Buffenbarger: New Verb?

     The extraordinary speech on Tuesday night in Youngstown, Ohio by machinist's union official Tom Buffenbarger (here) raises the question of whether his surname might enter the lexicon as a new verb.  Buffenbarger's ill-tempered diatribe against Obama ("wunderkind," "thespian," a "shadow boxer [who] never steps into the ring," two-faced, "in love with the microphone") and Obama supporters ("latte-drinking, Prius-driving, Birkenstock wearing, trust fund babies") might make him a candidate to follow in the footsteps of Robert Bork and John Kerry's war service  and  become a verb:  "We'll bork that nomination" or "I will not be swiftboated!"   It may not be a great idea for Democrats to buffenbarger each other.  Come November, the Democrats may need to stick together.   But then, I'm not a big consumer of lattes, don't own a Prius, and have never possessed any Birkenstocks.  And I'm not even completely sold on Obama.  For a cautionary tale, read this.

Comments

[Chapin Cimino]

I'm all for the new verb! Very clever. But, for the cautionary tale linked at the end of the post, I say: bah hum-barger! Obama himself has said when we elect a president, we are electing a person's judgment. I happen to believe that, and also think that a candidate's judgment is revealed only so much by the razzle-dazzle of multi-pronged pre-election points-and-plans. (Don't policy wonks come up with those anyway? Don't we all know them for what they are?) So while I'm sure there must be some valid Obama criticism, this one doesn't seem to be it. But then again, I'm an Obama believer, and have been all along...

[J. Clifford]

You've got my vote. Buffenbarger is indeed a new verb.

Hillary Clinton just got Buffenbargered.