Comments on: Andy Ponders Presidential Names

Andy Rooney Wonders: What's In A Name?

[knyghtwolf]

Imagine living in the thriving metropolis of Swartzenegger, or living in Bush, texass or better yet, going to cheney High? Or ole'' duyba Elementary/Daycare? How about rumsfeld Military Academy? The george "dubya" bush Philosophy/Christian Studys of satanism & business ethics?

[grammawhamma]

As I''ve said before (and tonight prooved it) it''s time to hang up you hat Andy and retire to your recliner chair. Geez...how embarassing.

[lottes1]

Andy''s comments are not very funny. In fact they were quite offensive tonight. Andy should apologize to those he "joked" about. This is a polyglot country and I hope anybody with a non anglo-saxon name could have something named after them for their good deeds. This is the worst we''ve seen from Rooney, and the first time I have ever sent in a comment.

[riolama]

To 60 Minutes producers: Don''t you read this stuff before you let ''Andrew'' loose? This is a show to be ashamed of - Mr Rooney''s comments tonight give you all a bad name, and give me a bad taste in my mouth. I''m glad to see so many other people were prompted to comment as well.
I. too, have never logged into this site or posted a comment to 60 Minutes before, though Andy''s words usually provide a sour note on which to end your show. But he''s an old guy and probably needs the job, so I just shrug my shoulders and go on with my life. This, though, was not just the innocent if stupid ramblings of an out-of-touch man, it was downright offensive to all of us in this country who believe, whatever our backgrounds or names, that we, together, constitute one nation. . . a nation in which you don''t have to be a white guy with an anglo saxon name to qualify for the presidency or to have a monument or an airport named after you.

[giantdreamer]

I too have never participated in this blog, but feel compelled by the absurd comments of Andy Rooney tonight to make my voice heard. In this great diverse country of ours it is absurd to put candidates down for their diversity. Andy, go back to England or where ever you think you come from.

Regarding the presidents that you admire, let''s set the record straight. Thomas Jefferson may have been one of the most intelligent presidents but he was also the most hypocritical. He died an ethically broken man. He owned one of the largest slave plantations of his state and fathered a separate family of interracial children that he left as slaves. How low can you get?

[dean_mo]

I have not even had a CBS.com account until tonight and created one solely to express my utter disbelief at the comments Andy had to offer tonight.

What a message to send to the nation in this hopeful time of change, when race and *** have taken a back seat to ideas:

"If your last name won''t sound good on a school or as the name of a city, don''t waste your time."

Unbelievable. Simply appaling.

Andrew, your name could be Abraham Jefferson and it still would not make you respectable. This kind of arrogant diatribe is precisely what you, as a well-respected voice of the people, should be campaigning against.

This was lazy, thoughtless and comes nowhere near qualifying as journalism.

[lottes1]

Andy''s comments are not very funny. In fact they were quite offensive tonight. Andy should apologize to those he "joked" about. This is a polyglot country and I hope anybody with a non anglo-saxon name could have something named after them for their good deeds. This is the worst we''ve seen from Rooney, and the first time I have ever sent in a comment.

[dean_mo]

In this age of sensationalistic news organizations it is difficult to know where we can turn for unbiased, fair reporting. 60 Minutes has always been different. 60 Minutes is held in such high regard that tonight alone it had Pervez Musharraf dissecting the assasination of Benazir Bhutto and Roger Clemens defending himself against steroid accusations.

Bid farewell to those prominent guests and to all journalistic integrity.

With the kind of pointless, meandering, discouraging, shameful commentary Andy had to offer tonight, you have cast yourselves in a dark light.

To hell with your credentials and ideas; if your surname isn''t Presidential, you won''t even get the time of day from those atop the soapboxes. I am disgusted with Andy and with this program and will not ever watch again.

[devildawg76]

P.S. This was also my first post. I took an hour out of my night to login and do this because I was so offended. I will be encouraging everyone I know (and everyone I can contact on Facebook, which is not really your demographic, I know - wait, maybe...) to boycott your (otherwise great) program until there is at least an apology.

[bobboland1]

This is reminiscent of Rooney%u2019s embarrassing rant last summer in his syndicated column, in which he was griping about baseball: %u201CI know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today%u2019s baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me.%u201D He later said he regretted the comment but it doesn%u2019t seem he learned anything.

[foscaangie]

OUTRAGEOUS! I am overwhelmed at the apalling sentiments of that pathetic fool, Andy Rooney. Why is he tolerated? The man has always been unfunny, unintelligent, unoriginal, but now he has gone too far? Does his presence mean CBS endorses his bigotry.
The man must go. I''m not watching the show until I know he has been retired.

[havapuppy]

Shameful. The American dream is that any American child can aspire to become President. I found Andy''s comments racist, and hurtful. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of hate propaganda or thinly disguised bigotry.

[lottes1]

Andy''s comments are not very funny. In fact they were quite offensive tonight. Andy should apologize to those he "joked" about. This is a polyglot country and I hope anybody with a non anglo-saxon name could have something named after them for their good deeds. This is the worst we''ve seen from Rooney, and the first time I have ever sent in a comment.

[devildawg76]

This was probably the most offensive thing I have ever heard on network television. I mean, what, exactly, is so "funny" about the idea of "Obama Elementary School" or "Giuliani, D.C." other than the fact that they are "foreign"-sounding names??? I have been wondering for nearly 20 years why you continue to let Rooney go on for 5 minutes in primetime each week with his "legendary" analysis (Usual: "I mean, what''s with all these newfangled catalogues that keep showing up at my doorstep??? If I really WANTED a shirt... Or a ''VCR'', whatever that is... I would just send a telegraph to Montgomery Ward''s!!! And breathmints... Since when did people start CHEWING on things???) but tonight he realy crossed the line. Newsflash: "Ethinic" names are no longer "funny" with the under-90 crowd. This is getting close to Imus territory. I am a WASP and I am genuinely outraged that that was just broadcast on the public airwaves. I cannot imagine how people whose names are less "whitebread"-sounding must have felt. CBS News should be ashamed for airing this. Time to put the old dog out to pasture.

[ktnorth]

My wife and I were shocked this evening at Andy''s remarks. I do believe he owes an apology. I guess you could have him do that in his segment next week. The reason the names like Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt sound presidential is because they were presidents. Just like Obama will sound presidential when he takes office a little over a year from now.

[lottes1]

Andy''s comments are not very funny. In fact they were quite offensive tonight. Andy should apologize to those he "joked" about. This is a polyglot country and I hope anybody with a non anglo-saxon name could have something named after them for their good deeds. This is the worst we''ve seen from Rooney.

[riolama]

To 60 Minutes producers: Don''t you read this stuff before you let ''Andrew'' loose? This is a show to be ashamed of - Mr Rooney''s comments tonight give you all a bad name, and give me a bad taste in my mouth. I''m glad to see so many other people were prompted to comment as well.
I. too, have never logged into this site or posted a comment to 60 Minutes before, though Andy''s words usually provide a sour note on which to end your show. But he''s an old guy and probably needs the job, so I just shrug my shoulders and go on with my life. This, though, was not just the innocent if stupid ramblings of an out-of-touch man, it was downright offensive to all of us in this country who believe, whatever our backgrounds or names, that we, together, constitute one nation. . . a nation in which you don''t have to be a white guy with an anglo saxon name to qualify for the presidency or to have a monument or an airport named after you.

[riolama]

To 60 Minutes producers: Don''t you read this stuff before you let ''Andrew'' loose? This is a show to be ashamed of - Mr Rooney''s comments tonight give you all a bad name, and give me a bad taste in my mouth. I''m glad to see so many other people were prompted to comment as well.
I. too, have never logged into this site or posted a comment to 60 Minutes before, though Andy''s words usually provide a sour note on which to end your show. But he''s an old guy and probably needs the job, so I just shrug my shoulders and go on with my life. This, though, was not just the innocent if stupid ramblings of an out-of-touch man, it was downright offensive to all of us in this country who believe, whatever our backgrounds or names, that we, together, constitute one nation. . . a nation in which you don''t have to be a white guy with an anglo saxon name to qualify for the presidency or to have a monument or an airport named after you.

[starryskyne]

Presidential aspirants and names.
What''s in a name? Andy Rooney sure doesn''t get the idea. It is the person who makes the name notable, not the spelling or its sound or any cultural connection. I would challenge Andy on these names that he left out of his "Presidential sounding" list:
Hoover Dam--what a hysterical idea to name that big chunk of concrete after a vacuum cleaner!
Eisenhower--imagine letting a guy with a German name plan and lead the battle for Europe against Hitler in World War II? What were those idiots in the War Dept. thinking?
Mt. McKinley should obviously be Denali, its proper name given it by the natives of the area centuries before. Who can spell McKinley right the first time?
Ford--who thought of naming a president after a car?
Nixon--the guy has an "X" in the middle of his name. So obviously a loser. What nationality is that from anyhow?
Don''t even get me started on Bush I and Bush II. Considering that there is already a Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn is enough.
Now can you see how Andy has gone ''round the bend?
Paris--Proud to be named after a 13th Century AD Scottish scholar, not that notorious city in Texas.

[lottes1]

Andy''s comments are not very funny. In fact they were quite offensive tonight. Andy should apologize to those he "joked" about. This is a polyglot country and I hope anybody with a non anglo-saxon name could have something named after them for their good deeds. This is the worst we''ve seen from Rooney.