Political Name-Calling
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* Open mikes and subliminal “rats” are no substitutes for good, old American name-calling, for example:
* Charles Lee on George Washington: “A dark designing sordid ambitious vain proud arrogant and vindictive knave.”
* John Randolph on Henry Clay: “So brilliant! So corrupt! Like a rotten mackerel in the moonlight, he shines and stinks.”
* William McAdoo on Warren Harding’s speeches: “An army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea.”
* Barry Goldwater on Lyndon Johnson: “He wants so much power, the Democrats don’t know whether to vote him in or plug him in.”
By comparison, George W. Bush vs. Al Gore is a battle of wits in which not a blow has been struck--so far.
P.M. ZALL, Emeritus Prof.
Department of English
Cal State L.A.
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