December 20, 2007

Huckabee: The Search for a Sobriquet

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Mi·chael Huck·a·bee. It’s a hell of a name, the best by far of the Republican field. And now that Huckabee is an anointed member of the top tier, the search for a viable nickname is on. Entries so far include:

The Huckster. Used by: Rush Limbaugh, various right-wing blogs. Verdict: Too obvious.

Tax Hike Mike. Used by: The Club for Growth. Verdict: Lame, uninspired.

Triple Wide. Used by: Arkansans punning on Huckabee’s erstwhile heft and the extra large trailer his family lived in during renovations at the governor’s mansion. Verdict: Dated.

The Huck. Used by: Headline-writers everywhere. Verdict: Scores points for simplicity.

Since none of those entries quite cuts it, I had high hopes for a new Huckabee appraisal by Paul Greenberg, grizzled Arkansas media eminence (he editorializes for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and has a Pulitzer under his belt—from 1969), and coiner of “Slick Willie.” Alas, Greenberg tosses a handful of darts—”one Michael Dale Huckabee,” “Brother Huckabee,” “this year’s Man from Hope,” and, of course, “the Huck”—but none really hits bullseye. So, readers, what should we call this guy?

—Justin Elliott

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