Name is the thing in local political arena

Signs promoting political candidates are as prolific as dandelions after a spring shower.

Experienced politicians and their counterpart wouldbes spend money and time putting names, faces, cutesy phrases and other visual litter on billboards, flyers, brochures and yard signs.

Drive along any roadway in Central Arkansas and you are greeted by smiling faces and DOTcom addresses and phrases so full of political sugar as to gag any thinking voter.

In Lonoke County we have a candidate who has uses a picture of himself wearing a cowboy hat … a black cowboy hat! If you have to wear a hat in a campaign photo, always wear white hat for political pictures. (Note: See Lonoke Sheriff Jim Roberson’s campaign literature. He is wearing a white hat, although it looks a 12-gallon hat on a seven-gallon head.)

And, then there are the nicknames.

For some reason, more than a handful of local politicians think nicknames will aid in the voter recognition category.

In my previous life as a newspaper reporter, editor and publisher, I ran news stories about politicians with the following acknowledged and embraced nicknames: Babe. Babs. Bubba. Chubby. Goody. Gunslinger. Judge. Junior. Justice. Possom. Skeeter. Slick. Slim. Stick. Win. Wizard.

On the local level, some politicians like to come up with phrases they intend to stick in the voters’ minds come voting time. GoEddieJoe is the slogan of Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams, who is trying to better himself on the political front by running for state senate.

NoEddieJoe is the counter-phrase being bandied about by some; other options heard are SlowEddieJoe and NoShowEddieJoe or NoMoEddieJoe.

The local nickname getting the most play in the Cabot area in the past several years has been Stubby, as in Stubby Stumbaugh. This political battler doesn’t shy away from his childhood nickname, embracing it without so much as alluding to his real name, Mickey D.

Survey after survey have shown that some nicknames are catchy enough to positively resonate with voters.

So, when you see a nickname or other campaign gimmick that makes you grimace, remember: It’s your fault.

If every voter declared a personal moratorium on voting for any candidate who elected to use a clumsy moniker or sweet-cute phrase to aid their campaign, the nickname silliness would end.