On Monday, former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) announced his candidacy for president. Immediately, conservatives and liberals took to Twitter to mock the very idea of saying “President Hickenlooper.”
“‘President Hickenlooper’ is quite a mouthful,” conservative writer Robert Laurie tweeted. Laurie has written for the Daily Caller, Townhall, Breitbart, and HermanCain.com.
https://twitter.com/RobertLaurie/status/1102552249581162499
Liberal-leaning restaurant critic Tim Hayward said he already giggles at the name “President Trump,” but he’d likely lose it if Hickenlooper entered the Oval Office. “Sweet Jesus. Four years of ‘Trump’ making me giggle. I’m not sure I could handle President Hickenlooper,” Hayward tweeted.
Sweet Jesus. Four years of “Trump” making me giggle. I’m not sure I could handle President Hickenlooper. https://t.co/QUFGf2ENWl
— 🔪🔪Tim Hayward🔪🔪 (@timhayward) March 4, 2019
“‘President Hickenlooper’ rolls right off the tongue,” Gatlin Harrelson, host of the podcast “The Gun Show,” mockingly tweeted.
“President Hickenlooper” rolls right off the tongue https://t.co/0WXtHJJIWo
— GatMightCough (@gatlinharrelson) March 4, 2019
“Well I for one think President Hickenlooper has a ring to it,” Graham Allen, host of “Rant Nation” on BlazeTV, tweeted. His message had laughing and crying emojis.
Well I for one think President Hickenlooper has a ring to it😂😂😂
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) March 4, 2019
Liberal-leaning British humorist Fred Delicious tweeted that he was “laughing my a** off” at the very idea of ‘President Hickenlooper.'”
President Hickenlooper lmao https://t.co/nZQPgHX7I3
— Fred Delicious (@Fred_Delicious) March 4, 2019
“Uma Gosh,” a self-described member of the #Resistence tweeted. “I’m sorry, I have a hard time envisioning myself saying President Hickenlooper. Can’t he just shorten it?”
I'm sorry, I have a hard time envisioning myself saying President Hickenlooper. Can't he just shorten it?
— Uma Ghosh #LifesABitchSoIBecameOne (@UmaGhosh69) March 4, 2019
Another Twitter user who goes by “JT” wrote that candidates like the former Colorado governor are disqualified by “destiny” simply due to their names. “See some people cannot be President purely because of their names. Destiny will not allow it. There will NEVER be a President Hickenlooper. It’s just too ridiculous to say aloud. Same rule applies for great quarterbacks,” he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/ElPolloLoco60/status/1102574120523517952
Others added that they were simply “not ready” for the former Colorado governor to be president, simply because of his last name.
I don’t know anything about him or his policies, but I’m just not ready to have a “President Hickenlooper” yet.
— NASCAR_Wonka (@warningtrackbar) March 4, 2019
Before November 2008, many people thought “President Obama” would be unthinkable. Yet Barack Obama did indeed become the 44th President of the United States.
John Hickenlooper faces a different challenge, however. While he has declared himself ” a lot more progressive than a lot of these other folks” running for president in 2020, the former Colorado governor will have a hard time standing out from the crowd.
As conservative comedian Tim Young put it, Hickenlooper is “the 5th completely unrecognizable democrat in the race.”
Former Colorado Gov John Hickenlooper is running for President.
He is now the 5th completely unrecognizable democrat in the race.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) March 4, 2019
As a native Coloradan, I know who Hickenlooper is. But most people probably do not, and with so many women, minorities, senators, and even a former vice president competing with this former Colorado governor, Hickenlooper will have a hard time getting into the spotlight. Colorado is still considered a swing state, and it is known for energy, environmentalism, and legalizing marijuana, which happened on Hickenlooper’s watch.
Perhaps the candidate should embrace the mockery of his name — in the same way Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has embraced the moniker “Cocaine Mitch.” Hickenlooper joking about his funny name might make him more popular, but even then, it probably won’t give him a realistic chance.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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