Procedural DU question...

[jakem]

why is it we are referring to the objects of our distaste as '*' etc?

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. He will be nothing but a footnote to history

:hi:

I've also heard it is short for )*(, as in a pair of butt cheeks being spread wide.

[liberal N proud]

2. I use only use bu$h in lower case to denote my lack of respect

And the $ denotes the money hungary thief he is.

About the lack of respect, he hasn't done anything to earn respect.

[madokie]

5. I pretty much can't type an uppercase when refering to a repukeliCON

just something about my fingers won't allow me.

Oh, and its all about respect too, nothing else. ;-)

[Renew Deal]

3. It has to do with the recount

When a baseball player has some special stat, the stat on a baseball card is marked with an *. The implication is that Bush was president on a technicality and didn't really win. That is correct.

[bananas]

10. Yes, according to wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictionalized_portrayals_of_George_W._Bush
In the political comic Doonesbury, President George W. Bush was symbolized by a Stetson hat atop a giant asterisk. The hat referred to his time spent as Governor of Texas; Doonesbury artist Garry Trudeau refers to Bush of being "all hat and no cattle".<2> The asterisk was intended to represent the special circumstances surrounding Bush's election, it being the typical symbol to mark footnoted special circumstances in any standard record book.

Later, President Bush's symbol was changed to a Roman military helmet (again, atop an asterisk) representing imperialism. Towards the end of his first term, the helmet became battered, with the giltwork starting to come off and with clumps of bristles missing from the top, but on September 2, 2006, he fantasized about himself wearing a crown.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doonesbury
More recently, personal symbols reflecting some aspect of their character are used. For example, members of the Bush family have been depicted as invisible. During his term as Vice President George H.W. Bush was first depicted as completely invisible, his words emanating from a little “spark” in the air. This was originally a reference to the man’s perceived low profile and his denials of knowledge of the Iran-Contra Affair. (In one strip, published 20 March 1988, the vice president almost materialized, but only made it to an outline before reverting to invisibility.) President George W. Bush was later symbolized by a Stetson hat atop a giant asterisk (a la Roger Maris), because he was Governor of Texas prior to his presidency (Trudeau accused him of being “all hat and no cattle” ) and also due to the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential elections. Later, President Bush’s symbol was changed to a Roman military helmet (again, atop an asterisk) representing imperialism. Towards the end of his first term, the helmet became battered, with the giltwork starting to come off and with clumps of bristles missing from the top. (By now, the helmet has been dented almost beyond recognition.) On 2 September, 2006, he fantasized about himself wearing a crown.

[bananas]

4. I think Doonesbury started it. nt

[Buzz Clik]

15. Yep.

I'm guessing it gets back to the asterisk in baseball stats -- suggesting that the stat is diminished because of the circumstances. (Roger Maris's single season homerun record was considered less than the Babe's because the season in Ruth's era was shorter).

Bush* is considered to NOT be president because of the circumstances.

[Sydnie]

6. The * came from Doonesbury

His pResidency will always have an asterik next to it in the history books so it can be noted that he first gained access to the WH due to the Supreme Court and not the voters.

I call him blivet** (note the two asteriks because the second election wasn't clean either) because it fits him perfectly, both as a man and as a President.

[TechBear_Seattle]

9. "Blivet"? The thinks I learn on DU....

Blivet

The picture is interesting, and I think sums up the Junta quite well.

[Arkansas Granny]

13. I like the military definition of the word.

"ten pounds of manure in a five-pound bag"

[TahitiNut]

16. That's how I understand the word (and use it).

Until seeing that Wikipedia entry, I've not acknowledged any other meaning. Even as a long-time computer professional, I've never heard the definition cited. I strongly suspect that the other definitions are the result of contextual interpretations by people who didn't comprehend the meaning of the word as used and who failed to either ask or get an honest answer.

[Sydnie]

17. I always have considered the military definition in my use of the

word as well. Ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag, IMHO, describes him/them perfectly!

[AllegroRondo]

7. the 'blivet'

as that asterix is reffered to..

similar to the asterix used in record books to refer to Roger Maris' 61 home runs in one season. Sure, its an official record, but its not "really" a record. Just like Bush is officially the president, but not "really" a president. I think it first came about after the 2000 election because of the whole Supreme Court case.

[Lobster Martini]

8. Feel free to invent a new le nom de dédain n/t

[stellanoir]

11. Historically it denotes a pRes who won the electoral college totals

but not the popular vote totals. I believe it only happened one other time prior to *.

[jakem]

12. Ok, im with you with the '*'

for some reason I thought I had remembered some sort of referrence on DU of not wanting to give the internet presence to various repuglicking names. Seemed weird, as they don't actually get any good press in here...

Must have just been a figment... carry on.

[SoCalDem]

14. To me, he will always be *²

His Daddy was *..