demagogue
A politician whose rhetoric appeals to raw emotions such as fear and hatred in order to gain power. Former Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) is often cited as a classic demagogue for his practice in the...
View Articlerecall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote, typically initiated when enough voters sign a petition. Only two governors have ever...
View Articleinside baseball
The intricate knowledge of a process not normally known to the public and only of interest to insiders. William Safire: “From its sports context comes its political or professional denotation: minutiae...
View Articlecarpetbagger
The name Southerners used to describe Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877. The term comes from the Carpetbags — luggage literally made from the...
View Articlepolitical suicide
An unpopular action that is likely to cause a politician’s subsequent defeat at the polls or be cause for him or her to resign from public office. However, as William Safire notes in Safire’s Political...
View Articlethrown under the bus
To sacrifice someone, typically one who is undeserving, in order to make political gain. Newsweek: “In general, ‘thrown under the bus’ is a metaphor for what happens when someone takes a hit for...
View Articlehonest graft
Taking advantage of the money-making opportunities that might arise while holding public office. Tammany Hall boss George Washington Plunkitt defined “dishonest graft” as actual theft from the public...
View Articlethrown under the bus
To sacrifice someone, typically one who is undeserving, in order to make political gain. Newsweek: “In general, ‘thrown under the bus’ is a metaphor for what happens when someone takes a hit for...
View Articlehonest graft
Taking advantage of the money-making opportunities that might arise while holding public office. Tammany Hall boss George Washington Plunkitt defined “dishonest graft” as actual theft from the public...
View Articlekingfish
A nickname for Louisiana Gov. Huey Long because of his larger-than-life status in Louisiana. He was assassinated in 1935. The Social Security website states that: “A farm boy from the piney woods of...
View Articlenut-cutting time
The point when you have tried everything but failed. While the “nut-cutting time” originally refers to the effort required to remove a rusted or stripped nut, it has come to be used in a legislative...
View Articleego wall
A wall where people flaunt their political connections by displaying photos of themselves with more famous people. The phenomenon is also sometimes called the “glory wall” or “me wall.” Mike Nichols:...
View ArticleChicago-style politics
Used to characterize a supposedly offensive tough, “take-no-prisoners” approach to politics. Jacob Weisberg: “Chicago-style politics, in common parlance, refers to the 1950s-1970s era of the Richard J....
View Articlegrifter
A con artist or someone who swindles people out of money through fraud and deception. In politics, the term has been used to describe those who use the political process to enrich themselves. Former...
View Articlemuckety muck
A person with the highest status or most power in an organization. From a political standpoint, this usually refers to someone in the party leadership or with another influential position. The term is...
View Articlemovers and shakers
Those who have power and influence in business, politics, or other segments of the public sphere. Party leadership, committee leaders, or people with influence among certain demographics can all be...
View Articleparty line
The ideology or the agenda of a political party. The party line consists of most core tenets of a party, as well as anything they are attempting to accomplish. The phrase is most often used in terms of...
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