Fibber Kay and Status Quo Bev

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on September 15, 2008 - 3:52pm.
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"Fibber Kay" and "Status Quo Bev."

Two top Democratic candidates this year have been given nicknames by their political opponents in negative ads.

Senate candidate Kay Hagan has been tarred "Fibber Kay" by Sen. Elizabeth Dole, while gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue went from "Negative Bev" in press releases from Pat McCrory to "Status Quo Bev" in a series of ads by the Republican Governors Association. 

So far, Dole and McCrory have not been similarly nicknamed, although the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has used "Liddy Dole" in two ads.

(The line — "That's not the Liddy Dole I knew" — is meant to imply familiarity and to give voters who may have supported her in the past some psychological cover to oppose her.) 

UNC-Chapel Hill professor Leroy Towns says he can't recall similar nicknames being used in the past, except for "Slick Willie" Clinton in Arkansas.

Prolific blogger Ed Cone, for his part, says the practice "reeks of campaign consultants." 

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Re: BlueNC

Submitted by Isaac136 on September 16, 2008 - 2:18pm.

Did James do that? Well all I can say is good on him in that case! That's a smart move.

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Re: BlueNC

Submitted by cthayes75 on September 16, 2008 - 2:13pm.

How can you possibly forget the name?

BlueCross/BlueShield of NC spent millions of dollars marketing the "BlueNC" brand before James took advantage of his relationship with them to snag the website after BCBS was finished with it and capitalize on their existing web traffic and history in a for-profit venture for himself.

The least you can do is get the name right. I mean, otherwise, BCBS would have wasted all those advertising dollars!

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Re: BlueNC

Submitted by Isaac136 on September 16, 2008 - 12:09pm.

Sorry. BlueNC. Good catch. Don't want people to think it's some other group that comes up with stupid nicknames and calls it progressive activism.

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Re: Fibber Kay and Status Quo Bev

Submitted by scharrison on September 16, 2008 - 12:03pm.

By the way, James, you left out "McCoal", which is one of my personal favorites. :)

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BlueNC

Submitted by James_Protzman on September 16, 2008 - 11:51am.

BlueNC, not NCBlue.

Criticism welcome, but at least get the frickin' name right, Isaiah.

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Re: You must be asleep at the switch

Submitted by Isaac136 on September 16, 2008 - 11:47am.

Ryan, how could you miss the importance of Protzman's making up stupid nicknames for politicians?

You don't think the schoolyard sophistication of the nicknames Protzman proudly posted demonstrate NCBlue's credibility as a resource for reasoned political comment?

I think you weren't asleep at the switch so much as trying to do NCBlue a favor, despite itself. You must be really biased.

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Re: You must be asleep at the switch

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on September 16, 2008 - 8:41am.

Thanks, but I'm specifically looking at the use of nicknames in campaign ads.

— RTB

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You must be asleep at the switch

Submitted by James_Protzman on September 16, 2008 - 8:28am.

Pat attention, Ryan. Just because the Hagan and Perdue campaigns haven't come up with nicknames, doesn't mean they don't exist:

For McCrory:

Myers Park Pat
Pat "Duke" McCrory
The Pacman
Pac McTory

For Dole:

Biddy Dull
Watergate Liz

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