“Spaeth Communications Names 2010 Bimbo of the Year”

Dec. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- (Dallas, Texas) – Longtime Rep. Charles Rangel’s quote “It may be stupid, it may be negligent, but it’s not corrupt,” has joined the ranks with other infamous denials like “I did not sleep with that woman” and “I am not a crook.” The comment is winner of the 2010 Bimbo of the Year Award, which honors the worst public comments made each year. He is joined by Toyota’s president, the “witchy” Christine O’Donnell, Mark McGuire, and the whole state of New Jersey.

The Bimbo Awards were created by Merrie Spaeth, Ronald Reagan’s director of media relations and founder of Dallas-based communications firm, Spaeth Communications. The award was named for the young woman who–when caught in a tryst with a high profile, married man—announced to the world, “I am not a bimbo,” thus causing everyone to think she was a bimbo. In honor of those infamous words, Spaeth publishes a monthly newsletter with the worst offenders from each month, and crowns a winner for Bimbo of the Year, a highly coveted award. Followers of the Bimbo submit their nominations each month and featured submissions win a bright orange “No Bimbo” ribbon that is suitable for display.  For a full list of Bimbo Award winners, visit http://www.spaethcom.com/bimbo-newsletter.php.

The 2010 Bimbo Award Winner and Dishonorable Mentions:

“It may be stupid, it may be negligent, but it’s not corrupt,” said longtime Rep. Charles Rangel explaining one of his 13 ethics violations where he sent hundreds of solicitations for contributions on Congressional stationary. (Rangel’s explanation, that he just “grabbed the wrong stationary,” will warm the hearts of disorganized fundraisers everywhere. The amazing thing to us is that he appears to truly believe this is all OK, and after he was censured by a 333 to 79 vote, he said, “I truly feel good.”
The Associated Press, “Rangel Vows Not To Resign,” Aug. 10, 2010
The Wall Street Journal, “Rangel Censured for Ethics Violations,” Dec. 3, 2010

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS

“We are not covering up anything and we are not running away from anything,” said Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda when U.S. safety regulators began to investigate the timeliness of the 8.5 million car recall due to reports of sudden acceleration. (If you recall, the company did run away for quite some time, and as an internal memo revealed, the company was aggressively trying to limit what it needed to do to address complaints and safety concerns.)
Detroit News, “Toyota president: ‘We are not covering up anything,’” Feb. 17, 2010

“I am not a witch,” said Christine O’Donnell the then Delaware Republican Senate nominee in an ad destined to rank with the infamous ‘I did not have sex with that woman,’ comment.  (This shows how much you can pay for truly bad advice. The ad, which featured O’Donnell in a dark suit against a dark background, made O’Donnell look, well, witchy.)
ABC News, “Christine O’Donnell Ad: ‘I am Not A Witch,’” Oct. 4, 2010

“I did this for health purposes. There’s no way I did this for any type of strength purposes,” wailed Mark McGwire, finally telling us what we knew all along – that he used steroids when he broke home run records in the late ‘90s. (McGwire sounds whiney, defensive and just as insincere as his testimony in 2005 before a Congressional committee when he refused to answer questions, saying he was “not here to talk about the past.”)
The Associated Press, “Mark McGwire finally admits using steroids,” Jan. 12, 2010

“New Jersey Doesn’t Stink” was the state’s campaign slogan to fight back against stereotypes set by MTV’s popular “Jersey Shore.” (The campaign spawned parodies, with one columnist suggesting the slogan, “New Jersey: We’re FBI Friendly.”)
The Washington Times, “New Jersey Doesn’t Stink: State out to deodorize Garden State image,” June 28, 2010

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Spaeth Communications, Inc. is a firm recognized as a leader in the communications field for its innovative training and strategic consulting. Founded by Merrie Spaeth, the company has handled internal and external communication for a diverse client base.