On February 26, 2008, talk radio host Bill Cunningham spoke at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate John McCain. While making his remarks, he repeatedly referred to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama by his full name of “Barack Hussein Obama” and called him “a hack, Chicago-style Daley politician.” John McCain was quick to denounce Cunningham’s remarks as inappropriate and said comments like that would never happen again at one of his rallies.
There is an excellent article at Salon.com that discusses the origins of the names “Barack” and “Hussein”, as well as pointing out how many other U.S. Presidents, as well as famous figures in sports, entertainment and politics have names that are derived from the same Semitic roots as Obama’s names are. It is just beyond ludicrous that Bill Cunningham would try to use his names as a way to disparage him.
With that in mind, the MOMocrats created a meme for those of us who refuse to let bullies use our names to make fun of us. You all know me as Elizabeth, but until the day I left home for college, I was called “Betsy”. Which means what was I called in elementary school? That’s right. “Betsy Wetsy”. So if Bill Cunningham wants to make fun of me, he can just go ahead and bring it. You hear me, Bill? What’s YOUR middle name, huh?
Stupid ignorant bully jerk.
My middle name is Dee and I was in Kindergarten/ 1st grade when the movie Grease was very popular. You can guess how many times I was asked to sing “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee”. Some people teased that I was named after the movie, even though I was born 3 years before it’s release. Of course I was too young to know that! I just loved that there was a song so close to my name.
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He sounds like the type of person who would do anything for attention.
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I remember when word got out that Right Wing Gasbag/Oxycontin Addict Rush Limbaugh called Chelsea Clinton “the new White House dog”. She was a 13-year old kid. And this from a man who was ugly enough to model for his own Halloween mask and so large that three of me could fit inside his pants. And took his ire out on a helpless girl at the worst time of her adolescence.
The same philosophy is true with these people who are hoping that by repeating Obama’s middle name over and over that there are enough unthinking people out there who might believe they’re voting for Saddam Hussein…even though he’s dead.
It’s a lot of unthinking people saying stuff just to say it. It doesn’t have to be true. It just has to be scary enough or mean enough that the most ignorant among us will respond in the way that helps them achieve their goals. People like that bring out the worst in me.
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Sometimes comments like that from hopefuls can backfire.
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what a jerk indeed. At least he’s got a middle name. lol! I don’t got one, so I use my maiden name as my middle name now.
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Sis I am *SO PROUD* of you for this post. It literally brought a little choke in my throat. I’m sad to say that unfortunately there are still many people out there that would begrudge someone for their middle name, especially if their name shares a similarity with such a powerfully hated figure. Thought you might like to know, though, that I’m leaving in about 15 minutes to vote for Barak Hussein Obama in our primary. So I guess you could call me a Hussein Junkie
Hey, off topic, I’ll pay you big monies to send me a CD with all of the pics you took at the wedding, good or not. Trying to pick out people in the background so that I can have their picture next to what they wrote on their card in the “scrapbook” we’re having “published”. Not one money but MORE monies!
Sorry, Parker reference hehe.
It isn’t my middle name that bothers me so much, it is my first name. E S T H E R
Mothers, jeez!
My middle name, luckily, isn’t one that I get made fun of for. (It happens to be the name of a fairly well known city, as well)
Although there are things I disagree with Obama about, I agree that knocking someone down for their name isn’t right to do in politics. It should be about the issues, not about people’s names or hometowns.
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Oh boy, with a last name like Zutautas I can really relate! It hasn’t always been pretty.
And about Obama, I love him, they should just leave him alone, and this is coming from a Canadian, lol.
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Yes, Mr. Bill Cunningham of 700 wlw we here in Dayton are unlucky enough to be able to receive his brand of moronic speech everyday. That man makes me want to strangle myself