What’s in a name? asked Shakespeare. That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.
Unless it’s the stadium where President Obama will formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination.
In that case, Democrats fear, the wrong name could stink up Obama’s re-election hopes.
And they’re clearly embarrassed by the fact that he’s scheduled to give his big convention speech at Charlotte, N.C.’s Bank of America Stadium.
That, obviously, is a bit discordant with the Democrats’ Occupy Wall Street rhetoric and anti-corporate jihad.
So the Democratic host committee has quietly begun referring to the venue as “Panthers Stadium” — after the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, who play there.
The most recent instance, as reported by Politico, was an e-mail from top Democratic strategist Donna Brazile soliciting entries for a convention trip, which will culminate “Thursday night at Panthers Stadium.”
But it’s not called Panthers Stadium — and never has been.
And, despite the DNC’s claim to the contrary, it isn’t called that colloquially, either.
Known as Carolinas Stadium in its planning stages, the arena was first called Ericsson Stadium after the Swedish telecom company LF Ericsson bought naming rights.
When that deal expired, Bank of America moved in.
Around the Charlotte area, it reportedly is referred to casually as the BOA, the BOFA, The Bank and The Vault.
But not Panthers Stadium.
True, the DNC has used the real name before, and it still appears in some spots on the convention Web site.
Yet it’s pretty obvious which moniker Team Obama prefers.
But pretending it’s so doesn’t make it so.
As Obama surely has learned by now — with the economy.