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The 15 Most Annoying Expressions in Politics
RCP ^ | 06/28/2014 | Carl M. Cannon

Posted on 06/28/2014 7:43:39 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Irritating phrases and words are not confined to political circles, or solely to Washington, although here in the nation’s capital they burrow in and proliferate like obsolete, but entrenched, government programs. This is a call to arms to fight them—but only metaphorically.

15: “WAR ON [FILL IN THE BLANK]” Syria’s civil war has produced 2.5 million refugees and a death toll of 160,000, a tragedy that has galvanized neither major political party into action. So next time a Democrat brays about the so-called Republican “war on women” or a Republican trumpets the Obama administration’s “war on coal,” tell them you’ve seen what real war looks like—and ask what the U.S. can do to stop it.

14. “TAX HIKE” It’s not a “hike.” What are you going to do, put it in a knapsack and take it for a walk? It’s a tax increase. This usage was coined by headline writers because it’s shorter. Speaker of the House John Boehner, who often employs this phrase, has no such excuse.

13. “RIGHT-WING” This term is bandied about carelessly, usually as a pejorative. In “The Devil’s Dictionary,” Ambrose Bierce defined “conservative.” Here is the entry, in its entirety: “CONSERVATIVE, n. a statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.” The converse of “right-wing,” a label freely applied to Fox News and countless Republican elected officials, is not “liberal,” it’s “left wing.”


(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Alaska; US: California; US: Michigan; US: Mississippi
KEYWORDS: alaska; california; chrismcdaniel; expressions; mississippi; partyofreagan; politics; ronaldreagan; sarahpalin; thadcochran; thegipper
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To: SeekAndFind
Reader Of The Free Stuff World

41 posted on 06/28/2014 8:21:22 AM PDT by Iron Munro (The Obamas Black skin has morphed into Teflon thanks to the Obama Media)
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To: blam
“ ...give something back.”

Usually applied to someone who has created wealth and jobs for hundreds. As if they somehow violated humanity by doing so.

42 posted on 06/28/2014 8:24:15 AM PDT by CrazyIvan (I lost my phased plasma rifle in a tragic hovercraft accident.)
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To: SeekAndFind

43 posted on 06/28/2014 8:27:57 AM PDT by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Are!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Starting a sentence with “so...”


44 posted on 06/28/2014 8:29:14 AM PDT by uncitizen (Buckle up! We're on the Facism Fast Track!)
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To: SeekAndFind

disparate impact


45 posted on 06/28/2014 8:35:43 AM PDT by clintonh8r (Can Juan Williams possibly be that stupid?)
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To: SeekAndFind

16. Anything ending in “gate”.


46 posted on 06/28/2014 8:39:27 AM PDT by chuckee
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To: SeekAndFind

I did not have sex with that woman.


47 posted on 06/28/2014 8:41:44 AM PDT by chuckee
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To: SeekAndFind
Well, a couple of the terms on the list are annoying, such as "At the end of the day" and the stupid "War on _____" to describe things that have nothing to do with war.

But some of them, like "Just sayin' ..." or "folks" are just polite, civil ways of expressing things people would otherwise LOVE to misinterpret or take offensively.

I gotta wonder ... the folks -- oops, make that "people" -- who write these kinds of articles about politics, don't they have anything BETTER to complain about?

48 posted on 06/28/2014 8:44:05 AM PDT by Finny (Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. -- Psalm 119:105)
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To: SeekAndFind

Another DC idiot comparing Reagan Dems to Cochran’s. Reagan appealed to Dems via a conservative message on culture and values. Cochran appealed to Dems via race baiting, calling fellow Republicans racist, and running on a liberal agenda, e.g. Government largesse. The media is so dishonest.


49 posted on 06/28/2014 8:53:50 AM PDT by nhwingut (This tagline is for lease)
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To: SeekAndFind

I also don’t care for the misuse of the word ‘optics.’


50 posted on 06/28/2014 8:55:44 AM PDT by Ted Grant
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To: SeekAndFind

“Bipartisan”

“My Friends”

“I just learned about in the news paper”


51 posted on 06/28/2014 8:57:55 AM PDT by Artcore
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To: SeekAndFind

“Common sense”...law, legislation, etc.

(My favorite LSM expression...”unexpectedly”.)


52 posted on 06/28/2014 9:02:54 AM PDT by moovova
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To: SeekAndFind

The democrat party working to ..............


53 posted on 06/28/2014 9:04:53 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: CrazyIvan

So right about “give something back”. That kind of talk is appropriate for criminals and politicians, but I repeat myself. Successful people succeed by giving in the first place and not by taking. Hollywood folks are big on “giving back”. I guess if you make millions for a few weeks of playing around, you might feel guilty as though you stole it.
We prosper by giving. Producing, creating, contributing. Call it what you will.


54 posted on 06/28/2014 9:04:58 AM PDT by all the best
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To: SeekAndFind
I can't answer that while there is an investigation going on.
55 posted on 06/28/2014 9:09:09 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Feed the wacko enrviromentalists to the starving polar bears.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Anyone with a (legitimate) Ph.D. (a DOCTORATE) is entitled to the salutation “Doctor.”


56 posted on 06/28/2014 9:12:05 AM PDT by IronJack
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m not a fan of euphemisms or acronyms which Americans seem to love and prefer blunt and proper English. I’m wondering if anyone knows the source and when the term blood and treasure came into widespread usage. For some reason the term just kinda rubs me wrong when I hear it used over and over on talk radio or the news. I’d rather have people describe accurately what is happening than use patriotic euphemistic phraseology but that is just me.


57 posted on 06/28/2014 9:14:20 AM PDT by Sheapdog (Chew the meat, spit out the bones - FUBO - Come and get me)
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To: PLMerite

That picture of Clinton in your post #29 looks like he just took a toke and is holding it in while posing for the picture.


58 posted on 06/28/2014 9:17:04 AM PDT by VideoDoctor
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To: SeekAndFind

Teaching Moment.


59 posted on 06/28/2014 9:17:20 AM PDT by rlmorel ("A nation, despicable by it"s weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral." A. Hamilton)
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To: chuckee
16. Anything ending in “gate”.

More precisely, this inane policy of ending every scandal in the last 50 years with "-gate."

And along the same lines, although not limited to politics, referring to every obsessive or addict as "-aholic." Shopaholic. Chocaholic. Spendaholic. Alcohol is a chemical that's frequently abused and can be addictive. So what the heck is shopahol?

60 posted on 06/28/2014 9:19:37 AM PDT by IronJack
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