‘The Smile’: A Perfect Presidential Nickname
by Myrna SokoloffPresidents have nicknames. Clinton was” Bubba” or “Slick Willy,” if you didn’t like him. ”The Comeback Kid” if you did. Reagan was “Dutch” from his sportscaster days or “The Gipper” from the movies. But love him or hate him you had to admit Reagan was “The Great Communicator.”
President Obama should have a nickname from our side. Words mean something we are reminded all the time. So I am going to name him “The Smile.”
If you watch him at “town meetings” when he’s pressing his agenda and making statements that go unchallenged from the adoring crowds, he comes across as calm, reassuring and easy going while he’s attempting to dismantle American capitalism. His answer to everything is to smile.
From my perspective in Hollywood, I see that people respond to him like they do to a movie star. It’s the face, the eyes, the smile, not what he says. This phenomenon shows up in the polls. His personal popularity holds around 60%, but if you ask about specific policies, Americans don’t agree with him. Americans by wide margins do not want to close Guantanamo, are against affirmative action, and against late term abortion. The majority want him to cancel the stimulus and hate the bailouts!
But out here in L.A. we understand this. Star quality is not scientific. We just know it when we see it. Fans react to a star with an adoration which makes them buys tickets to movies and buy the DVD so they can watch it over and over. Just listen to the fans screams for the stars on the red carpet at the awards shows.
President Obama’s crowds in the campaign and his town meetings have the same reaction. All he has to do is smile.
Unfortunately, journalists have been reacting the same way. They remind me of adoring teenagers for Robert Pattison in “Twilight,” Zach Efron in “High School Musical” or Chris Pine in “Star Trek.”
The mainstream media (or as Rush says, the state-run media!) have fallen in love with his smile. If they were acting like real journalists they would ask tough questions and do investigative reporting on his proposals and statements. Instead, at so-called press conferences, they ask mushy questions that allow him to pontificate. No one challenges him like they did President Bush. Surprise, surprise! At some point they should be embarrassed that they’re not doing their job. But so far they’re not.
I nicknamed him “The Smile” when I thought back to an episode of “Law and Order Criminal Intent.” A world famous model played by Brook Shields was referred to as “The Smile” It fit. A model doesn’t have to say anything.
The reaction to President Obama also reminded me of the movie “The Way We Were.” Robert Redford played Hubbell Gardner, the golden boy every girl fell in love with, including Barbara Streisand. He wrote a novel with a sad and prophetic line “Everything came too easily to him.”
That is how I see President Obama. His meteoric rise to power from state government to U.S. Senate was too fast. Once he got there, he spent all his time running for President. His apostles devoted themselves to his rise. All hopes were invested in him. Oprah fell for him too. When anyone, like Hillary or Bill Clinton raised doubts about him he made everyone feel better with “the smile.”
When I was a Democrat, I worked on a DNC event at the Beverly Hilton. President Clinton was there to raise money. He leaned over the podium speaking directly to the crowd. His genius was he made people think he was one of them and understood their pain. I looked around and saw that everyone was mesmerized. They couldn’t take their eyes off of him. They looked drugged.
Obama is more aloof and unreachable, like a movie star. Most people can’t hope to get close to a star or talk to him. Actually you don’t care what he actually says. When a movie star smiles, the crowd cheer. They just want to be near him — to see him smile!
We can be angry on the right about this phenomenon. But it will take someone from the state-run media to break the spell.
A brave journalist will have to stop acting like a star-struck teenager and ask the hard questions and the hard follow-up questions. Only then, like the fable, will everyone realize that the Emperor has no clothes!
And “the smile” will not be able to cover that.
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171 Comments
Even if the emperor has no clothes, he's still the emperor.
Dammit.
Sorry if any suffer from coulrophobia, but Obama's smile brings to mind "Pennywise the Dancing Clown".
I think that's the first picture I've seen with him smiling. I would call him "the Scowl."
I was hoping to popularize either "Dr. Utopia" (from someone on this site if memory serves) or "President Evil Eye" (from Drudge yesterday). I came up with "President Hocus Pocus".
But unfortunately "The Smile" will probably take hold.
But it will take someone from the state-run media to break the spell.
So we're pretty much f_cked, then.
I prefer to call him "Evil Eyes" after that Drudge Story yesterday. He does have that look that reveals what lurks beneath the surface.
Even at this level, almost no one is paying attention. How many of you saw the story a couple weeks ago about the girl who skipped school to attend one of his gatherings. B. Hussein O. Jr. offered to give her a note to take to her teacher. The problem was that while he spoke with the father about it, the whole time he was looking around to his friends as he had "a live one" a "real yokel" in his sites, laughing at the inside joke.
If you look closely Rove is right, B. Hussein O. Jr. is an arrogant prick.
BTW, how many of you have listened to the emotonal content of King's "I've got a dream" speech. He is is one pissed off black man. I wouldn't trust him to lead me into any sort of "Can't we just all get along?"
Much of B. Hussein O. Jr.'s popularity is that just because he is black he is given a pass. This part of what is destroying our culture. Forget that 90% of them from inner cities don't have fathers, we are all supposed to have one black man and one gay at our Fourth Of July picnics.
Oh, wait, I forgot, I'm supposed to troll now that I'm the only one left. . . the rest apparently having succumbed to Obama care.
"You people just don't get it. When President Obama smiles, children laugh and plants grow and the world loves us. He does more with a single smile than your hero Bush the fascist ever did. . . blah blah (let's assume I insulted all of you here). In conclusion, that's why you have no chance in 2010 or 2012 and maybe not even in 2014."
The state run media will stop hypothetical journalist on the spot.
It will take a little more than that. It has been said that another 9/11 has to occur before the American People will come out of the OBAMA-COMA. I personally don't think so. I think the attack on people's pocket book will do it.
Most people I KNOW don't even know about the CAP and TRADE bill forced through the lower house last week.
I have a nickname for Obama, but I don't think it would clear the moderators.
I like it!
One may smile and smile and smile and Still be a Villian…….SHAKESPEARE.
Carolyn. . . Carolyn. . . Carolyn. . . you need to learn to missspell!
The smile is like Robin Williams' beard, only easier to change. Robin with beard–serious Robin. Robin without beard–funny Robin. Obama with smile–affable Obama. Obama with clenched jaw–serious Obama. In both cases, it's just an act. There's really nothing behind either the beard or the smile.
http://www.chromewaves.net/images/interface/drTee...
Always reminds me of Dr Teeth.
I should add, his popularity is not in the mid 50s. Not holding at 60% anymore. I suspect it will keep sinking. He is tracking close to Jimmy Carter who also started out with a big smile and became a sourpuss
what an ugly ugly smile it is…every time i see that smile i shudder
[...] the rest here: ‘The Smile’: A Perfect Presidential Nickname This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
President Smuglie
And he still can smile…
I prefer "Captain Bullshit" or "The Kenyan".
Sorry. Nothing can beat "the Teleprompter."
Rufus T. Firefly is the best nickname for Obama, or President Firefly is you like. Why? Check out this clip from the Marx Brother's "Duck Soup"….the pertinent part starts about 1:04 in. Pay careful attention to the lyrics, especially when Groucho gets to…."the last guy almost ruined this place…."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWaOI2sHsY
You just described the arousal gap another phrase of Rush’s, little teeny-boppers screaming for their pop star, grotesque. I like Barry for his nickname?
Maybe there is another troll? Someone thumbed everyone down. Anyone want to fess up to that?
I would prefer the nickname "Nero" for our Chief Executive. "Caligula
spent eight years in the White House before GWB came in. I fear for America, I fear for our children. I depise the arrogant indifference that eminates from that person. He infuriates me!
Normally, I would blame the guy with the word "Troll" in his name. But I know that's not your style. If we have a mystery troll, I hereby task you to find the furry critter and roust him from his secret bridge.
It's a sick infatuation. Women openly admit to fantasizing about him (I thought it was creepy when women said they found Bill Clinton hot, but this is beyond the pale – pardon the pun). Men don't realize it, but it's homosexual attraction. That's why they rhapsodize about 'thrills up the leg' and his 'magnificent pecs'.
In a large part it's the way we fetishize black men in our culture. The corporate image of a black man has been the end-all, be-all for almost all American youth since rap broke big. Combine that with white guilt and you have a heady, self-destructive mix.
Thank you kind sir. I will accept your commission and I shall hunt the Hidden Troll.
I think "It" describes the Dali-Bama pretty well…
letters as numbers are very effective…
or like yesterday… I swore using scifi swear words… but everyone knew what I meant… 
Ugh… I can I just call him Pres. Over-rated or Pres. Fugly?
No, I think I will keep Fugly for the First lady…
Oh I got it… The perpetual campaigner…. since he obviously has to keep talking so as to not hear the opposition… :/
I haven't been around as long as some of you guys, but I've gotten thumbs down on controversial comments like the sun came up this morning. I don't get it. What's the deal? I understand if I say something that someone could disagree with, but how come a thumbs down when I didn't say anything much worse than hello?
Let's not forget "The Pecs That Shocked The World" pics from his vacation in Hawaii. I wonder how many mics they shorted out slobbering over this guy.
Wow, the jealousy from the right is stunning. Sorry, but your ideology will never be popular with normal people and your leaders will always be hated by decent Americans. Violent, authoritarian regimes are never popular in a true democratic republic. I'm going to call this new disease Obama Envy Syndrome. OES
Ears to the "smile"
Barry sure can castigate with the stink eye. No one must dare question his authoritie – or be prepared for a series of reeducation seminars, highlighting what a misguided jackass you are. Theres no questioning of the The One!!!!
Yup, unfortuantely he's the only one left in America that's still smiling,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The curse of the Dead Man's Hand? They didn't like Wild Bill Hickock? They're taking out their frustration of Deadwood being cancelled??
That's all I've got.
Like a Cheshire Cat that has something to hide…. :/
Karl Malden has died. RIP
Dom Colangelo
Brilliant ,Brilliant, Brilliant………………
I'm a huge Marx Brothers fan, but I totally forgot about that scene from Duck Soup. The song fits perfectly……
"Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot."………………………………Feel free to substitute "Obama" for "Chicolini"
With those ears… I nominate him: Dumbo.
Or Dumb O. However you wanna spell it.
I don't think it will take someone from the state-run media to break the spell. Mr. Obama presents himself as a messiah who will bring fulfillment to his followers. He promises to turn back the oceans, to lower the temperature, and to make rational the irrational dictators in Iran and North Korea. At some point, all false messiahs fail and the people see them distincty for the first time. The state-run media will run interference for Mr. Obama as long as possible but eventually his inability to deliver will catch-up to him. The question is whether or not there will be anything left of the United States when that happens.
The real problem – of which Mr. Obama is just a symptom – is that we have created a society that can be won over simply by a smile and a bunch of false promises. Where is the intellectual inquiry? Where is the shame in being treated like babies that cannot provide for themselves without mama government? Where is the anger at a pompous ass that smiles all the time?
Would that be a "neutered" Cheshire Cat?
For those who remember the film, "1984" and the poster of "Big Brother", he IS Big Brother.
Aces (if that is your real name)
That happens all the time. Some have called it "drive-by thumbing"
it is just a fact of life in the anonomous interwebs.
There is no solution, just tolerance
Most likely after seeing Michelle's evil eye to Carla Bruni… :/
Part of the arsenal of power hungry mediocrities, The Smile Weapon. Thought the same thing lately, good piece.
Thanks for the heads up, Devolutionist .
So how many of your friends are in a Bush/Cheney/Satan Gulag?
[...] See what the crew at Patterico has to say. And the other side of the coin over at Big Hollywood. [...]
Well, it's more than I had. Thanks, I thought I had done something wrong.
The dead man's hand sounded better than my real name which is Queens N. Deuces.
I thought for a while that I had my own personal e-stalker because somebody comes around a couple times a day and (over the course of about 5 minutes) will thumb down all of the comments I made up to that point during the day.
I guess I'm supposed to be upset? But seriously, who cares about a thumb up or down? How does that affect me? Give me a break. Talk about about the ultimate expression of impotent rage! LOL!
What's better, some other people have mentioned that the same thing happens to them too. Now that is uber-pathetic. A multi-person e-stalker. How sad.
[...] Hollywood’s Myrna Sokoloff is on to something here: Presidents have nicknames. Clinton was” Bubba” or “Slick Willy,” if you didn’t like [...]
I'm sticking with the Dear Leader moniker.
No, you didn't do anything wrong.
The internet is crawling with sick little people who just can't hack real life. One of the ways they make themselves feel better is to go after people online (where they can safely hide behind the anonimity of the net). Hence — trolls.
This one apparently doesn't even have the nerve to speak up.
With your stellar "113p" rating, it'll take a heckuva a lot more than a thumbs down to dent your shiny armor. And with that, I'll give you a thumb up just because.
Andrew: All right. I admit it. I never actually liked you. So I'll stop. I don't know about the other people, though.
I knew it was YOU! LOL!
USArtguy: Ignore the 113p. He rigged it! LOL
Yeah, I paid good money for that 113 rating. . . oops. Just kidding. . . nothing to read here.
Seriously, I find the whole thing ridiculous. I have much more respect for a troll that will man up and say what is on their mind rather than doing something sneaky and whiny. . . and impotent.
Lets be honest here. If BO was not half African, he would still be in the Illinois house.
Affirmative Action is a wonderful thing, as it liberal guilt.
Andrew: Check out USArtguy's comment. The devil made me do it because you have better ratings than I do. It was professional discourtesy. I'm the victim here. Surely you understand.
Lawhawk that’s mean, you know Andrew is still upset about MJ, ha!
I would suggest adding an "R."
Namely "the Smiler," a la the Warren Ellis character from Transmetropolitan.
Not just as an effrontery to Obama but to Ellis, also, for the usual evil right wing cabal nonsense.
Being a victim qualifies you for a Goverment bailout doesn't it?
* sniff * so true. . . so true *sniff *
I miss him so much StanH? Who will now remind us to always keep our gloves together? Where are today's role models?
You're the victim?? . . . do you need a lawyer?
Yep. But as this point, I have a sneaking suspicion I couldn't afford the fee.
What's an 80% fee among friends? I'll even discount it to 79.9% (but I'll have to charge you a 4% surcharge if I do that).
StanH: I had a sudden thought. Did MJ and CongtvDssdnt go to heaven (or wherever) together?
Really? Suddenly, I feel rather victimized.
"……your ideology will never be popular with normal people and your leaders will always be hated by decent Americans."
Plainly, like most libs, you don't know any normal people.
Aw, get off it. You're the lawyer, not the witness. And once more I remind you, I'm the victim.
Ok, you win. You'll wait until I get my bailout stimulus money, right?
Aren't we all victims in the New Amerika?
You're saying that you think CngtvDssnt was Michael Jackson? That would explain why he kept breaking into song.
No actually CD showed up again. MJ’s gone… well, where ever?
Or "Teleprompter In Chief".
Got ya covered! We just open the Magical Checkbook and "Poof" your a victim no more…………..
Mark Styne (sp) says the New York Times covers Obama like Tiger Beat covers the Jonas Brothers.
I hope they try hard questions on him, but I'm not holding my breath. They'll be seen as party poopers, and there's way too much group think out there. Recall that newspapers are practically profitless, and tv news folks are driven by popularity polls. Will they really go after someone they perceive as popular and selling papers/airtime?
"Normal people". Hah. Hahahahaha!
Good one.
Andrew, I’m here for you buddy, the gloved one is gone: ( …we’ll just have to understand, the pairing of gloves will once again be back in vogue.
Are you sure MJ's gone? This isn't going to be some Elvis thing. . . or some zombie thing?
Wonderful. . . now everyone else is a victim. I think I'm starting to understand the appeal of liberalism.
I'm the wrong, shall we say, demographic.
That would be a thriller.
Ewww… Lawhawk is saying CD and MJ are together somewhere. Yuk! What do you think they’re doing?
Thanks Stan. I knew I could count on you!
(By the way, did you get your invisible t-shirt?)
Most Trolls like to stay hidden in the dark dank recesses.
Sick isn't the half of it.
I was simply appalled back in November when a member of a couple of fandoms I frequent (on LiveJournal) started going on about the HAWT BO and his buddy RE and how fine they both were, and went on and on like they were the Second Coming (yes, pun intended) and then inquired, "So when can we expect to see some Rahm/Obama slashfic?"
I nearly barfed.
(Er… do I have to explain the meaning of "slash" here? I never know if people understand the world of fandom and fanfic.)
'The Pile' works for me.
I would prefer it if he would just go away.
I did, looks good, Thanks!
I'm still waiting for him to define jealousy, what in the hell do we have to be jealous about. Most dictators were popular, up until they siezed total power. Even Jim Jones was popular until he put the Kool Aide in his followers hands.
Wear it with pride man. . . wear it with pride.
Isn't that the truth. I would love to see some of these people in real life.
So true. I had forgotten that quote. Hamlet, I think.
My wife and I went to a restaurant the other evening they had a sign that said, “No shirt no shoes no serve!” I got into quite the tussle with the hostess, I told her that I’m wearing my invisible shirt from Commentarama. A long story short I told the manager my attorneys will be in touch.
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