Is Teflon out and .... in?

Garson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Sun Jan 1 20:23:33 UTC 2012


David Barnhart wrote:
>> '_styrofoam_ campaign'

Thanks David: Here is a link and some excepts that may help to
elucidate the metaphor. Of course, metaphors sometimes have unintended
implications. The eHow website notes: "If you cut Styrofoam
incorrectly, the plastic foam may crumble or break in the wrong spots.

Mitt Romney's 'styrofoam campaign'
By Alex Castellanos, CNN Contributor
updated 10:38 AM EST, Sun January 1, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/01/opinion/castellanos-iowa-republican-field/index.html

[Begin excerpt]
Whether Romney has run a brilliantly passive race or a fortunate one
does not matter. Passionless, but not hollow, his campaign has been as
buoyant as Styrofoam. Romney may continue to float downriver to the
nomination, full of holes, on a rigid structure of air.
...
Romney's noncampaign campaign may also be a brilliant strategy for the
general election, the perfect way to receive a billion dollar's worth
of negative bullets from Team Obama. Styrofoam is light but stronger
than it looks. A few more holes won't sink it. And styrofoam runs
neither hot nor cold: It is hard to love but, for the same reason,
hard to hate.
[End excerpt]

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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