"Republican Hypocrite" is a pleonasm. Like "free gift," or "tuna fish," or "painful groin injury." For those who may not be familier with the word "pleonasm," ..
ple·o·nasm (plee-uh-naz-uhm) –noun
- the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; redundancy.
- an instance of this, as free gift or true fact.
- a redundant word or expression.
Most people have a grasp of what hypocrite means, but for the record:
hypocrite (hip-uh-krit) –noun
- a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
- a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
So it seems to me that "Republican Hypocrite" is a pleonasm.
I am not alone in my opinion. Digby has proposed that we add a new word for the lexicon: typocrite:
typocrite ('tip-uh-krit noun): A typical Republican hypocrite.
1 : a typical Republican who fakes good by putting on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a typical Republican who fakes good but acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
3 : a typical Republican whose need for self-gratificaton extends to the public sphere
Earlier this month, Newt Gingrich admitted to having an affair while he was the front man for the Republican effort to impeach Bill Clinton. But Newt said he should not be viewed as a hypocrite; he was after Bill Clinton because he lied, not because of infidelity. I can't find the exact quote, but apparently he didn't say he wasn't a hypocrite, just that he should not be "viewed" as a hypocrite. This example is just too easy.
Google "Republican Hypocrite" and you will get tons of hits. One of the more notable examples:
A quote from Mr. "Rule of Law" himself, Henry Hyde:
... To permit the chief executive enforcing those laws to cast them aside as he pleases would, in effect, sanction such actions. To do nothing would be to place a stamp of approval on illicit conduct and transfer power to the executive branch, thus upsetting the system of checks and balances devised by the Framers. It would cheapen the law, which, in turn, would cheapen the work by this House...
Of course he was talking about Bill Clinton's trysts with Monica. As we have since learned, Fred Snodgrass said that "Hyde carried on a five-year sexual relationship with his then-wife, Cherie, that shattered his family." Hyde said:
"The statute of limitations has long since passed on my youthful indiscretions ... I intend to fulfill my constitutional duty and deal judiciously with the serious felony allegations presented to Congress in the Starr report."
Yeah ... right. The Starr Report - that six year, $60 million Republican venture to find out why Bill Clinton lost money on a real estate deal. The "soft-porn" tome produced by hizhonor, Salacious Starr; the one with "serious felony allegations" sandwiched between the sordid details of cigars and a blue dress.
Rather than catalog selected instances of Republican Hypocrisy, I refer the reader to the BuzzFlash gophypocrites website.
I reiterate my supposition: Republican Hypocrite = Pleonasm. I suggest that in the future we refer to the "Party of Bush" as the "Hypocrite Party."