As the election narrows down to the conventions, we can expect more insults to be fired across the campaign bows. Anyone who is impressed with the current array of (juvenile, schoolyard, incredible, etc.) name-calling heard so far needs to read these famous insults to see what real imagination and wit can do (although John Boehner’s recent description of Ted Cruz as “Lucifer in the flesh” at least had some metaphorical merit.) Which is your favorite?
Said by Winston Churchill:
- He was a great man in an era of small events.
- He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.
John Quincy Adams on Thomas Jefferson
He was a slur upon the moral government of the world.
Abraham Lincoln On Stephen Douglas
- His argument is as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had been starved to death.
- Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
Andrew Jackson on John C. Calhoun (his Vice President)
- I only have two regrets. I didn’t shoot Henry Clay and I didn’t hang John C. Calhoun.
Teddy Roosevelt on President William McKinley
- No more backbone than a chocolate éclair.
Adlai Stevenson on Richard Nixon
- The kind of guy who would cut down a Redwood tree and then mount the stump to make a speech for conservation.
Lyndon Johnson on Gerald Ford
- He’s a nice guy but he played too much football with his helmet off.
Ann Richards on George W. Bush
- Poor George, he can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
Pat Buchanan on Bill Clinton
- [His] foreign policy experience is pretty much confined to having had breakfast at the International House of Pancakes.
And from political observers:
Will Rogers: A fool and his money are soon elected.
Jon Steward: I don’t approve of political jokes; I have seen too many of them get elected.
Thus, was it always so…
You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner. Aristophanes
Stay tuned. It will only get uglier, but it would be more bearable if, at a minimum, these jabs reflected more creativity and intelligence!
Anne Miller
Words Matter — Make What You Say Pay!
- For a longer list of specifically historical political insults, click here
- For a broader list of insults, rejoinders, and repartee, click here.
New Book Recommendation: HeadTrash 2: Dealing with and overcoming other people’s junk by Tish Squillaro and Timothy Thomas. Everything boils down to people. This sequel to their first 
HeadTrash book shows how to deal with difficult folks in all situations. Take a look!
Good tips for presenting in general from Wall Street Journal article on how to give a great Ted talk.