Once-presidential phrase casualty of word war(Obama killed "shovel ready"?)

AP ^ | 12/31/09

[TigerLikesRooster]

Once-presidential phrase casualty of word war

DETROIT – The phrase "shovel ready," incessantly invoked by the Obama administration this year as a way to sell its $787 billion federal stimulus bill, died Thursday.

The official cause of death was overuse, according to Lake Superior State University, which announced the phrase's demise in its annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness, released Thursday.

"Shovel ready" dug its own grave by forcing its way into speeches and out of the mouths of the president and too many other politicians in past months.

"Stick a shovel in it. It's done," seethed Joe Grimm of loomfield Hills, Mich., in his nomination to the university's Word Banishment Committee. Grimm is a visiting journalist at Michigan State University and a former recruiter and editor at the Detroit Free Press.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Killed because of the nexus between the term “shovel ready” and the death panels of Obamacare.

[VeniVidiVici]

Guess they finally decided to call a spade a spade.

[Always Right]

I don’t know, I think the health care bill is shovel ready. Let’s bury the damn thing.

[browardchad]

Many other terms related to the federal stimulus — or the failing economy that inspired it — have been thrown into the semantic scrap heap for 2010, including "stimulus" (the more blunt "bailout" bit the dust last year), "toxic assets" and "too big to fail" — apparently, failure was an option.

The "hip" crowd in the White House is wearing out even their semantic welcome, apparently.

"Let me be clear" also should have made the list. Maybe next year.

[Tom_Busch]

Every time I hear him say “Let me be clear,” I want to throw something at the TV.

[ripley]

“Guess they finally decided to call a spade a spade.”

LOL

Maybe brilliant, superior, intellectual, really smart liberal nuance from the mouths of psychotic, adolescent, obnoxious Democrats didn’t work so well this time.

They’ll just have to come up with another phrase that will inspire those brilliant independents-who-are-really-Democrats to vote the communist party line once again.

(Herr Goebbles would be proud.)

IMHO

[GI Joe Fan]

Obama's approval ratings are "Shovel Ready."

Soon, that pathetic loser will be about as popular Idi Amin.

[smalltownslick]

Some more I’d like to banish...

Went missing
Doable
Off-putting
Actually

[Vaduz]

Every time you hear him say “Let me be clear,it means he is about to spin some thing.

[Tom_Busch]

Haha, true.

[browardchad]

Every time I hear him say “Let me be clear,” I want to throw something at the TV.

I've joined quite a few other Americans in a cure for that -- don't watch him. Read the transcript, for what it's worth.

There is some fun to be had with the YouTube videos of his speeches. The Hopenhagen one, in particular. If you have some time to spare, turn the sound off, let it download completely, then run it at fast forward (by dragging the slider). It a frantic mishmash of head turning and bobbing, hand movements and angry facial expressions. Very revealing of the spoiled brat who didn't get his way -- twice -- in Copenhagan.

[abigailsmybaby]

I have a bumpersticker that states “Obamacare...call us when you are shovel ready”.

[backhoe]

 

[mylife]

Mark my words.

The shovel ready jobs will flow just prior to the 2010 elections.

And all the hungry people will rejoice at the polls (well, thats the plan)

[alexander_busek]

Every time I hear him say “Let me be clear,” I want to throw something at the TV.

May I suggest he adopt the following as an alternative?

"Let me depart from my usual rhetorical style consisting of vague, feel-good clichés juxtaposed with tortured semantics and outright prevarications and state..."

Regards,

[mylife]

“the notion”

[Eye of Unk]

Anybody care to guess the next Obama power play word?

Has to play upon a new year, beginning, arise from the ashes etc. is my guess.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Has to play upon a new year, beginning, arise from the ashes etc. is my guess.

I'd agree the man is a real penix.

[gov_bean_ counter]

sorry, I left out the ho.<p
P(ho)enix...