This is a short diary, but it has to be said.
I'm sick and tired of the word "real" in Democratic rhetoric.
"Real" reform. "Real" issues.
I don't like it. It's whiny and weak and petulant.
To say "real" reform, for example, means that you've already lost. You've admitted defeat-- that the other guys have defined what "reform" means and they're lying-- and all you are offering in reponse is a petulant whine about having been denied the "real" debate. You are conceding that the pundits and corporate media has been captured by the right-wing talking points machine, and that your audience is now mistaken about what "real" is. It also insults the audience too. Or is "real" a dig at the corporate talking heads or Repugs? Just ignore them.
Don't do it. Don't let them claim the hill. YOU claim the hill. Because you're actually in tune with that the people think. What's on the TV is fake. What's going on in people's kitchens, job sites, schools, and homes is real. You don't need to underscore it, or get snide about how the media distorts it and makes it "unreal". Nobody believes those fuckers anymore anyway anymore (look at the polls, will ya!). Why add an unnecessary modifier like "real"?
Putting "real" makes your statement weaker. It's much stronger without it.
Not "the real issues facing America", but "the issues facing America". Plain and simple: these are the issues. You get to say that, because you are right. Since you are actually talking about issues (and not bullshit like Dick Cheney and Newt Gingrich), your characterization stands on its own. It resonates with people, because it's factual.
Not "real reform", but "reform"! Nothing other than what you are proposing (single payer health care, closing of Guantanamo, publicly-financed elections, etc.) is "reform". Everything else is bullshit.
Omitting the "real" can make digs a lot sharper too. It can dismiss everything they're saying. "Gingrich (or whichever clown you're countering) has been talking about blah blah blah, but Americans want reform". Just omit the "real" and try it on for size. In a debate, you might even cause their heads to explode-- and thus lure them into defending their talking points: "What do you mean that corporate control of health care isn't reform!" Ha ha ha mofo. Good.
OK that's all. Personal pet peeve, and I'm sure there will be disagreement, but I had to say it. Please, if it's really REAL, you don't have to say that it is! It's stronger if you just presume it, and march forward confidently from there.