I’m pretty sure there have been Russians in American strip clubs. They would be likely to see the bumper stickers.
But they might not get the pun unless it were explained.
Well, OK, fine. The OP is left-leaning, so his list will have more insults from the right, since these were the ones he personally remembers rolling his eyes at. Because of this, I congratulate the OP on starting this thread, which can be viewed as an attempt to even up the list, and so that he can understand precisely how “his side” does it too.
Jeez!
All perfectly true. But, see post #65.
I confess, I don’t really get this. It does flow logically from the fact that he’s the scion of another President Bush. Or the scion of a famous man named Bush, generally. I bet if Prescott Bush had been more of a household name during the 80s, then GHWB might have been known as “the Shrub” even when he was VP.
“Shrubya” I’ll give you.
In any case, if we have to have one (and why would we, any more?), a better disparaging nickname for W would be the CIA’s old codename for him: “Charlie.” (As in Charlie McCarthy. Cheney’s was “Edgar,” as in “Edgar Bergen.”)
“Drink(ing) the Kool-Aid”
I kind of agree with kaylasdad- I never really thought of “Shrub” as derogatory, but merely as a sort of shorthand, a quick way to distinguish him from the former President who was also named “George Bush”. Sure, there was always “Dubya”, but I always found that to be even more disrespectful. But hey, I’m willing to stop using either- I got no horse here.
My favorite is “Hussein”. I think it’s pretty clear that anyone who uses that name for the President is merely trying to stoke up racism. But when you call them on it, they always say, “But that’s his middle name! Why would he be ashamed of his middle name?”
To which I say: :rolleyes:
Especially since we know it’s really “Flavor-Aid”.
If the person in question is one you will ever have to talk to again, find out his/her middle name and, henceforth, use it exclusively. (Or, whatever works; some people go by their middle name because their first name is too embarrassing; sometimes, vice-versa.)
I hear that’s how Lee Harvey Oswald got started. 
I’ve got a full pack of cigarettes, half a bottle of tequila, I’m inside, and I’m wearing sunglasses. Hit it.
No, as I understand it, the nickname “Dubya” was originally used by Bush’s own family members (along with the names “Junior”, “Georgie”, and “Gee-o”) to differentiate him from his father.
The nickname “Shrub”, on the other hand, seems to have been coined by Bush’s political opponent Ann Richards, and popularized by columnist Molly Ivins.
So I think “Shrub” would reasonably be perceived by the Bushes and Bush supporters as more derogatory.
Got any Warren Zevon?
I don’t have any objective way of measuring what goes on in the wide world, but on this MB that statement is absolutely false. The vast majority of snarky, idiotic terminology in political discourse on this MB comes from the left. And since any discussion on this MB of eliminating snarky idiocy in political disucssions is only going to affect the tone of this MB, I think that’s all that really matters.
You’ve got to be kidding. Context alone can tell you it’s derogatory. See if you can find a post here using “Shrub” that wasn’t aimed at slamming him in some way.
It’s disrespectful to use the nickname his family routinely uses? :dubious:
Bush’s own family called him “Shrub”? I am surprised. I did know they called him “Dubya”.
And the disdainful nicknames (of which I never considered “Dubya” to be one) bother me for the same reason it bothers me when folks here refer to others with stupidified versions of their usernames - it’s a cheap shot that makes the namecaller look like they’re in second grade.
(I am also reminded that we have a board member here named Chimpy although I think he’s off studying to become a doctor or something similarly constructive. Nice lad.)
Nope, and you can keep your :dubious: to yourself, please. I meant what I said- I always thought that “Shrub” was less disrespectful than “Dubya”. Of course, when I first heard either term, I didn’t know that Dubya was a family nickname- to me, it just seemed like shorthand for his middle initial.
As I said, I’m perfectly willing to forego the use of either, so why are we discussing this further?
Dear God, I would PAY to see that. Complete with the stop-start stuttering and everything.
Whinnnney!
Back on topic: people calling Obama a “socialist” or a “communist” are obviously not playing with a full deck.