But is it "political signifying" you are after, Fay?
"Signifying" in the modern American sense is more a trading of insults - in highly colourful and creative language. It involves competition without any real malice. Seems to me that's more like the French/English insult-swapping seen in Monty Python's "Quest for the Holy Grail". (Except that there may be malice implied in this case)
Cheers, Joy