You can’t bottle lightning, but you can at least flick the lights on and off really quickly to create a similar albeit campier effect. That seems to be what’s happening with online activists/pranksters trying to duplicate the magnificent hex Dan Savage cast upon Rick Santorum when he codified “Santorum” to mean something other than some guy’s surname, except the new target is Mitt Romney.
While Romney’s last name isn’t getting quite the revulsive rechristening that Santorum got, it’s still becoming a legitimate issue as far as search engines are concerned. Searching “Mitt Romney” only summons news about Romney’s election as well as many websites that support him. Search only “Romney,” however, and the third return you receive is a link to www.spreadingromney.com.
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In case you are hesitant to follow that link, romney has been defined as a verb that means, “to defecate in terror.” The word “terror” is a hyperlink that will send readers to story on Huffington Post recounting the time Mitt Romney strapped his dog to the roof of his car while driving to Canada. The dog reportedly “defecated in fear” while housed atop the vehicle. So you see, the name Romney and the verb romney have met on the other side of the track.
A similar wind-up is happening with Newt Gingrich’s last name, although the arbitration of what exactly gingrich will mean is a more democratic process. Currently over at www.spreadinggingrich.com, visitors can submit their suggestion for what gingrich should mean with the eventual winner becoming the adopted definition of gingrich.
Given how boar-ish (no, I did not spell that incorrectly) and lewd Gingrich’s personal life has been, the disgusting potential for what gingrich will eventually mean could be disastrously vile and possibly rival the gag-inducing definition of santorum. Blegh.
So far, this phenomenon seems relegated to the liberal or Democratic pranksters. However, www.spreadingobama.com is actually a registered domain but nothing live is going on with it as of today (meaning: squatters). The domain is registered to Domains By Proxy, LCC, which is allegedly owned by GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons (thanks for the tip, Internet). Last year, Washington Post reported that several potentially derogatory domains related to presidential candidates were yoinked up by Domains by Proxy but, amusingly, while Obama seems to have been spared the risk of Santorum’s fate, Romney and Gingrich have been left to fend for themselves.
Then again, given Parsons’ disdain for elephants, maybe this is a sly political maneuver? Subtle humor for the win!
