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Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, March 9-15, 2015

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cooperative and coercive policies: according to neocon icon Doug Feith, “cooperation”, collaboration, negotiation and “multi-laterilism” are now pejoratives, stand-ins for a “radically negative” foreign policy. Much to Rand Paul’s horror, the GOTP is running on a foreign policy platform of aggression, confrontation, and unilateralism.

criminalizing political speech: actually, in a classic GOTP rhetorical sleight-of-hand, what used to be called “regulating” political speech is now characterized as nothing less than “criminalizing” it. Government regulators are thus turned into “thought police.”

culture of agitation: any left-wing protest, as in Ferguson. When the Tea Party rallies, it’s called “grassroots activism”.

fatuous idealism: according to the GOTP, is there any other kind? “Idealism” itself is now a sneer, characterized as a stand-in for naivete, weakness, and delusional self-aggrandizement.

moral framework: another of those seemingly universal, neutral terms that, when politicized, comes to mean its opposite. For example, when Charles Murray and others blame blacks for their own poverty, the implicit (and sometimes explicit) argument is that they lack a “moral framework,” as if they are amoral creatures, even sub-human. This argument has been around for a long time–the current shorthand code for it is when the wingnuts portray Obama as a monkey.

permissiveness:  in the conservative moral lexicon, permissiveness is the root of all inequality. Blaming poverty, racism and inequality on the ’60s has never really gone away as a rhetorical trope, just as 60’s demonstrators are still secretly blamed for “losing” the Vietnam War. Permissiveness itself is actually of course a pejorative term for freedom: sexual freedom, gender and  identity freedom, racial freedom, etc., but usually limited in conservative circles to being the opposite of the cardinal virtues of restraint, “monogamy, sobriety, fidelity, and thrift,” in the words of Russ Douthait. Oh, the profligate, spendthrift, animal instincts of those negroes, most of whom lack a “moral framework.”

political indoctrination centers: colleges and universities, especially in the social sciences and humanities, hyperbolicly said to be “worthy of the high Stalinist Era or the age of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.”

pull up your socks: the gist of the conservative framing of racial inequality in America: get over it, take personal responsibility, be an autonomous person, quit being a dependent, working on the neo-liberal “plantation.” This limited definition of freedom scants notions of public good and civic engagement. It’s a kind of Hobbesian Choice.

stabilize: in GOTP language, this means nothing less than US dominance. Any contested foreign area not under our direct influence is, by definition, unstable. Thus, for example, a kind of two state, federalist solution in Ukraine is unacceptable because the U.S. would not be the dominate power.

treaties: according to neocon icon Doug Feith, treaties are lumped with going along with the UN and other world bodies and massively cutting defense spending as the hallmarks of a “radically negative”, “cooperative” foreign policy. (see “cooperative and coercive,” above).

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, March 1-8, 2015

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21st-century skills: docility, giving up privacy, respecting authority, taking orders, settling, putting economic security above civic engagement, critical thinking, or social and moral values and goals. This is one of he main GOTP/Scott Walker rhetorical wedges into decimating higher education and reducing it to vocational training.

consumer-centered (or market-driven): the gauzy, panacea-like connotation of these terms masks the very real possibility that consumers will get–and eventually settle for– limited choices and monopoly pricing. (See the US cable industry for example.)  To use Elizabeth Warren’s term, almost all markets are”rigged”, and consumers are never driving the car. Just because something is “consumer centered” doesn’t mean the consumer isn’t getting screwed. Aren’t most businesses business ultimately “consumer centered”?

conversation about race: always a guarantee that nothing will change; the conversation is for and about itself, a self-congratulatory way of maintaining the status quo. As the saying goes, if you’re in an oppressed  or marginalized group, when you hear about one of these, hold onto your wallets, so to speak.

envy economics: Paul Ryan-speak for wage disparity  or economic inequality.

globalized economy: corporatist, GOTP AND neo-liberal buzzword for recruiting unthinking, docile worker bees, and reducing mankind to homo economicus. See “21st-century skills,” above.

operatives: anyone working for a Dem; aka, hangers-on. Called staffers or campaign workers when working for a GOTP candidate.

plantation: any Dem social safety net/welfare program. Government assistance is now likened to “slavery” and “dependency.” This position combines radical laissez-faire policy with the most austere and indifferent version of Social Darwinism. And never mind that lots of folks working in the vaunted “global economy” feel oppressed and unable to exercise any control over their miserable existences.

strong: in foreign policy terms, this adjective is always equated with aggression, military force (or the threat of it), even occupation. However, there is no reason that a “strong” foreign policy couldn’t include mutual respect, nation-building, championing civil society, free speech and human rights, encouraging human potential, etc. You know, leading from beneath. Oh, wait, that is the Obama foreign policy in relation to Iran, for example.

taking race off the table: in GOTP terms, this means that race should no longer even be a topic of conversation, let alone public policy. In reality, it means sweeping race under the rug after taking it off the table, and serves the double rhetorical purpose of avoiding awkward conversations about growing social inequality and even stigmatizing anyone engaged in such conversations as “racist”.

voting rights: voter suppression, all in the name of “protecting” the rights of voters against fictional “voter fraud.”

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Feb. 21-28, 2015

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ambushing: asking Scott Walker a question. Actually, any challenging question is now called a “gotcha” question (see below), making the very act of even asking questions “divisive” (see below).

cheerleading for Islam: any defense of  Islamic faith as anything other than bent on revenge and religious intolerance.

compromising: sending a bill to the President’s desk.

contextualization: complicating simple moral choices, like when to attack other nations. Obama is now being accused of “contextualizing,” which is now a synonym for prevaricating, stalling, or avoiding any decision. As the saying goes, if you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail–never mind any mitigating circumstances.

division: always “sown”, always by Dems. Somehow, in the rhetorical world created by Karl Rove and David Frum, everything is really its opposite: social safety nets are racist and keep blacks on a “plantation economy”; Obamacare is bad because it forces people off insurance; net neutrality is not away to stop monopolies from charging “fast lane” taxes, but actually a way for the government to take over the internet and hobble it. Dem policies are, by definition, divisive, not because they divide the country but because they undercut GOTP policies.

estrangement from America: of course, what Obama has been accused of since his inauguration: a stranger in our midst, the “other,” an outsider. Sort of like being an “estranged” husband: not really a husband at all. The ultimate estrangement, f course (see “division,” below) is between Americans  (i.e. Republicans), and everyone else–a broad group that now includes, in Scott Walker’s moral political universe, liberals, terrorists, labor unions and school teachers.

“gotcha” question: according to the Urban Dictionary, any question that Sarah Palin is too stupid to answer.

heavy hand: of government (see “intrusion,” below)

human imperfection: therefore, according to GOTP dogma, there should be as little government as possible. Of course, a rational argument would be for the opposite remedy: the need for law, civil order and  agreed-upon moral standards.

inquisition: any one question Scott Walker (see “ambushing,” above), climate change skeptics, or opponents of immigration. This smear connotes intolerance, bigotry and persecution; it is a defensive term, and the opposite of inquisitiveness, ort asking questions for their own sake.

intrusion: any governmental control over private life, This characterization turns government in general–the constitution, laws, regulations etc.– into some crazed home invader, someone intent only on stealing what isn’t theirs, threatening thw wimmin & chilrun, and inflicting lasting harm.

narcissism: the ultimate charge against Obama. As the argument goes, his outsized (and unwarranted) self-regard compels him to make speeches rather than act, to arrogate unconstitutional power onto himself via executive actions, and place everything in the context of his image and legacy. This reduction of every Obama policy position to an ego boost has the rhetorical effect of rendering any of his acts or statements adolescent and self-centered  or “non-serious”. They often liken him to Holden Caulfield.

proving themselves: what welfare recipients need to do via drug tests. in fact, a ubiquitous blood testing regime is the only “humane” way to treat them.

takeover: GOTP language for any Obama policy initiative, especially any regulation over “free” markets. Policies such as net neutrality and Obamacare are never characterized as just regulations, but “takeovers,” as if Obama is building a Mussolini-style corporate tyranny. Such terms are key to the concentrated fury directed against net neutrality, which has been also been hysterically  called a “power grab,” a “depressing moment for American innovation and economic liberty,” and outright Marxist control over the entire economy. Typical rhetorical overkill whenever profits are threatened.

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Feb. 10-20, 2015

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bad behavior: (racial authenticity; black pathology). What blacks do naturally.

climate change skeptic: climate change denier

death grip: as in “the EPA’s veritable death grip” over all US businesses.” An exaggerated way of saying “regulation.”

desperation and bad faith: basically, the underlying motivation and moral bankruptcy of any Obama policy position.

divisive: any Dem policy or regulation that the GOTP disagrees with. The logic of this rhetorical ploy is that any division in the country comes form the Dems, and thus the only way to “heal” the country is for the GOTP to entirely get its way.

European-style regulation: any regulation, in the eyes of the GOTP. Synonymous with tyranny and guvment control over people’s lives (see “imposing values on individuals,” below). Never mind that in virtually every major quality-of-life ranking, European nations come out at or near the top.

imposing values on individuals: the ultimate violation of personal sovereignty. In this Ayn Rand moral universe, there are no social norms or laws that need be followed if they conflict with one’s personal values. Any social or moral standard is thus an unwarranted imposition.

intone: what Dems do when they make a speech or statement.

moral authority. = leadership, engagement; moral claim, moral self-confidence. Can only come from the individual, since everyone is apparently self-authoring. It’s hard, however,  to reconcile this concept of any “authority” whatsoever with concepts of individual autonomy.

power grab: any Dem law or policy.

reChristianize Europe: what the GOTP would do to counter the ISIS Caliphate. Look for a second Crusade if they get into power.

temporizing: any Obama foreign policy. Other things he does: prevaricates, dithers, avoids, placates, apologizes, ponders, equivocates.

terror denial: any Dem. policy that calls for anything less than a belligerent, aggressive military response to ISIS. Any attempt to point out that most all Muslims are peace-loving is now called “terror denial.” Soon enough, any tolerance for Islam whatsoever will be the equivalent of supporting Germany or Japan in WW II.

vandalism: Obama v. US Constitution.

victimhood: what the “politically correct” claim whenever possible, aka “the grievance industry.” This term masterfully turns the tables, transforming those being persecuted into prosecutors, thus doubly victimizing anyone who claims discrimination.

work force needs: what Scott Walker wants to be the main mission of the University of Wisconsin, replacing the idea of “the search for truth.” Part of the assault on academic freedom, this mandate naively assumes that the primary purpose of a college education is to get a job afterwards. Turns R-1 universities into voc-tec institutes.

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Jan 24-Feb. 9, 2015

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(GOTP= Grand Old Tea Party)

consumers: “the consumer is king,” but only as far as the “free market” allows. So when it comes to a regulatory crossroads such as “net neutrality,” (see “hoary regulations”, “innovation” and “micromanaging,” below), consumers are said the be the ultimate victims of government regulation. However, when it comes to tax breaks, set -asides, subsidies, lobbying, and the hobbling of financial reform, all the power flows to the corporations. The “consumer” card is only played when consumers are at the most risk from the private sector.

crony capitalism: how government works under the Dems, who are portrayed as totally corrupt. When the GOTP does it, it’s called “public policy” or “regulatory reform” or “tax reform.”

gambit: any Dem strategic move or policy statement. Worse than a “talking point.”

hoary regulations: any existing statute or policy that “throttles” the “animal spirits” of the “free market.” Regulation is thus seen as the old model of governance, deregulation as the future of governance.

innovation: in the GOTP rhetorical imaginary, a sanctified term, standing for everything that the guvment wants to either control or stifle. Innovation only happens when individuals are left alone–never mind the advent of the internet, the space program, the federal highway system, etc.

micromanaging: any statute or regulation that affect business. Guvment cannot “manage,” but only “micromanage,” because it simply wants to run (=ruin) everything.

nebulous: any Obama statement of idealism, hope or social justice. To believe the GOTP, Obama is incapable of making a principled or idealistic statement that has any coherence whatsoever–he lives in a fogged-in rhetorical  fairy land.

the political class: any Dems in power or in the public eye. GOTPers in the public eye are called “reformers” or “political leaders.”

populism, Koch-style: like “consumers” (see above), in the topsy-turvy world of GOTP rhetoric, words mean the opposite of what they’re assumed to mean, and the very people meant to be protected are left at the mercy of the corporations and super-rich. So, for example, the Koch Brothers have the audacity to claim the mantle of “populists” when they talk about how they’re going to spend a billion dollars influencing the 2016 Presidential election because they speak “for the people” and “free speech,” (though obviously paid political speech is obviously far from “free” in any sense of the word.)

power grab: any Dem law or regulation

unending spectacle: shorthand for the ragtag combination of unending scandals and ineptitudes of the Obama administration that the GOP has invented as a kind of general miasma that envelopes everything Obama does. This universal field theory links uop everything Obama does or that has happened in his administration. It gets recited as an ever-growing inventory: from Fast and Furious to Benghazi to the :reset” with Putin.

weakened US security: anything Obama says or does, especially any foreign policy. By definition, he can only do damage to America as Commander in Chief because he is on a perpetual “apology tour.”

weird and unbecoming: any criticism of America, persecutions by Christians, etc. Obama is thus “othered” in exact proportion to the severity of his criticism of any so-called “core American values.”

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Jan 16-23, 2015

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Note: GOTP=Grand Old Tea Party

abortion: now called “the new Black holocaust.”

anti-American stain: what you get for life whenever you criticize American foreign policy. See: John Kerry.

capital: when Thomas Piketty talks about it, it’s a neo-Marxist take on income inequality and a thinly-veiled call for “redistributionism.” When the GOTP uses the term, they’re always referring to investments.

cynical class warfare: what the Dems get accused of whenever they talk about income inequality. Presumably, it’s always “cynical”  or sometimes, “cheap”) because it isn’t based on any moral principles, but only designed to placate the poor and keep them voting Democratic. When the GOTP talks about class, as in tax cuts for the rich, they call it “reform” or “relief”, and want to be perceived as speaking out of core conservative values, which are always “sincere” and never “cynical.”

drive-by: any federal regulation, such as when HUD, EPA or Justice take any action against the private sector or Tea Partiers.

extraneous political context: basically, any political context used to frame a particular issue. For example, it’s “extraneous” to cite the political motives behind our invasion of Iraq whn discussing the “heroism” of our soldiers.

fixation: any Dem policy consistently promulgated. For example, Obama’s determination to close Gitmo is characterized as “cheap moral umbrage”, and a dangerous fixed idea.

legal firewall to protect investments: a euphemism for the deregulation of all financial activity and immunity from persecution for financial shenanigans. The “legal firewall” they seek is impunity/immunity

modernizing entitlements: cutting, means-testing or ending them.

overregulated: basically means regulated at all. On the other hand, it’s not possible, in GOTP terms, to be underregulated.

poses no human risk:  what they always say after a nuclear “incident” or “accident.” Why is this phrase so unnerving, apart from the fact that it always sounds like a bald-faced lie?

racial discrimination: now called mere “racial disparity” by the GOTP. “Racial disparity” is just human nature playing itself out, and nature is used as a rhetorical cudgel used to counter “disparate impact” legal theory.

regulatory certainty: this sounds innocuous, but really means certainty that there won’t be any government interference. The GOTP does not want the certainty of more government regulation, only the certainty of less.

simplified tax code: fewer taxes and less overall tax on the wealthy

standing up (to Iran, Putin, ISIS, etc.): what Obama never does. His flaccid foreign policy is represented as cowardly, self-destructive, and a direct threat to US sovereignty. Obama thus either gets criticized for “lying down”, as in this case, or for tyrannical “overreach”  or “grandstanding” when he “stands up” for anything the GOTO doesn’t like, such as immigration reform, combating climate change, supporting the Voting Rights Act, etc.

the undeserving poor: basically, the poor, aka “the takers”. Acccording to George Will, they supposedly live in a “culture of dependency,”  and are totally devoid of personal pride, ambition, self-reliance, or any sense of personal responsibility. In the GOTP’s eyes, to be poor is to undermine American exceptionalism and destroy the national fabric. Will even uses the disease model to characterize the poor, calling it an ‘epidemic” of entitlement and dependency. This is obviously a long way from National Socialism rhetoric in Germany in the early 1930’s, but resembles the Nazi’s key intermediate rhetorical step of “othering” Jews by calling them “vermin”. An alternative to the disease model is implying that they are not a part of American exceptionalism, but an exception to America.

 

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Jan 7-15, 2015

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Note: GOTP=Grand Old Tea Party

canonization: what Dems do when they praise anyone for political or moral acts. See, for example, Edward Snowden. Also implies that anyone the Left champions is immune to criticism because of phony sainthood.

displayed:  When a particular image becomes controversial or toxified, it suddenly isn’t just “shown” any more, but “displayed.” The very use of this pejorative to restrain free speech raises the question of the sanctity of absolute “free speech.” (see “tolerance,” below).

dynamic scoring: the GOTP’s latest ploy to get the CBO to cook the books to mitigate the apparent fiscal impact of tax cuts.

environmental fastidiousness: any form of environmental protection or  regulation. In fact, any environmental policy is now called a “catechism”–the strengthening of dogma through ritual and language.

the fundamental transformation of America: what then entire Obama administration has aimed for: to change all necessary laws and traditions to redistribute wealth, promote racial divisiveness, and undermine the wealthy and middle class.

governance: any public policy that cuts taxes and reduces regulation.

lecture: what Obama, in all his pomposity and self-superiority, does whenever he makes a public statement.

limited government: in GOTP terms, “the government that governs least governs best”–unless it comes to tax breaks, abortion bans, electronic snooping, price supports, oil subsidies, etc.

obsession: any consistent Dem policy; see especially climate change.

peace through strength: an old rhetorical Cold War warhorse now being saddled up again to prepare for an aggressive new War Against Terrorism.

pro-free market: NEVER to be confused with pro-business”.

racism: anything that makes white people feel bad about being white; any use of the word “privilege” in this context.

Reducing Small Business Burdens: the highly euphemistic and misleading title of a recent House bill to deregulate the securities industry. Like any GOTP that purports to “make technical corrections” in tax or regulatory law, follow the money to understand the true effects of these “technical adjustments.”

tolerance: this term has become politicized in the wake of the Paris massacres. Just which statements of Islamic faith are “too radical?” Is the Left too careful (actually, too “craven”) to not “offend” Muslims? The GOTP asks, how much more can we mollify Muslims before we recognize them for who they are: America’s mortal enemies? In their terminology, tolerance is now called a “fetish”.

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Dec. 29, 2014-Jan 6, 2015

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note: GOTP=Grand Old Tea Party

adherence to the rule of law: like “Constitutional originalism” or “American exceptionalism,” this is a GOTP appeal to so-called natural law.  By definition, any GOTP law or policy is orderly and supportive of “common sense” values, whereas any Dem law or policy is by definition unruly, irrational, and socially destructive. Just another instance of “how the GOTP saved civilization” rhetoric.

balancing : lip-service phrase for seeming to compromise when you actually have no intention. Somehow, the “balance” always seems to tip in favor of the GOTP. For example, fracking proponents argue that they are willing to “balance” (or “take into account”–another weasle phrase) their position against “environmental concerns.” But they always have their finger on the scale: when the “balancing” is done, the fix is in.

first principles: GOTP bedrock: Constitutional originalism (always “strictly adhered to”), limiting the federal government, and protecting individual liberties. Dems, by contrast, don’t have “principles” so much as “dogmas” or “ideologies”. GOTP “first principles” serve “the people,” whereas Dem policies serve “cronies and special interests.”

gridlock is a good thing: only GOTP Congress members–people with government jobs, being paid with taxpayer money–has the audacity to say that Washington gridlock is a good thing because it means no governmental acts are taking place.  Using their usual form of reverse English, where everything means its opposite, their highest principles are thus realized when they get paid for doing nothing.

judicial engagement:  when the GOTP agrees with court decisions; judicial “activism”, on the other hand, is when courts implement Dem laws & policies, or overturn GOTP laws & policies,. (see “adherence to the rule of law,” above)

malign: what libs do when they criticize the police.

market-driven and patient-centered: the paradox at the heart of the GOTP’s Obamacare alternatives. This mythical creature could also be called a griffin, minotaur or dragon: pure fantasy. As if anything that is purely “market driven” can be anything other than that.

mob: any public gathering opposing GOTP policies or positions. Sometimes, in a nifty bit of thinly-veiled racism, it’s called a “lynch-mob mentality”. When Teabaggers gather, it’s simply called a “crowd.”

self-government: since any government is axiomatically nothing but “meddlesome,” it’s useful for the GOTP to enforce this dichomy netween “free people” somehow governing themselves, and “Washington — its officeholders-for-life, its strangling bureaucratic sprawl, its incestuous network of staffers and lobbyists, its naked cronyism, and its invested media.” Apparently, every person is to be a government of one; radical self-reliance without any mitigating mutuality; freedom without responsibility.

the time for debate is over: what either side says when they are losing the argument.

 

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases, canards, shibboleths and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOTP language factories, Dec. 15-24, 2014

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note: GOTP stands for Grand Old Tea Party

America hater: Obama, who loves the Cubans, Russians, Iranians, and illegal immigrants too much.

America’s moral standing: something Obama always talks about, but the GOTP actually does something about. This is the gold standard for GOTP criticism of Obama foreign policy because anything short of aggressive, unilateral action “tears down America” and “gives comfort to the bad guys”. Like the gold standard, only the GOTP seems to have the golden tablets on which are inscribed ways to gauge “America’s moral standing”.

anti-fossil fuel masochism: any opposition to fracking, coal production, or the use and consumption  of fossil fuels. Thus being “green” is not only to destroy the economy  but also to destroy oneself. Greenies are pathologically self-loathing.

comrades, cronies and pals: Obama supporters, especially any person or business getting a tax break or benefiting from a change in regulatory policy. The Grand Old Tea Party, of course, has “allies” and “supporters” rather than  comrades, cronies and pals.

demonizing the police: a prophylactic term intended to render the police immune from criticism. In this meme, freedom, as represented by the police, is equated with obeying authority, and order is privileged over justice. This all-purposecharge exemspts police from the social contract and the law.

hyena pack: journalists, progressive activist and trial lawyers (especially those pursuing class-action suits against corporations.

inappropriate: in the Peggy Noonan, moral scold, family of rhetorical sneers. An “adult” word, like “honor”, “dignity,” “duty,” etc. Somehow, Dems are always, like children, a little “inappropriate” and untempered in their public utterances. Any direct challenge to received GOTP pieties or shibboleths is automatically “inappropriate”. The idea of what is actually “appropriate” is lodged in the “moral bedrock” (see below) that only the GOTP seems to be born with.

to increase choice and competition:  Hold onto your wallet whenever you hear this ominous incantation. It’s axiomatic that decreased regulation and scrutiny invariably, over time, tend to lead to less choice and competition, but these two words are classic cases of what John Lanchester calls “reversification” of terms–when words become their opposites.

it’s only with hindsight: this is a deflective, prophylactic term, used to shield GOTP from especially effective challenges or criticism: e.g., it’s only “after the fact” or “with hindsight” that waterboarding and other “harsh interrogation policies” might be seen as amounting to torture. Invidious moral distinctions that run counter to GOTP dogma are thus portrayed as impossible to imagine in real time. (see also, “reasonable people can disagree,” below).

let the courts figure it out: another immunizing meme, intended to stifle public debate and free speech. Don’t criticize the legality of police actions because you aren’t “qualified” to speak out on subjects of justice, social equity, and morals or ethics.

moral bedrock: any GOTP ideology. Dem morality rests on the shifting sands of “moral relativism” and permissiveness. Playing this rhetorical card goes toward establishing one’s ethos. It is on this very bedrock that civilization itself rests.

norms of public speech: what deBlasio and Obama violate whenever they speak about race relations in America. This is a rhetorical term of scolding, based on high moral dudgeon that such “bleeding heart” Dems are irresponsible and “inappropriate”. (See above). This charge is typically couched in rhetoric around the notion of “truth,” which itself becomes relative when weighed against “appropriateness”.

political operatives, cowards, and apologists: anyone still supporting Obama. (see also, “comrades, cronies and pals,” above)

the political unrest of the 60s:  pejorative description of The Civil Rights Movement

pro-growth policies: like progress, “growth” is said to only be possible in an environment of such “free market” policies as right-to-work legislation, private school vouchers, and pension and tort reform. In other words, the only way to promote growth is to cripple unions, reduce retirement benefits and make corporations basically immune from litigation, especially class action suits.

reasonable people can disagree; you can disagree with those rules or facts: another prophylactic term, and a false claim to rationality, and a misleading, startegically concessionary term. When the GOTP prefaces their rhetorical attacks on Dems with this phrase, they are really saying that even if the facts work against them, they are morally in the right.

stifling: what government inevitably does to innovation and competition. the “animal spirits” of business yearn to live free and unfettered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary: an anatomy of key memes, phrases and obsessions in the Wall Street Journal and other GOP language factories, Dec. 10-13, 2014

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acolytes: followers of Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Feinstein.

animal spirits: what an unfettered free market, through its “unseen hand”, always sets free. Elizabeth Warren-type critics of the financial sector should just “get out of the way”. Too bad these “animal spirits” so often seem to revert to “the law of the jungle”.

deceptions, derelictions, and disasters: the natural history of the Obama administration.

divisive rhetoric: any Dem or social activist polemic; GOTP discourse, on the other hand, is “realistic” “common sense”.

Dodd-Frank passion play: part of the ridiculing of Elizabeth Warren, framed as a rhetorical attack on her basic financial acumen, her histrionics, and the “false narrative” that derivatives and other hedged financial instruments caused the financial meltdown. The real culprits, of course, were easy money and unscrupulous, freeloading borrowers.

exquisite moral experiment: what Charles Krauthammer calls any post-9/11 interrogation techniques that didn’t include torture. His argument seems to be that after 9/11 America didn’t have the luxury of morality.

(a) fair-minded inquiry: what you get when the GOTP gets to ask and answer the questions and frame the issues. When the Dems do so, it’s called a “prosecutor’s brief”.

femsplaining: according to GOTP rhetoric, this is the tactic used by feminists to justify charges of rape, even if their facts are wrong or missing. In femsplaining, the ends (social justice) justify the means–guilt by association, innuendo, unsubstantiated charges, etc.

lawfare (vs. warfare): the pacificism you end up with if you let the UN or the International Court of Human Rights adjudicate all international disputes. This is a bad thing because evil and the will to power will raise their ugly heads (see Putin, Vladimir), mocking the rule of law. “Law” replaces “courage,” “honor” and “duty”.This is another false dichotomy, of course.

mandates: always burdensome; a pejorative way to define laws: all Dem public policy as coercion and naked power grabs. Just let the states do what they want and accountability and transparency just magically emerge.

mob rule: political protests, except when it’s the Tea Party, who engage in grassroots political action.

politics of the second guess: as in the case of post- 9/11 torture, never explain, never apologize.any criticism of Cheney/Bush or of the GOP past. The question the GOTP asks is “What Does the Past Matter?” Instead of analyzing history, we are told to show “restraint”. i.e. silence.

raceaholics: those who “talk about race”.

rectal rehydration: ’nuff said. Even the torture apologists had trouble justifying this one, tjhough one GOTP lawmaker called this “the definition of an American hero”.

social arsonist: Al Sharpton.

urban racial cultural problems: coincidentally,  also Al Sharpton. This meme casts a wide net ensnaring “black on black violence,” “welfare queens,” “the takers vs. the maker,” Moynihan’s “a culture of poverty,” and all attendant manifestations of black “depravity”. Them black folks are forever bein’ a “problem”. The opposite of “urban racial cultural problems” and “civilized urban life”.