Read a Pacific Northwest, liberal perspective on world, national, and local politics. From majestic Redmond, Washington - the Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Word

Poputonian, posting at Hullabaloo, excerpts a story concerning Newt Gingrich's admission that he was having an affair even as the Blue Dress Scandal raged, thanks in no small part to Gingrich's efforts.

Then poputonian adds a new word to our political vocabulary:
typocrite ('tip-uh-krit noun): A typical Republican hypocrite.

1 : a typical Republican who fakes good by putting on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a typical Republican who fakes good but acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
3 : a typical Republican whose need for self-gratificaton extends to the public sphere
I like it, plus it's much more succinct than "Elmer Gantryism."

The right has always excelled at word play, and getting the regular media to adopt their phrasing. I'm old enough to remember how they managed to change "anti-abortion" into "pro-life" and how the right utterly destroyed the meaning of the word "liberal."

In many ways, whoever controls the language controls the debate. The classic example of this was the ability of GOP pollster Frank Luntz to get the term "death tax" into wide use in lieu of "estate tax." It may have been inaccurate, but that didn't stop the GOP from running with a cutting little phrase as if it were a serious policy proposal for society, instead of the bribe to the ultra-wealthy that is really was.

"Typocrite" may be a little obscure to catch hold, but feel free to try it out. It rolls off the tongue nicely, and we are provided daily opportunities to use it. For instance, it seems rather typocritical for a member of the US House ethics committee to be pressuring a US attorney to interfere in a state election.

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