Most Notable Quotations of 2012?

[Laurence Horn]

On Nov 20, 2012, at 10:24 AM, Baker, John wrote:

> Ben Bernanke:  "Under current law, on January 1, 2013, there's going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases."  According to Paul Waldman, http://prospect.org/article/whos-blame-fiscal-cliff-misnomer, this was the first use of "fiscal cliff" to refer to what Wonkblog more accurately calls the austerity crisis.
>
> Richard Mourdock:  "Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something God intended to happen."
>
> Rick Perry:  "Oops."  Unfortunately, the full quote is so inarticulate (which is sort of the point) that it isn't very quotable.
>
>
> John Baker

Three or four others from past ads-l postings:

(1)
> "If you have voted after you are dead, there is a good, strong
> possibility that you did something illegal," he said to reporters
> after speaking to the panel.

The line came from Retired Army Colonel Kevin Schwedo who is South
Carolina's Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles. IMO it's
already a QOTY candidate and we're only in the second week of January.

[from Victor S., 11 Jan.]

(2)
Bart to Homer, who's astride some vehicle that is obviously going to
blow up: Dad, are you sure this is a good idea?

Homer. …Idea[s] aren't good or bad! They're just *free*!

[from Jon L., 20 Feb.]

(3)
Romney "political director" Rich Beeson, telling us why, even if he
loses Ohio, he might still manage being elected:  "If ifs and buts
were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas."

[from Joel B., 27 Sept., but later pointed out to be amply antedated]

(4)
In an update on the Frankenstorm this afternoon, Gov. Dannel [sic] P. Malloy framed the situation by informing the citizenry watching on local television, "The last time we saw anything like this was never".  With a nice pause for effect between the last two words.

[from Larry H., 28 Oct.]


LH


>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Shapiro, Fred
> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2012 9:45 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Most Notable Quotations of 2012?
>
> I'm starting to think about my annual list, run by the Associated Press, of the top 10 most notable quotations of the year.  By "notable" I mean "important" or "famous" or "particularly revealing of the spirit of our times" rather than necessarily being eloquent or admirable.
>
> I would welcome suggestions of notable quotations from 2012, particularly ones from politics or popular culture or entertainment or sports or business or technology.
>
> I already have the following in mind as plausible candidates for the list, all drawn from the election campaigns:
>
> Romney on liking being able to fire people
> Romney on 47 percent
> Romney on binders full of women
> Obama on "you didn't build that"
> Obama on horses and bayonets
> Eric Fehrnstrom on "Etch a Sketch"
> Todd Akin on legitimate rape
>
> Fred Shapiro
> Editor
> YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS (Yale University Press)
>
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