Teflon (nickname)

Teflon is a nickname given to persons, particularly in politics, to whom criticism does not seem to stick. The term comes from Teflon, the brand name of a "non-stick" chemical used on cookware, and was first applied to the American President Ronald Reagan.

History

The phrase "Teflon president" was coined in 1983 by Patricia Schroeder, then a Democratic Congresswoman from Colorado, who said of then-President Reagan,

Her characterization did stick, and the phrase "Teflon President" entered the American political lexicon. Jerrold M. Post, Director of the Political Psychology Program for the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, has written that "[Reagan's] followers actively ignored data that disconfirmed their idealization" of [him], thus contributing to his image as the 'Teflon' President." Although his approval numbers "plummeted" as the Iran-Contra Affair unfolded, his "immense popularity ... was largely unscathed", and when his term ended he had the highest approval ratings of any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The American political magazine Mother Jones has dubbed it "one of the most durable political metaphors of our time." The Washington Post said in 1992 that Schroeder had been " the only Democrat who ever came up with a derogatory label that stuck to President Reagan". Nevertheless, Schroeder has more recently expressed dismay over the impact the phrase had, and said in 2004 following Reagan's death,

It's also been applied to mafia boss John Gotti, called "The Teflon Don".

The usage of the "teflon" metaphor seems to be spreading outside the US too. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is often referred to in the press as "Teflon Tony".

Ralph Klein, long-time premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, was often referred to as a "Teflon" Premier.

It has been applied to Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (known as the "Teflon Taoiseach") as scandal after scandal fails to have any lasting effect on him.

In Australia the name 'Teflon Johnny' has been coined to describe Prime Minister John Howard. Other Australian public figures that have been called teflon coated include Queensland premier Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen and Prime Minister Paul Keating.