BIMBO Nominees for June 2022

• Bimbo
• May 31, 2022
• by Spaeth Communications
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Really hard to pick a winner this month. We ultimately chose the altercation between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher because it was so jam packed. Note the North Carolina primary winner because we think most readers didn’t see it. Stiff competition from Sen. Cruz, candidate Bush (yes, another Bush,) and a California businessman. (Note, even criminals need coaching apparently!) Examples of the Wrong Thing to Say from a football scout, Drew Barrymore and Georgia politician Stacey Abrams. Make sure to catch the inspiring example at the end from the Russian official who posted his resignation on LinkedIn.

THE WINNING BIMBO 

“We didn’t buy one player,” said Alabama head football coach Nick Saban in a back-and-forth with Texas A&M’s head football coach, Jimbo Fisher. Quite an example of what we call bad words. Saban charged that A&M had recruited a superior class of players by buying them. Fisher called Saban “despicable” and a “narcissist,” demonstrating the high velocity nature of these words. We counted multiple repetitions of those words, many in headlines. Fisher also contributed a BIMBO comment, “I don’t cheat and I don’t lie,” and suggested maybe Saban “should have been slapped” as a child. Keeping the controversy alive, Saban then gave a weak apology – and a BIMBO comment - saying he shouldn’t have singled out a school or players, and “I really wasn’t saying that anyone was doing anything illegal,” which of course is exactly what he was charging. We’re with the USA Today headline writer who characterized the exchange as children fighting, Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin who tweeted, “Did this really just happen???” and the columnist who observed, “Saban has been around long enough to know what impact his words have.”  

Bleacher Report, “Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher Feud Is the Exact Offseason Drama CFB Needs,” May 20, 2022

THE RUNNERS-UP 

“I never ran over anyone with a car and I never hit anyone in the head with a frying pan,” tweeted North Carolina GOP primary winner Sandy Smith. Winning a crowded North Carolina primary, Smith also faces accusations—but no charges—of physically abusing former husbands. This does not seem like a very high bar to expect from a Congressional candidate, but it’s been that kind of election season.

Rolling Stone, “’I Never Ran Over Anyone With a Car and I Never Hit Anyone in the Head With a Frying Pan,’ Says Actual GOP Primary Winner,” May 18, 2022 

“I’m not a moron,” said Sen. Ted Cruz speculating on who the Supreme Court leaker might be. Reporters asked why he thought the culprit was a “left-wing law clerk” and he responded with the “moron” quote. This was particularly distressing because the Senator is actually one of the smartest guys we know.

Business Insider, “'I'm not a moron': Cruz spars with reporters over leak of draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, suggests the culprit was a 'left-wing law clerk,’” May 7, 2022

“This isn’t about my last name,” claimed George P. Bush, Texas’s Land Commissioner and candidate for State Attorney General. The son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, nephew of former President George W. Bush and grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, insisted, “I’m proud of my family’s contributions to Texas and America. But this race isn’t about my last name.” Bush, who actually was a great candidate and is a truly superb public servant, tried to make the race about the multiple, very serious charges Paxton is fighting. Unfortunately, it was indeed all about Bush’s last name and Paxton easily won the runoff election. 

San Antonio Report, “George P. Bush’s family name proves to be key obstacle in his battle with Paxton for AG post,” May 12, 2022

“I did nothing wrong nor illegal,” said Jeff Flint, chief executive and senior partner at FSB Public Affairs, part of a group representing a number of Anaheim businesses caught in an FBI dragnet charging long time criminal activity in the city. The complaint and the article describe a truly breathtaking level of control and sound more like Russia than a U.S. city. Worth reading to restore faith that the Bureau is still chasing and catching bad guys. Flint has decided to step down as CEO. In a final note reinforcing the importance of communication training and coaching, incriminating emails criticize one insider for doing a terrible job and reading his script badly at a sham meeting, to which another replied, “Lol. He doesn’t practice.” 

Los Angeles Times, “Secret retreats and a powerful ‘cabal’: Corruption probe reveals who really runs Anaheim,” May 19, 2022 

WRONG THING TO SAY

Chicago Bears scout Chris Prescott was chatting on ESPN about draft pick Jaquan Brisker. Prescott had many complimentary things to say about the Penn State player. But then he characterized the second-round pick, 48th overall pick as a “Ph.D” player, which he described as “poor, hungry and desperate." Oops. The positive comments went out the window and the denigrating phrase became the story. It turns out that Prescott was actually right saying, “Football is his life,” and that Brisker had challenges as a teenager, but he went from sympathetic description to racist.

Awful Announcing, “After ‘poor, hungry, and desperate’ comments drew national backlash, Bears’ scout Chris Prescott was let go in team’s front-office changes,” May 3, 2022 

“It’s like one layer of crazy, it’s a seven layer dip of insanity,” said Drew Barrymore about the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. She went on to say she understood that these were real people, and she knew what it was like to have your personal life spread out in public but said, “This is crazy!” Critics turned on her for judging people and she apologized – but she shouldn’t have. She was exactly right! The whole weeks-long performance has been crazy. Maybe we could classify this as “in retrospect, the right thing to say?”
 
The Hill, “Drew Barrymore apologizes after calling Depp-Heard trial a ‘seven-layer dip of insanity,’” May 3, 2022 

Stacey Abrams, running for the Democratic nomination for Georgia governor called her state, “the worst state in the country to live.” She later tried to clarify her remarks by noting metrics for maternal mortality and incarceration, but we predict this soundbite will replay throughout the summer and fall.

The Daily Wire, “Stacey Abrams Calls Georgia The ‘Worst State In the County’ As She Runs For Governor,” May 22, 2022 

GOOD EXAMPLES

Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev resigned to protest the war in Ukraine and the corruption of Putin’s government. He posted his entire letter of resignation on LinkedIn. He doesn’t pull his punches and states his case without frills or fuzziness. I like the last line – “Job offers are welcome.”  Which explains why he’s posted to LinkedIn. Can we give this worthy guy some help?

The Washington Post, “’Ashamed’ Russian diplomat resigns over Putin’s ‘aggressive war,’” May 23, 2022 

This example is worth viewing only if you have the time and mental capacity to truly absorb it. This is a very effective visual article outlining the timeline of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. 

The New York Times, “78 Long Minutes,” May 28, 2022 

The BIMBO Memo is a reminder not to repeat and deny a negative word because of how the listener hears words. When you repeat and deny a negative word, the listener is likely to overlook the denial and hear the opposite of what the speaker is trying to say. It’s named for the young woman who was caught with a high profile, but alas married man. She held a press conference and announced, “I am not a BIMBO,” thus causing everyone to think she was.