+1
…aaaaand another deeply-considered position statement from Clothahump. Bravo, sir, bravo.
I honestly haven’t seen republican *officials *use the “Hussein” dog whistle as much as I’ve seen *individuals *do it, so I doubt it.
It will also be interesting to find out just how many crimes Obama committed in office while he is being sent off to jail.
Well, yeah.
So, can someone explain to me the significance of Willard vs. Hussein?
Willard is Romney’s first name - Willard Mitt Romney. Hussein is Obama’s middle name - Barak Hussein Obama.
I am guessing but I would think calling Romney by his first name would be intended to make him seem nerdy.
Using Obama’s middle name would be intended to make him seem like a secret Muslim.
Just in case you were serious. Willard is the first actual name of the guy who will be the Republican nominee.
Hussein is the middle name of the president. It sounds foreign and Muslim to many American ears. I predicted the GOPers will say it over and over again at their convention and mention the name Willard (which is the title of a horror film about rats - see link) very seldom.
Willard:
The Democrats will probably return the favor.
Hussein is Barack Obama’s middle name. A certain segment of the right likes to make a point of saying his full, precise name in order to highlight, or at least note, the foreignness of his middle name (not that the rest of it is particularly John Smith-y).
Willard is Mitt Romney’s given first name. Certain segments of the left like to call him that because, well, it sounds old timey and funny and a bit moneyed (not that Mitt is exactly Joe Sixpack-y).
I believe the OP is implying that it is more likely that we will here the full version of the President’s name more often than the full version of the GOP nominees name at the convention this week. Some sort of hypocrisy/race card claim.
All of which brings us to the undeniable fact: this is a rather weak and useless Pitting.
See, I think you’re wrong.
In fact, I doubt that you will here either Hussein or Williard at either convention. Certainly not from any of the prime-time speakers.
“Hussein” is Barack Obama’s middle name. Opponents who like to rile up the anti-muslim “Obama’s a Kenyan” idiots like to drop in “Hussein” into his name as often as possible.
“Willard” is Mitt Romney’s actual first name. Opponents who think “Willard” is a funny name that possibly evokes the uber-rich elite background that Romney hails from like to use it instead of “Mitt” as often as possible.
*And by “opponents” I don’t necessarily mean political opponents, just people on the other side of the issue. Both are far more common in the dark recesses of the internet than at a podium.
The “Barack HUSSEIN Obama” things irritates the hell out of me also, but I’m not convinced we’ll see much, if any at all, of it at the convention, at least not by any of the official speakers.
The attendees, via signs or interviews with reporters, are another matter, but I’m not going to pre-pit people before they’ve actually done something.
I haven’t seen “Willard” very much. I think Colbert joked about it once or twice, but even amongst the comedian set it seems to be good for just a joke or two.
“Mittens” seem to be the disrespectful name of choice for the GOP candidate.
Wanna go for a ride in my swiftboat?
Again, compare the “high road” 2004 Democratic convention with the Kerry-bashing fest that was the GOP’s reply.
I don’t get this pitting at all. Yeah, some Republicans may call Obama “Willard” because every Republican knows that all black people do or should live in rat-infested slums, which would make him the Rat King, but Democrats trying to tie Romney to Saddam Hussein doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. I mean, they both have great hair and money from suspicious sources, but that’s where the similarity ends.
So, let’s see if I’m getting this right - Willard is Mitt’s first name and Hussein is President Obama’s middle name? 
Yes, I was being serious - I don’t know the full names of all the US American political contenders. This does seem like a pretty weak pre-Pitting.
Please try to follow along more closely.
So the Republican’s name is German for Willard with Romney?
Dammit! I thought I was getting the hang of this!
In point of fact, it is both foreign (in the sense of being far more common elsewhere) and Muslim.
I find that even less likely. I bet if you said something disparaging about Willard Romney, the average American would think you were referring to some relative of Mitt.
It’s more fun to call him Wilfred Mittington Romney the Third, anyway.