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20 Words and Phrases I Hope I Never Hear Again in Politics
1. knee-capping
2. throwing under the bus
3. enhanced interrogation
4. close the deal
5. firewall state
6. big states
7. latte sipper
8. anything-gate
9. elitist
10. Reagan Democrats
11. empty suit
12. anything czar (especially poverty czar)
13. crypto-Muslim
14. grown-up
15. metric
16. cackle
17. red-phone moment
18. race card
19. kool-aid
20. denounce and reject
Plus, a bonus that we haven't heard much yet but undoubtedly will:
21. Manchurian candidate
What else should go on the list? I think "gotcha" probably deserves a spot too.
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Comments (72)
Oh, and "distractions" and "electability." No part of the English language is safe!
May 2, 2008 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, electability and "working class whites," and "white ethnic voters," and "race card, and "race baiting."
May 3, 2008 4:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about "Gotalife"?
Sorry man, couldn't resist.
May 2, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great list. Especially "under the bus" and czar.
However, I plan to retain my status as a proud latte-sipping elitist, so I'll keep those.
May 2, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, ditto to all, but especially "throwing under the bus," "close the deal," and "denounce and reject."
Silly season indeed. By the way, how long does silly season run? Is it almost over yet?
May 2, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
ditto
silly season :)
May 3, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm glad that people have at least calmed down on the "kool-aid references. "Close the deal" is definitely getting worn out.
May 2, 2008 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Flag pin, patriotism, and anything-cult can all go away.
However, I too would like to keep the latte-sipping label.
May 2, 2008 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
"white working-class voters" that comes with the insinuation that they can't bring themselves to vote for a black man.
Also - "Economic Stimulus"
May 2, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Most definitely... A. it is used by a bunch of rich assholes who have no idea what they're talking about, who B. insult the intelligence of people who are actually white and working-class, and C. they always exclude African Americans from the concept of "working class"
May 2, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Amen. Anyone that waits for a paycheck to make a mortgage payment or can't write a check (without the need for loans) for college tuition is 'working-class' in my opinion - no matter what tax bracket they are in.
May 2, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I'd like to add the description of those few "white working-class voters" who actually can't bring themselves to vote for a black man as the "Democratic base."
If any so-called Democrat will vote for McCain in order to make sure the President is white, they're not part of the "Democratic base". They're part of the racist base.
May 2, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hear hear! Well said.
May 2, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Republican playbook."
Seriously, the man is starting to grate my nerves with that.
May 2, 2008 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good one! That phrase has really been played out too... Clinton has used it a couple of times, but I do think Obama has overdone it the most
May 2, 2008 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ready on Day One
Experience vs Change
Karl Rove
May 2, 2008 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rovian
May 2, 2008 6:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, I so agree with the "...on day one" phrase. A woman said it in a commercial that ran while I was watching the news the other day and I actually cringed.
But I have to agree that lately, "throw under the bus" is the worst and most often repeated. It seemed to come out of nowhere, too.
I'll be so relieved once all this is over.
May 3, 2008 8:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Super Delegates
"It's the economy, stupid"
Judas
May 2, 2008 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I very nearly put "Judas" on the list...
May 3, 2008 12:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
In light of what passed in Indiana, VOTER FRAUD!
I heard that 13% of minority communities dont have a drivers license. With it now being ok to dissenfranchise those people per the supreme court, other states will follow! Hey Democrats, this is part of your base and is a real problem, you better work on it!
May 2, 2008 7:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
We now officially have a driverocracy.
May 3, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, dudes, I've got to speak up for the -gate suffix.
It's useful shorthand, and it's too short to count as a hackneyed metaphor. It's a suffix, not a metaphor.
May 2, 2008 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait, what happened to "bitter"?
May 2, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
throw the kitchen sink. How many times did we hear that phrase OVER and OVER from the media during the long six weeks before Pennsylvania.
May 2, 2008 8:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
kitchen sink is a phrase that was worn out before it even got used
May 2, 2008 9:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
BUYERS REMORSE...
apparently our democracy is equivalent to buying an iphone.
May 2, 2008 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
how 'bout 'limuosine liberals'
May 2, 2008 10:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
how else to get to a closed-door, san francisco fundraiser?
May 2, 2008 10:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed, especially vis-a-vis "Reagan Democrats".... these folks are not Democrats, they are and have been GOPers for 30 years... these are the same folks that HRC calls blue collar workers.... they are a diminishing segment of the electorate (they're all over 45 and are dying at a fairly quick rate)... a more accurate description for the folks are the last remaining bigot (anti-women, anti-non-white, anti-gay, etc) voters. Has not anyone noticed that HRC's union support comes from unions dominated by white men?
May 2, 2008 11:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
but white men=working class, Mr. Merlot! nobody cares what any working person thinks unless they are white and, thus, "working class." My family are classic Reagan Democrats... my grandparents voted for Kennedy in 1960 and Nixon in 1968... they went Silent Majority... they were in unions and had an affinity for social justice and such, but still voted for Reagan and Bush because of Willie Horton and crack and "welfare queen" and so on. Most of these so-called Reagan Democrats are actually Republicans, just as you suggest; they've been Republicans for a while and don't see any reason to change, certainly not for some black guy running for President. On the other hand, my mom and stepdad (both factory workers, both Reagan voters) have gotten into Obama because they've been so disgusted with Bush's misdeeds, and they can't bring themselves to support Hillary because of their hatred for Bill...
May 3, 2008 12:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
akbarjenkins: thank you for your post... from what I have been observing, there are not a few, like your parents, who are moving to Obama. Your post alludes to the realignment which occurred from 1964 to 1980 with the GOP's so-called Southern Strategy. The research literature shows time-and-time again how race is a factor in one's perceptions of justice and equality. In the most simplistic terms, many white folk have no problem with social programs for poor white folk; however, they often go ballistic when the programs provide assistance to black folk--think, "Welfare Queen" and Willie Horton.
A sociologist friend, now 85 and still at the top of his game, testified in the trial phase of Brown v Bd of Education, that desegregation based merely on race would not be enough... he argued that lower, lower-middle class whites also suffered discrimination. It is those disaffected lower, lower-middle class white folk who jumped to the GOP, the so-called Reagan Democrats.
Unfortunately for HRC, the Billary plan has never offered anything to these folks and yet, Billary has deluded themselves into thinking they can reclaim them into the Democratic fold. Numerically, they are a small minority and hence, Billary has never seen much need for them until now, now that HRC is fighting for her political life. HRC's so-called blue-collar strategy is nothing more, nor less, a new version of the GOP's Southern Strategy.
Note: the unions which are backing HRC are dominated by white men. The unions which are backing Obama are more diverse by age, race, ethnicity, and gender.
May 3, 2008 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Have you read Ira Katznelson's "When Affirmative Action Was White"? It covers a lot of material you probably already know, about all the benefits and programs made available to the white working class in the 30s, 40s and 50s, and how that was all good as gravy before the effort was made to expand social welfare to excluded minorities in the 60s. I find it very intriguing that Obama, as in his recent speech in Raleigh, heavily focuses on that generation and the programs that benefited white Americans (like FHA). It's like he's trying very carefully to connect the story about the government's good works for "regular people," i.e. whites, to the present day and a set of policies that embrace everyone. Sort of skipping over the nasty interval of the welfare queen. Because of his parentage and background, perhaps he is uniquely positioned to make this maneuver.
Maybe we can call Clinton's Southern Strategy the "Appalachian strategy"?
My parents are in the UAW in NC. It's a pretty diverse union down there, but I guess it might not be elsewhere. I have not heard whether they have endorsed anybody, whether statewide or nationally. Do you know the story?
Anyway, thanks for your insightful comments!
May 3, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
"former pastor"
May 3, 2008 12:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about `my friend/s'. Really wish McCain would stop calling everyone his friend!
May 3, 2008 1:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Blue/Red State,Spiritual Advisor/Mentor,Family Values,Street Money,Quid Pro Quo,Smart Money,Fighter,Joe Sixpack/Lunchbox,Late Deciders,Third Way,Senator Clinton. Full disclosure;I've used some of these in the past but I'm hoping I won't have to again.
May 3, 2008 2:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Spiritual advisor" is one of the worst of all time. What is this? Czarist Russia?
May 3, 2008 5:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
vetted?
May 3, 2008 2:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lunchpail Democrats. I hate that. And arugula. And Dunkin' Donuts. But the -gate thing? That always works for me.
May 3, 2008 4:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ugh, yeah... I feel like it's 1968/1972 all over again sometimes with this lunchpail stuff. "Hard hats," anybody?
The arugula/"Whole Foods candidate" thing is pretty annoying too. I remember when Dean somehow became synonymous with "granola" a few years ago.
May 3, 2008 5:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I prefer the term "lunch bucket Democrat". Something about the word bucket, it's nice to have it handy when I throw up.
May 3, 2008 5:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
the proles take their lunch to work in buckets, right? george will says so, it must be true
May 3, 2008 6:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
22. bona fides
23. gravitas
24. "Best Political Team ...(fill in the rest)"
25. culturally conservative
26. Older White Women (especially the one running)
unfortunately I am a huge fan of arugula... totally busted there, in fact I have been getting angry at people attacking arugula. It is a much recently maligned vegetable, and everyone knows it costs much less than Belgian Endive!
May 3, 2008 4:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I want to slit my wrist every time Blitzer inserts the "best political team" slogan into every other sentence. I was trying to think of one term that summed up the way the media stereotypically characterize Hillary Clinton's supporters, and I couldn't quite hit on one word or phrase that came up all the time. "Older white women" will do the trick.
May 3, 2008 5:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
gavitas! How'd I miss that one! The absolute worst.
May 3, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Street cred.
May 3, 2008 5:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant! In fact, all sports analogies, metaphors, similes (and those other things) demean the process. Acceptable references are to the Clinton campaign and wrestlemania. Yes, I know WWE wrestling is fake but the acting is great! See gasoline controversy. Pure WWE!
May 3, 2008 9:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
No kidding! I'm so tired of hearing about split decisions, the bottom of the ninth, one team scoring a lot of points in the first quarter and then playing defense for the rest of the game, and so on. I think Raymond Williams was totally right when he said that sports matches should be presented without commentators interpreting what's happening in the game. I wish we had that for elections too. Then again, I guess that's called C-Span!
May 3, 2008 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
it raises questions
May 3, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
it deserves greater exploration
May 3, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Islamofacist.
May 3, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
In my opinion "throw under the bus" is the worst of these to become popular this year, but I'm also becoming hyper-aware of "go forward". What phrase did folks used to use with the same meaning?
May 3, 2008 10:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton's use of "real Americans" every other sentence.
May 3, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know, as opposed to what, illegal immigrants?
May 3, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about "Dog Whistle"? And one of my favorites: "Barry" in quotations marks of course. Since when has the name "Barry" become an expletive or code for what exactly?
May 3, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know, right? They use the word "Barry" on pro-Clinton blogs like it is the worst playground putdown. I would say something about white people historically referring to black people with patronizing nicknames as a way of disrespecting, but I won't.
May 3, 2008 11:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL. Playground putdown. Something like this:
"Barry's" a fairy"
No one's gonna marry
Ashes to ashes we all fall down.
In terms of the patronizing racial language, I think you're onto something because it reminds me of "Boy" but maybe that's just how my warped mind works. Hope my html works.
May 3, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Vetted, Commander-in-Chief test, "media and objective" in the same sentence.
May 3, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
What I never want to hear again is the extra little whistle that Bush adds at the end of 'extremistssssstss' and "terroristssssstsss". I know he does that to mock us.
May 3, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
"I invented the internet."
May 3, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
"I'm a fighter. " Rocky Balboa". "Pansy".
May 3, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Testicular fortitude!
May 3, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
To be honest, I actually like "knee-capping/capper."
Anyway, I'd like to add:
"obliterate Iran"
"just words"
"now turning to Joe Scarborough for his take on..."
and, although I'm entirely prObama and think it's true, I do wish he'd ease up on the line "same old Washington politics." That string of words--not the message--is getting a little trite.
May 3, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
yeah, he needs to freshen it up for sure. same old slogan about the same old Washington politics.
as ugly a word as "kneecapping" is, I can't think of any better way to describe what Wright did to Obama this week. this is undoubtedly the Tonya Harding election; I can almost hear Hillary Clinton say, "can I start over? if we redid it, I would win now!"
May 3, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's just such a thuggish swagger to "knee-capping," like it belongs in the official handbook for mafioso warehouse interrogation. I mean, there is no better way to describe someone like Howard Wolfson.
May 3, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know why, but Rat Fink comes to mind
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Fink
see the resemblance?
May 3, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I’ll swear off:
whine/whining/whiners
(he/she is) toast
troll (all 57 varieties)
delusional
outlier
toxic
post- (politcs, racial, etc.)
-card (race, gender, etc.)
change and/or experience
May 3, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Take my marbles/ball and go home
Echo chamber
Echo chamber
Jump the shark
Wonkiness
Shrill
Baggage
Low-information (read ignorant) voters
Double-digit win (making a 9.5% win meaningless)
Text abbreviations are entrenched, but do we have to use BFF as a metaphor?
May 3, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
term we might not ever hear again after novemember:
exit strategy
May 3, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Talking the talk, as opposed to walking the walk
"Significant states"
Superdelegates
the Bush/Clinton era
"beating expectations" (this phrase acceptable in the first 5 or 10 contests, but should be retired as soon as we get down to a two-person race)
Super Tuesday (big states like CA, NY, and IL should wait until later in the process. States that go in the second half should have the option of being winner-take-all)
May 3, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wall Street v. Main Street
May 3, 2008 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
the worst!
May 3, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
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