05/27/09
An Important Distinction
By VA Blogger
A May 22 editorial on Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial primary incorrectly stated that Terry R. McAuliffe had described himself as a “huckster.” In his autobiography, Mr. McAuliffe described himself as a “hustler.”
hus-tler [huhs-ler] (n):
1. an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.
2. Slang. a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money; swindler.
I wonder which one Terry McAuliffe was calling himself, and which one everyone else thinks he is.
I know:
Slang. a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money; swindler.
Gee, VAB, it’s just SO darn hard to tell…go-getter…unscrupulous fraud…go-getter…unscrupulous fraud…go-getter…unscrupulous fraud…go-getter…unscrupulous fraud…
Tell you what: You go call the McAuliffe campaign, find out, and then let us known, ‘kay?
Brilliant counterpoint, “Obama’s bleeding out”.
He can’t be both?
Maybe he is a Huckabee supporter – Huckster??
Maybe he got a contribution from Larry Flynt?
Brian, I hadn’t considered that. Perhaps he’s a go-getter about being fraudulent, and enterprisingly dedicated at obtaining money for himself.
And George, given his current list of donors, that wouldn’t shock me at all.
Ah yes – the huckster/hustler distinction. Very important. One would no doubt spend quite a few hours before sensing that it’s better for the Governor of the Old Dominion, the Mother of Presidents, to be one, as opposed to the other.
Call McCauliffe what you may, huckster, hustler, carpetbagger, or whatever, I don’t think he will be called Governor. Absent a “macaca moment” or wingnut intervention in his campaign, McDonnell can take back the Governor’s Mansion.
The primary isn’t over until its over, you know.
Huckster = Hillary Clinton with pants.
JP–
Hillary is much smarter than Mac the Hack. She can be as slimy as him, but is much more intelligent.
“Huckster” might be a very applicable word in this case. The original meaning of “huckster” in the American vernacular was a farmer or the agent of a farmer who piled the farm produce into his wagon and took it to the city market for sale to restaurants, grocery stores, and the general public. A quite honorable part of domestic commerce. People were even listed in the old telephone books and in the U.S. Census under that occupational title. I suspect that just about everyone on this blog could find hucksters as part of their own family history.
In my opinion, McAullife was a “huckster” of sorts, as is just about anyone who tries to “sell” a political candidate to the voters, even including those on this blog who advocate for a particular candidate. McAuliffe should stick with “huckster.” The “hustler” bit was a wrong choice of words.
That McAuliffe actually called himself a “hustler” in his autobiography ought to give you a solid clue about his personality. Almost all of us played on sports teams which had a guy who was, indeed, known for his “hustle.” Pete Rose was even known as “Mr. Hustle” or “Charlie Hustle.” The point is that this was a title conferred by others, not one’s self. The coach, perhaps some of your teammates, and the press called you a “hustler.” I never met an athlete who went around calling himself a “hustler.” Just a bit immodest that!