And the Governor Would Mispronounce Him

Quote: “If Barack Obama were a state, he’d be California.” Maria Shriver.

Figure of Speech:  antapodosis (an-ta-PO-do-sis), the extended analogy. From the Greek, meaning “giving back.”

The Kennedy royal family is backing the most Kennedyesque of current candidates, Barack Obama. The latest Kennedy to make the endorsement is Maria Shriver, whose husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, backs aging manly-man John McCain.

Shriver goes all out in her Obama speech, using one of the more elaborate figures. The antapodosis is the DNA of similes, matching similarities like genes. “I mean think about it,” says Shriver of the Obama-California convergence. “Diverse. Open. Smart. Independent. Bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspiring. Dreamer. Leader.”

If Shriver were a state, she’d be Massachusetts. Expensive. Pretentious. Talkative. Pretty. Liberal. Unintentionally funny.

Snappy Answer:  “You mean his inhabitants would leave for Oregon and Montana?”

Comments

[DR SG]

Dear Fig: please keep up those daily figures, especially now in this oh so crucial election year. My students and I watched the Kerry-Bosh debates from the last election to get proof of your Far Side Cartoon example (How to Speak like Bush); when reviewing it, I remembeerd watching the debate when John Kerry pronounced that he would "find the terrorists and KILL THEM" in his angriest of scowls; I recoiled then, and again in 2007. At the same time, Bush's soothing "blah blah blah HARD WORK blah blah OUR DUTY blah blah PROTECT OUR BORDERS blah blah" really DID seem soothing.

So...fast forward to 2008. What do you think will be the making (or undoing) of our election, rhetorically speaking, especially since Killer Kerry and Beans-for-Brains Bush won't be in the picture? Will it be Hilary's pathos-free Mr. Roboto impression? Obama's ability to say absolutely nothing concrete in 40 words or more? McCain's insistent reminders of his wartime heroism...DECADES ago? Thanksfully, Giuliani's rehtoric of fear hasn't worked. Do tell!

[Teacher Lady]

"If Shriver were a state, she'd be Massachusetts. Expensive. Pretentious. Talkative. Pretty. Liberal. Unintentionally funny." Is that why you live in New Hampshire?

[Howard]

Massachusetts was the only state that McGovern won in his race against Nixon (1972). Cut us a break.

We're the "thinking" state. (Yes, I know that's pretentious and unintentionally funny).

If Shriver were a state she's be Martha's Vineyard.