardson or Hillary?
You're right, I do live in Sodom. Pataki was governor of Sodom, which is why he didn't run. Romney was governor of Gomorrah, and religiously I believe he's an Amalakite.
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