Just a reminder that there is a possibility ScuttleButton may disappear from the NPR Web site in the next month or so. So if I were you, I'd sign up for the Political Junkie mailing list (info below) to make sure you'll be in the know as to where these irreplaceable and delightful features wind up.
ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Tuesday or Wednesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression. (And seriously, by familiar, I mean it's something that more than one person on Earth would recognize.)
For years, a correct answer chosen at random would get his or her name posted in this column, an incredible honor in itself. Now the stakes are even higher. Thanks to the efforts of the folks at Talk of the Nation, that person also hears their name mentioned on the Wednesday show (by me) and receives a Political Junkie t-shirt in the bargain. Is this a great country or what?
You can't use the comments box at the bottom of the page for your answer. Send submission (plus your name and city/state — you won't win without that) to politicaljunkie@npr.org.
(Why do people keep forgetting to include their name and city/state?)
And, by adding your name to the Political Junkie mailing list, you will be among the first on your block to receive notice about the column and the puzzle. Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org. Or you can make sure to get an automatic RSS feed whenever a new Junkie post goes up by clicking here.
Good luck!
By the way, I always announce the winner on Wednesday's Junkie segment on TOTN — seven or eight days after the puzzle first goes up. So you should try and get your answer in as soon as possible. But logistically, you have about a week to submit your guess.
Here are the buttons used and the answer to last week's puzzle:
OTB/One Term Beame — OTB actually stood for "Off Track Betting" in NYC. But, for this button, it meant wanting Mayor Abe Beame to lose in 1977, which he did, in the Democratic primary.
Me & McG — George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic nominee against President Nixon.
Stand Up! Wallace in '68 — George Wallace, the former governor of Alabama, sought the presidency as a third-party candidate in 1968.
Scotty Baesler for Congress 1996 — Baesler, a Kentucky Democrat, was first elected in the state's 6th District in 1992, serving six years until leaving for a Senate run, which he lost to Republican Jim Bunning.
So, when you combine Beame + Me + Up + Scotty, you may just very well end up with ...
Beam Me Up Scotty. A line never actually said by Captain Kirk to his top engineer, "Scotty" Scott, in any of the Star Trek TV shows or movies.
The winner, chosen completely at random, is Betsy Hilt of Nashville, Tenn. Betsy gets not only the coveted Political Junkie t-shirt — but the Official No Prize Button as well!
And don't forget to check out this week's Political Junkie column, which focuses on this year's elections in Virginia. Click here to read the column.
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