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RS/BS: The Cornball & Hokum List of Presidential Nicknames

 


One of the things that I like about politics is the push and pull of sparring and competition, and the parts that are almost reminiscent of what they used to highlight on the Olympics and in sports shows. Remember the show opened with:  “Thrill of Victory ...(pause)...and the Agony of Defeat”. And we find that the most interesting moments in sports are those that show the human side of the competition.

At times, I hear historians talk and lament that we don’t see our founding fathers as people anymore, but rather just idealized symbols. This brings to mind some of the funniest things I’ve heard about politicians. I can’t remember where I came across this list, but it has always been passed down in my notes as the “Cornball & Hokum List.”

 These include the nicknames for some of our esteemed past presidents. And many are nicknames given to them by OTHER Presidents...The Kennedys and Johnsons, it has been well-documented, really couldn’t stand each other. The list is in keeping with the present punditry that decries all the negativity and the partisanship that is found in politics.  Here’s a reminder that it may be accelerated by the internet, but there has never been a period of time in American Political Life where we didn’t find the tribalism of friends vs enemies. So without further ado, here is the list of Presidential nicknames.

 From the past:

 

·         Beginning with John Tyler, who stumbled into the Presidency: His Accidency

 

·         Chester A Arthur: Known simply as Walrus

 

·         James K Polk was “Napoleon of the Stump”

 

·         Rutherford B Hayes: Known to his critics as: “Rutherfraud’ or His Fraudulency

 

·         There’s Grover Cleveland, known as His Obstinacy or Uncle Jumbo

 

·         Benjamin Harrison was The Human Iceberg...

 


Moving into the 20th Century: There was Lyndon Johnson, who reportedly had a nickname for his penis: Jumbo



 And the infamous Kennedy/Johnson behind the scenes squabbling begins with the Kennedy’s dubbing LBJ: The Cornball Express and The Cornpone Special. Johnson was the Vice President for Kennedy, and they called him “Rufus Cornpone” & Riverboat behind his back. LBJ returned the favor, referring to them as “The Harvards” Another one that stuck for LBJ was “Bullshit Johnson” LBJ also had a history with the nickname “Landslide Lyndon” referring to a dubious 87 vote win in 1949 that gave him his Senate seat.



Moving on into the modern era, we remember Richard Nixon as Tricky Dick. Reagan was affectionately known as “Dutch’ to his colleagues. Less affectionate was the nickname for Bill Clinton: Slick Willie, but there was also the more collegial Bubba. George W Bush has been known as “W” by friends as well as critics, and Obama was usually dubbed “No Drama Obama” to both critics and fans. 



This brings us to the present day, where we can see that the Internet and Social Media and a President who has definitely garnered his share of fans and enemies is racking up an impressive array of nicknames.  From The Donald to many other unprintable monikers, Trump has helped to ratchet up the ante for ongoing lists (Sleepy Joe is a favorite of his for Biden) which will result in a continuing legacy of Presidential nicknames as we move further into the 21st Century.

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