A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from September 20, 2012
El Presidente (banana republic dictator)

“El Presidente is Spanish for “the president.” The term often describes a dictator of a banana republic. The Woody Allen comedy film Bananas (1971) made references to ‘El Presidente” of such a banana republic.
 
‘El Presidente” has infrequently been applied to the president of the United States or an American institution, implying that the president (such as George W. Bush or Barack Obama) has acted like a dictator of a banana republic. The computer game Tropico (2001+) assigns a player to be “El Presidente” of a banana republic.
 
A similar derogatory expression for a chief executive is ‘Dear Leader.”
   
 
Wikipedia: El Presidente
El Presidente is Spanish for “The President”.
 
Wikipedia: Tropico
Tropico is a series of construction and management simulation computer games developed by PopTop Software and published by Gathering of Developers in April 2001. The games see the player taking the role of “El Presidente,” the ruler of an island in the Caribbean during the Cold War era from the 1950s onward.
 
The game is tongue-in-cheek in its presentation of banana republics, using a great deal of humor while still referencing such topics as totalitarianism, electoral fraud, and the interventions of powerful companies (United Fruit is implied) and the Cold War superpowers (the United States and Soviet Union).
   
Google Books
Deconstruction Acres
By Tim W. Brown
Gualala, CA : III Pub.
1997
Pg. 143:
...—all these lead me to believe that Flaghorn is trying to govern Jasper College as if it were a banana republic. Maybe the board of trustees should consider changing his title from “president” to “el presidente.”
 
27 November 1998, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA), “Foster playing the name game”:
In Gov. Foster’s case, the name “dictator” now seems to come to mind. Don’t disagree with “El Presidente” in his banana republic.
 
Google Books
The New & Improved Republican:
Look Out, Washington! - the GOP Is Coming Back with a Vengeance!

By Jay Johnson
Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse
2009
Pg. 154:
Before long, it’s (U.S. currency—ed.) going to be worth no more than some Third World currency in a banana republic. Absolutely worthless.
 
The United States of America is changing for the worse, just like Barack Obama reminded us of before he was elected El Presidente.
 
Xbox Freedom
Play Tropico 3 and Be El Presidente of Your Own Banana Republic!
December 24th, 2009 . By Chase
(...)
You could play as El Presidente and give populist speeches, intimidate rivals, and enjoy a relaxed Caribbean and tropical lifestyle. It is your choice, whether you want to turn your island into a tropical island, vacation paradise, prosperous industrial nation or prison for the masses. It comes with 15 unique and challenging missions which allow you to explore gorgeous and 3D worlds in the banana republic.
   
Lorinov’s Blog
July 24, 2012
Obama Comments Much in Character with Banana Rep Dictator
(...)
So let me end with the old Banana Republic motto…
VIVA EL PREIDENTE!!
   
Lorinov’s Blog
August 1, 2012
WE HAVE ARRIVED!! America is now officially a BANANA REPUBLIC!!
(...)
Ah…….EL REPUBLICA BANANERA UNIDOS ESTADOS! Glorious no? And we have our great leader and national father EL PRESIDENTE Barack Obamez (hey he’s got to have a banana republic last name doesn’t he?). Un–FRICKIN–believable!!
 
The Right Scoop
Obama’s war on coal causes more coal mines to be shut down, more job losses
Posted by The Right Scoop on September 19th, 2012
(...)
COMMENTS
Chris 09/19/2012 07:09 PM in reply to GRITSMama
(...)
El Presidente did say that he intends to greatly curtail the coal industry in this country and that electricity prices would “necessarily skyrocket”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
Hey, but El Presidente is a “nice guy”. He’s representing every American, not just his lunatic fringe base and other Obamatons who will vote for him no matter what. Ask David Letterman. He’ll tell you how President O’Kardashian is representing every American. The demise of the coal industry shows how much Prez O cares about hard working Americans and the condition of the country’s economy.

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityGovernment/Law/Military/Religion /Health • Thursday, September 20, 2012 • Permalink


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