Political language...is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. ~~ George Orwell
Welcome to the first installment of The Mad Lexiphile. It is my intent to explore words here; their origins, evolution, usage. Words are fascinating. They are alive; they are born, they change and, sometimes, they die. They are our principal tool for communicating with one another. There are millions of words yet only an estimated 171,476 words are in common current use. As a lexiphile, I enjoy discovering new words, using them and learning about their origins. Why yes, I do read dictionaries for fun... don't you?
Since this is a political site, I thought it apropos, for the first installment, to look at political language.
First, what does politics mean? The word is late Middle English (1375–1425) from the Greek, polītikós, which means "civic." The first definition given for "politics" is: 1. the science or art of political government. So, we are scientists and/or artists here on Daily Kos, as we discuss and dissect the political realm. Or we are at least critics and supporters of said science/art. I don't know about you but that makes me feel a little more professional.
Let's begin by examining the two parties (yes, I know there are more but I'm trying not to go six pages)...
The Democratic party was founded in 1828 when it split from Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party. In 1798, various factions of anti-Federalists had come together under the name Democratic-Republican Party. Jefferson and James Madison both served as President during the "Era of Good Feeling" as Dem-Reps. The election of John Quincy Adams (in 1824) was very contentious and caused a split in the Party. Coming out of this, Andrew Jackson led the Democratic Party to its first victory and the Jacksonians created the national convention process and the party platform. Through this, the Democratic National Committee, or Convention as it was first known, came into being in 1844. The modern Democratic Party advocates social and economic equality and government efforts, through tax-supported programs, at achieving this equality. Democrats favor liberal or progressive positions. True to the origin of the word, Democrats support the ideal that power is vested in and exercised directly by the people or by their representatives, who are elected under a free electoral system.
The donkey is the symbol of the Democratic Party. Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist, first used the donkey in an 1870 editorial cartoon to represent the anti-war faction (which he disagreed with). Nast continued to use it to portray Democratic press and reporters and it became the ad hoc symbol of the party. The rooster briefly filled that role but the donkey proved much more popular.
The Original Nast donkey cartoon
A Blue Dog Democrat refers to a group of 44 moderate-to-conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives who believed their opinions were "choked blue" by their party in the years preceding the 1994 congressional election. Former Texas Democratic Rep. Pete Geren is credited for coining the term Blue Dog Democrat. In 1995 Democrats who held this view joined together to form the Blue Dog Coalition. Freshman Blue Dogs in the House are sometimes nicknamed Blue Pups.
Then there are the Yellow Dog Democrats. The term was born during the 1928 elections when the Democratic Governor of New York, Al Smith, ran against Herbert Hoover for President. During that campaign, Senator Tom Heflin of Alabama declined to back Smith, his fellow Democrat. Even worse, Senator Heflin decided to back Herbert Hoover, a Republican. Heflin's actions were considered heresy, especially in the South. They vehemently disagreed with Heflin's decision to cross party lines. Hence, the saying, "I'd vote for a yellow dog if he ran on the Democratic ticket" was born. It was adopted as the proud slogan of many staunch party loyalists.
The Reagan Democrats are defined as traditionally Democratic voters who were drawn to Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s for his social conservatism and fiscal responsibility. The GOP has been trying to court them in every election since, with mixed results.
Ah... the GOP. The "loyal opposition." What of them...?
The Republican party was formed in the early 1850s by anti-slavery activists. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president, elected in 1860. It is considered to be the more "conservative" political party on both social and fiscal issues, with ties to evangelical Christians and big business. They generally favor (so they say) economic liberty, free markets, private property and lower taxes, encourage personal responsibility, desire limited Government and privatization of business. A Republic is a government in which power is with the citizens entitled to vote (interesting point, that) and is exercised by their elected representatives.
The nickname GOP dates back to 1888, when the Republicans won back the Presidency and Congress for the first time since the Grant administration. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed: "Let us be thankful that under the rule of the Grand Old Party ... these United States will resume the onward and upward march which the election of Grover Cleveland in 1884 partially arrested." The acronym may have been influenced by the term "grand old man" or GOM, in reference to Britain's Prime Minister William E. Gladstone in 1882. During the 1964 presidential campaign, "Go-Party" was used briefly. In the '70s Republican leaders took to referring to the "grand old party" once again. Referring to the GOP as the "Grand OLD Party" is a bit disingenuous, as the Democratic Party is actually the older of the two parties.
The elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party. We have Thomas Nast, once again, to thank for this. Though he wasn't the first to use the elephant in connection with the GOP - some of Lincoln’s campaign materials had a picture of an elephant - he certainly popularized it. Before he did, the eagle had been used as the symbol of the Republican Party. But Nast's use of the elephant was so skillful, that it replaced the national bird (that wasn't fair anyway; the eagle represents the whole country!).
The original cartoon of the Republican elephant
Every four years, the Partys hold their national Conventions, where their Presidential nominees are chosen. "Convention" is from the late Middle English (1375–1425) convencio(u)n meaning "a coming together." The dictionary defines it as "a representative party assembly to nominate candidates and adopt platforms and party rules."
The Platform is a statement of a party’s principles and goals. The word "platform" is from Middle French, plate-forme, literally, "flat form." The political meaning - "statement of party policies" - is from 1803, probably originally an image of a literal platform on which politicians gathered, stood, and made their appeals. The Platform is made up of Planks. The word 'plank' was a natural derivative of the "platform" as we all know that any platform is made up of individual pieces. It was first used thus in the 1848 'Bigelow Papers': "They kin' o' slipt the planks frum out th' old platform one by one/An' made it gradooally noo, 'fore folks know'd wut wuz done."
Moving on to various other interesting political terms we use...
Stump - As a noun, this means to campaign, as a verb, to make a speech, often outdoors. According to William Safire's Political Dictionary, "to achieve a dominating posture, a frontier speechmaker would use a convenient tree stump as a platform." The first reference was in 1716 in The Memoirs Of A Hugenot Family. A visit to a local Native American village is described, with the author asking a Native about a stump in the center of the village. She was told that it was for Elders to stand upon, so that being raised above the crowd, they might be heard better. By 1838 it was part of American political vocabulary.
Caucus - A caucus is a meeting in which agendas and policy are set and/or to select candidates for office. It also can be used as a verb meaning to meet in a caucus. The etymology of this word is uncertain. The most likely one is that it comes from an Algonquin word, caucasasu, meaning "an adviser." The first recorded use of the term is from John Adams’s diary in a 1763 reference to The Caucus Club, a Boston organization that was involved with the Boston Tea Party. Another possibility is a medieval Latin word, caucus, meaning "a tankard or drinking cup," and may refer to some of the activities of the club.
Grassroots - Meaning to look at the "underlying principles or basic facts of a matter," it became the preferred term for the kind of from-the-bottom-up organization used in the 2008 election. Grass roots lobbying takes the form of letters, phone calls, and door-belling. The term dates back to the late 1800s gold rush in the Black Hills of South Dakota, referring to gold being in the actual roots of grass. It was grasped by politicians around 1901 to present themselves as having support from the grass roots; their constituents, i.e. ordinary people. In the 1990s, fake grass roots movements and organizations were labeled by their opponents as Astro Turf.
Straw Poll - An informal survey of a small group to determine opinion. "A slight fact considered as an indication; as, the dress of a man is a poor straw as to his politics" (Webster's unabridged dictionary, 1934). Why straw? One reasoning is that a straw is something small and unimportant. But it could also be a reference to "a straw in the wind" - from the practice of using a straw as an indicator of wind direction. The term is traced to the Cleveland Leader in 1866, with indications that it had been used long before, according to Safire's Political Dictionary.
Pork Barrel - These are government projects or appropriations yielding rich patronage benefits to the Congress Critters who secure them. This entry explains it better than I can:
You might expect that the original pork barrels were barrels for storing pork -- and you're right. In the early 19th century, that's exactly what "pork barrel" meant. But the term was also used figuratively to mean "a supply of money" or "one's livelihood" (a farmer, after all, could readily turn pork into cash). When 20th-century legislators doled out appropriations that benefited their home districts, someone apparently made an association between the profit a farmer got from a barrel of pork and the benefits derived from certain state and federal projects. By 1909, "pork barrel" was being used as a noun naming such government appropriations, and today the term is often used attributively in constructions such as "pork barrel politics" or "pork barrel project."
~~~ From "Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day" (Jan 9, 2001)
Slush Fund - A slush fund is a fund of money that is separate and secret from other funds. The original meaning also had to do with pork barrels. On board 19th century sailing ships, salt pork was a staple food. When a barrel was polished off, the grease at the bottom (the slush) was saved and sold to candlemakers when the ship reached port. This created a small fund with which the crew could buy little luxuries. In 1866, Congress applied the term to a contingency fund that had been set up in their operating budget.
Lame Duck - This term for an outgoing President or other elected official comes to us from Great Britain. The original usage was in reference to the London Stock Market and referred to investors who were unable to pay their debts. The first time it was used to talk about U.S. politicians was in 1863 in The Congressional Globe. The first President to be called a lame duck was Calvin Coolidge. The Wisconsin newspaper, the Appleton Post-Crescent ran a piece in May 1926, stating:
"... the voting in other Republican states should hinge pretty largely on the issue whether Mr. Coolidge shall be permitted to become a lame duck president for the final two years of his term."
Flip-Flop - A candidate's or politician's appearance of wavering on a particular issue. The earliest unequivocal mention of "flip-flop" as a change in someone's opinion, was in an October 23, 1890, campaign speech in New York City given by John W. Goff, candidate for district attorney. He said of one of his opponents: "I would like to hear Mr. Nicoll explain his great flip-flop..." It saw varied use in campaigns afterward, notably in 1964 and 1976. But it really got a work out in 2004, when it was (over?)used by critics as a catch-phrase attack on John Kerry. The term "U-turn" is analogous in the UK. Flip-flop has a long history as a synonym for "somersault" according to Safire. It may be onomatopoetic, which is to say the words came from the sound "flip flap." If you've ever walked in a pair, you understand.
Filibuster - A Senatorial tactic used to delay voting on a particular bill or issue. In the late 19th century filibustering became an art form. Senators were not required to speak solely about the topic at hand, so many would improvise. Reputedly, the Senate endured the reading of recipes, textbooks, poetry and any manner of other reading material. Of course, a majority of three-fifths of the Senate (60 Senators, if all 100 seats are filled) can bring the debate to a close by invoking cloture (since 1917, anyway). Since the adoption of Senate Rule 22, the actual speechifying is no longer required - the mere threat is enough to indicate a filibuster in action. The word itself is derived from the Spanish filibustero, literally, "freebooter." Earlier in use as a term for pirates, it was applied to American adventurers who spent a lot of time trying to overthrown Central American governments. It was transferred to the Senate with the idea of pirating or hijacking debate. It was used first in the Senate in 1841 by Democrats seeking to kill a banking bill.
Gerrymander - The altering of electoral districts, in order to provide one party an electoral advantage over another. It is a combination of "Gerry" and "salamander." In 1812, then Governor of Massachusetts Elbridge Gerry allowed redistricting to put the Jeffersonian Democrats at a disadvantage. One Essex County district resembled a salamander in shape, and a newspaper editor from the Boston Gazette dubbed it Gerrymander.
From 1812; this political cartoon illustrates the electoral districts as drawn by the MA legislature
---------------------------------------------------------------------
We have barely scratched the surface. There are many more colorful and fascinating political words and phrases. But I do have to stop somewhere. But this means you can pick up where I left off. What are your favorite political words? Tell us about them if you can.