Political Jargon, Slang and Phrases (4 Viewers)

samiam5211 said:

Today's word is: Unic

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That's an urban slang spelling for "eunuch" and it does qualify as political jargon, at least according to Mirriam - Webster.

Example: "Having voted against his own party's interests, the congressman took his place among the other political eunuchs in a hallway full of tiny offices, working on obscure committee rule revisions that no one would ever read."

eunuch
noun
eu·nuch | \ ˈyü-nək , -nik \
Definition of eunuch

1: a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace
2: a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals
3: one that lacks virility or power political eunuchs

Middle English eunuk, from Latin eunuchus, from Greek eunouchos, from eunē bed + echein to have, have charge of —

Definition of EUNUCH

a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace; a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals; one that lacks virility or power… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

A good example of an event that became political jargon, today's word/phrase originated from the the death of 900 followers of Rev. Jim Jones who drank poisoned grape Kool-Aid at Jones' direction in a mass suicide in Guyana in 1978.

Example: "The Kool-Aid-drinkers actually believe there's such a thing as clean coal."

Kool-Aid-drinker
noun

Kool-Aid-drinker: Derogatory term for an individual who votes for a candidate or a party against their common sense.

ALSO

Drinking the Kool-Aid is an expression used to refer to a person who believes in a possibly doomed or dangerous idea because of perceived potential high rewards. The phrase often carries a negative connotation. It can also be used ironically or humorously to refer to accepting an idea or changing a preference due to popularity, peer pressure, or persuasion. In recent years it has evolved further to mean extreme dedication to a cause or purpose, so extreme that one would "Drink the Kool-Aid" and die for the cause.

Recently added to Mirriam-Webster, today's term is a modern expression of an older term that's been around for over 200 years.

Example:
If you want to cast him as just a nativist, his slogan "Make America Great Again" can be read as a dog-whistle to some whiter and more Anglo-Saxon past.
—Ross Douthat, The New York Times, 10 August 2015

What's the Political Meaning of 'Dog Whistle'?
A message only some can hear

Update: This word was added in April 2017.

Figuratively, a 'dog whistle' is a coded message communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by others.

Yet there's another dog whistle we've been hearing about lately: a coded message communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by others.

Given that the term dog whistle has been around for over 200 years, it seems odd that it only developed a figurative sense recently. After all, it’s the perfect word to use to describe something that some people can hear, but others cannot. Yet it is only within the past 20 years or so that it has seen this figurative sense take hold. And it is primarily used to describe political speech.

Dadsdream said:

Recently added to Mirriam-Webster, today's term is a modern expression of an older term that's been around for over 200 years.

Example:
If you want to cast him as just a nativist, his slogan "Make America Great Again" can be read as a dog-whistle to some whiter and more Anglo-Saxon past.
—Ross Douthat, The New York Times, 10 August 2015

What's the Political Meaning of 'Dog Whistle'?
A message only some can hear

Update: This word was added in April 2017.

Figuratively, a 'dog whistle' is a coded message communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by others.

Yet there's another dog whistle we've been hearing about lately: a coded message communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by others.

Given that the term dog whistle has been around for over 200 years, it seems odd that it only developed a figurative sense recently. After all, it’s the perfect word to use to describe something that some people can hear, but others cannot. Yet it is only within the past 20 years or so that it has seen this figurative sense take hold. And it is primarily used to describe political speech.

What's the Political Meaning of 'Dog Whistle'?

A message only some can hear

www.merriam-webster.com

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Trump did not use dog whistles
He straight up ‘said’ I hate Mexicans and you should too
And when he did, he went from 5th in the polls to first
After that, there was no group he couldn’t publicly ‘other’

GMRfellowtraveller said:

Trump did not use dog whistles
He straight up ‘said’ I hate Mexicans and you should too

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Where did he ever say that???

Joe Okc said:

Where did he ever say that???

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- I post the evidence
- you post a mild retort that completely misses the point
- 3 other posters post way more evidence
- you disappear from the post

is there a point?

GMRfellowtraveller said:

- I post the evidence
- you post a mild retort that completely misses the point
- 3 other posters post way more evidence
- you disappear from the post

is there a point?

Click to expand...

What evidence? If Trump said that he hated Mexicans it would be all over the news... Again, this is just more of the made up Trump Hate Narrative.

You Democratic voters really need to worry about getting a decent Candidate because your Trump Sucks Platform doesn't really seem to be taking off.

Today's word comes from the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

Example: That has led many Israelis to view them as a fifth column and a security threat.—
Joseph Krauss, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Israel’s Arabs poised to gain new voice after tight election," 18 Sep. 2019

fifth column
noun


Definition of fifth column

: a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders

Fifth column, a translation of the Spanish quinta columna, was inspired by a boast by rebel general Emilio Mola during the Spanish Civil War. Mola predicted Madrid would fall as four columns of rebel troops approaching the city were joined by another hidden column of sympathizers within it. In an October 1936 article in The New York Times, William Carney described those secret rebel supporters as the "fifth column," and English speakers seized upon the term. It gained widespread popularity after Ernest Hemingway used it in the title of a 1938 book, and it was often applied (along with derivative forms such as "fifth columnism" and "fifth columnist") to Nazi supporters within foreign nations during World War II.

Definition of FIFTH COLUMN

a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

GMRfellowtraveller said:

- I post the evidence
- you post a mild retort that completely misses the point
- 3 other posters post way more evidence
- you disappear from the post

is there a point?

Click to expand...

But, no, there isn't a point. (And this article was from August of 2015 btw, updated November of 2016, so it doesn't even cover anything he's said or done since being in office.)

Today's word came up during the discussion of the Iowa caucus.

Example: Presidential candidates will lavish a great deal of money and time on "bellwether states."

bellwether state
noun

Bellwether state is a state which, historically, tends to vote for the winning candidate, perhaps because it is demographically a microcosm of the country as a whole. The classic example of a bellwether state is Missouri, which has voted for the winner in every US presidential election since 1904 - except 1956.

The term derives from the name for a sheep which shepherds would fit with a bell. By listening out for this sheep, the bellwether, shepherds were able to locate the position of the entire flock. Bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.

Dadsdream said:

Today's word came up during the discussion of the Iowa caucus.

Example: Presidential candidates will lavish a great deal of money and time on "bellwether states."

bellwether state
noun

Bellwether state is a state which, historically, tends to vote for the winning candidate, perhaps because it is demographically a microcosm of the country as a whole. The classic example of a bellwether state is Missouri, which has voted for the winner in every US presidential election since 1904 - except 1956.

The term derives from the name for a sheep which shepherds would fit with a bell. By listening out for this sheep, the bellwether, shepherds were able to locate the position of the entire flock. Bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.

Bellwether State Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc.

Bellwether state is a state which, historically, tends to vote for the winning candidate, perhaps because it is demographically a microcosm of the country as a whole. The classic example of a

definitions.uslegal.com

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I always thought it was spelled bell weather.

Dadsdream said:

Today's word came up during the discussion of the Iowa caucus.

Example: Presidential candidates will lavish a great deal of money and time on "bellwether states."

bellwether state
noun

Bellwether state is a state which, historically, tends to vote for the winning candidate, perhaps because it is demographically a microcosm of the country as a whole. The classic example of a bellwether state is Missouri, which has voted for the winner in every US presidential election since 1904 - except 1956.

The term derives from the name for a sheep which shepherds would fit with a bell. By listening out for this sheep, the bellwether, shepherds were able to locate the position of the entire flock. Bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.

Bellwether State Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc.

Bellwether state is a state which, historically, tends to vote for the winning candidate, perhaps because it is demographically a microcosm of the country as a whole. The classic example of a

definitions.uslegal.com

Click to expand...

US Legal needs to update their site.
Missouri voted for McCain and Romney.

Nebaghead said:

I always thought it was spelled bell weather.

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So did I. Nope.

Mirriam-Webster says:

This animal was called the bellwether, a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning "bell") and wether (a noun that refers to a male sheep that has been castrated).

Middle English bellewether, belleweder "castrated ram with a bell around his neck followed by the other sheep in a flock, leader," from belle bell entry 1 + wether, weder wether

Dadsdream said:

So did I. Nope.

Mirriam-Webster says:

This animal was called the bellwether, a word formed by a combination of the Middle English words belle (meaning "bell") and wether (a noun that refers to a male sheep that has been castrated).

Middle English bellewether, belleweder "castrated ram with a bell around his neck followed by the other sheep in a flock, leader," from belle bell entry 1 + wether, weder wether

Definition of BELLWETHER

one that takes the lead or initiative : leader; also : an indicator of trends… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

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Can you do Potemkin village next?

I think it will help us understand the border wall.

samiam5211 said:

Can you do Potemkin village next?

I think it will help us understand the border wall.

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Hey, you go ahead and do for tomorrow!

Trivia
I loved the old Star Trek TOS. The Soviets protested we were making a TV show about a future with no Russians.
So, Gene Roddenberry added Ensign Pavel Checkov.
Roddenberry also added the starship U.S.S. Potemkin (NCC1657), for good measure.
"Firing on the Potemkin," Ensign Checkov said, as the robot Enterprise attacked during wargame exercises.
Yep, a Russian Star Fleet Ensign noting the Enterprise was firing on a ship named U.S.S. Potemkin. Good stuff!

By special request, today's word comes from the world of Russian Czarina Catherine the Great.

Example: The visiting general from Kazakhstan thought the Alexandria, VA, Wal Mart was a Potemkin Village. Only after his van passed the sixth Wal Mart on I-90 did he realize that in America, such stores were real. (True story, BTW. - Dadsdream )

Potemkin village
noun

Po·tem·kin village | \ pə-ˈtem(p)-kən- \
Definition of Potemkin village

: an impressive facade or show designed to hide an undesirable fact or condition

Definition of POTEMKIN VILLAGE

an impressive facade or show designed to hide an undesirable fact or condition… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Grigori Potemkin. n a Russian officer and politician who was a favorite of Catherine II and in 1762 helped her to seize power; when she visited the Crimea in 1787 he gave the order for sham villages to be built (1739-1791)

Today's word sounds like something from a very familiar insurance commercial, or American Pickers.

Example: "Todd was George Bush's number one bundler in 2000."


Bundler
noun

A person who gathers ("bundles") campaign contributions to a candidate from his or her network of friends and business associates.

Bundlers, who are often wealthy and well-connected, play a crucial role in contemporary campaign finance.

Individuals are barred by federal law from donating more than $2,500 per election to a candidate. But they can increase their influence by providing to the candidate checks they have solicited from their associates and acquaintances.

The elite bundlers for President George W Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns were dubbed Rangers and Pioneers, a mark of their status.

US election glossary: A-Z guide to political jargon

Use our A-Z guide to find out more about some of the well-used but often misunderstood terms in US politics.

www.bbc.com

Today's term comes from hot topic discussions. As such, the term does not have a specific dictionary definition yet, so we'll turn to various other sources.

Example: The mayor said his town is a sanctuary city, and will refuse to share any information regarding immigrants with federal authorities.

sanctuary city (safe city)
noun

There’s no single definition of what is a sanctuary city, but generally speaking, it’s a city (or a county, or a state) that limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents in order to protect low-priority immigrants from deportation, while still turning over those who have committed serious crimes. This is why we prefer the term “safe cities”.

Immigration 101: What is a Sanctuary City? - America's Voice

What is a sanctuary city? We answer with an example that explains what immigration detainers are and why we should call them "constitutional cities".

americasvoice.org

“Sanctuary city” is not an official government term. It has no legal meaning.

Lots of people use the unofficial term “sanctuary city” to refer to local jurisdictions (not just cities but counties and sometimes states) that don’t fully cooperate with federal efforts to find and deport unauthorized immigrants. If that sounds vague, that’s because it is, and it gets at the tension between federal policy and local law enforcement generally used to carry out those laws.

Sanctuary cities, explained

The stereotype, the law, the reality.

www.vox.com