Kudos to Jamie Raskin for pointing out the misuse of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective. -- This has irked me for years, and while I doubt it will stop Republicans for continuing this implied pejorative terminology, it is important to call out the misuse and ask for grammatically correct and respectful language as a common courtesy and an important first step toward bipartisanship.
Kudos to Jamie Raskin for pointing out the misuse of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective. -- This has irked me for years, and while I doubt it will stop Republicans for continuing this implied pejorative terminology, it is important to call out the misuse and ask for grammatically correct and respectful language as a common courtesy and an important first step toward bipartisanship.
Are we perhaps overestimating Congresswoman Boebert’s language skills by assuming she can grasp the difference between a noun and an adjective, and further, understands the different usage of both?
We all know, as does Raskin, that the grammar is not the point t. The point is to make "Democrat" a dirty word.
I very much like Raskin's suggestion of calling the other Party the Banana Republicans every time we mention them. I know this is childish name-calling, but it actually is truthful!😊
The Republican use of the word “Democrat” was begun by Karl Rove and was always intended as an insult. Now if someone would call out their use of “woke.” It too is intended as an insult. The press should ask Republicans who talk about “woke policies”and the like, what does that word mean to you, and provide an example. It’s just used like scratching on a blackboard, to irritate people.
“Woke” is different. It’s not just a barb. It reminds people of why they vote Republican: because they want to preserve the enormous, systemic advantages of white Americans. That makes “woke” the most efficient possible communication of Republican values to Republican-leaning voters that can be conceived. A complete message in four letters.
I think if you were to ask one of them what the word means, they would be unable to define it. All they know is people start clutching their pearls when they hear it!
You’re right. It’s the right’s equivalent of virtue signaling to each other. But it really means nothing in their eyes other than f***ing withe the libs.
And one of the things that makes "woke" so powerful among GOPers is that so many whites in our country are underprivileged, and they feel left behind by black people and immigrants--as many of them actually are! (As my long-ago Berkeley professor, Arlie Hochschild wrote in her fairly recent book, Strangers in their Own Land.) Who dies from opioid overdoses? Who are all those ne'er do wells in JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy? They're whites!
We Democrats go way overboard with sorting people by skin color, and insisting whites are the top of the heap, and much to our detriment at election time. Money has a lot more to do with privilege in the US than does skin color. People of Indian, and probably Chinese ancestry do better financially, on average, than white people, as do several other non-white groups.
Yes... economic classism doesn't always match up with stereotypical ethnicity. Been noticing that for years.
Sooo... Arlie Hochschild was your UC Bezerkeley prof??? Just now reading her book... only in the first part so far. She's brilliant in how she approaches this work.
Horrified at the parallels between E. Palestine OH train disaster and all the 'industrial pollution' destroying in short order the lives, homes, communities, environment in SW Louisiana where those regular people tell her their awful stories. And yes, so far, they're all white. Tragic.
The destruction is just horrendous and likely permanent.
If you haven't seen B.J. Novak's film, Revenge... it's excellent. Another powerful study in struggling white American culture.
How are whites "underprivileged?" I can agree that many lack adequate resources for housing,, food, and shelter, educational opportunities, and employment opportunities, but right now, I cannot imagine that there is any group in this nation who has more "privilege" than a person whose skin is white. Time and again, studies reveal that when examined side by side -- apples to apples, oranges to oranges, so to speak -- when you compare a white person's situation at every level, in any category, to that of a person of color (especially black people), there is real disparity between them, with the white having a distinct advantage over the other.
We're not going to improve anything buying into the trope of the whites being somehow oppressed by people who don't look, act, or think like they do, or the even worse idea that there's nothing really wrong with a system that is designed in such a way that assistance and lift can only be provided to any person at the expense of another. That's called a "zero-sum" situation, and it usually results in nobody being satisfied.
We can do better. We have to think our way out of this mess we're in, and offer help and fresh ideas when we can, and we above all else need to understand that we're all sharing the same sky.
As I blow it back, woke is self educated as a successive, successful, life long pursuit; a high compliment to my thinking. Also a worthy insult to toss back, when one is 'woke' to the widespread inability to read, write, and process information objectively and critically in this digital misinformation age.
Absolutely Ally ! ..... And it 'resonates'. I highly recommend over using and abusing it at every opportunity. *edit in - I've also taken a real liking to calling them "proud boyz" especially including revolting MTG; no where in her do I recognize the grace inherent in a real female of our species.
Yes, it's the purposeful and somewhat underhanded insult that is the goal of 'misusing' that word. Yep, Cheryl... it is truthful and accurate ... Love the Banana Republican Party!! Perfect!! Banana Republicans!! From now on....
Actually, that was not his point. Quite the opposite., and I think it behooves us to recognize that and honor it. He was comparing -some- Republicans misuse of the word Democrat to an "as if", and used the example "It's as if everytime we (Dems) referred to their colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we use, oh, say, "banana republicans", and we used it every time we referred to anything about them." He goes on to say "But we don't do that", and gives a lesson in civility to the Republicans about the importance of using appropriate terminology on the House floor when speaking to or about the other party in order to further communication. I suggest we do the same, and stick to the point, and avoid language meant primarily to demean. Disagreement is appropriate. Snide name-calling is not.
I always thought that Rs deliberately misusing the word was to confuse small 'd' democratic with capital 'D' Democractic. And since plenty of people aren't careful (or don't know) about nouns vs. adjectives, this just played into the purposeful mix-up.
I agree with you that that is how it started. I have made that mistake often at times (confounding Democrat with Democratic), even though I've been active in the Democratic Party for a very long time. It didn't really matter so much until, as is true of much of what the present iteration of the Republican party does, it was taken up as a dig, a jibe meant to demean. We had two choices: ignore it until it burned itself out. But grammar police kept highlighting it, giving it more power. The other choice was exactly what Raskin did, making a gently worded correction and then placing it not in the frame of ignorance or grammar, but in the long tradition of using terms of respect and recognition in legislative chambers. One reason I admire him so much: he sets an example for all of us.
In my younger days, I was a fast typist and words would often get away from me, and sometimes I didn't pick up in proofreading. I made a practice of having someone else look over my work before sending it out to a wider audience. Now, my fingers make a LOT of mistakes, but how carefully I proof depends on what I am typing and the how forgiving an audience might be. Added all spellings with and without caps to my word list to alert me. It works in most settings.
Now this common but understandable mix-up has been perverted and made into a childish insult, so I added it to my word list so it gets red-lined no matter how it is spelled.
Go ahead, attack a woman for using the word "democrat" the way Republican men have been using it for years, if not decades. The two "Macs" - McCarthy and McConnell - have used the word as slur, not to mention George W. Bush. It's great that Jamie Raskin pointed this out, but it's also way past due time that Democrats called it out. Now, who is going to call out the fact that weaponizing the terms "woke" and "critical race theory" is overtly racist? Not just on the House or Senate floor, but on main stream media?
And while we are criticizing folks for barely completing high school, let's keep in mind the fact that Ron DeSantis is a graduate of Harvard. Lauren Boebert is a despicable person, but it's not because she didn't go to college.
And the comment is not directed at her because she is a woman either, but because she is aping what she has heard from other Rs, so she can appeal to the base.
It's just too easy to dump on Boebert, not that she doesn't deserve it and good on Jamie Raskin for calling it out on the House floor. It just can't stop there; Dems need to call out the GOPs demeaning rhetoric all the time.
That would get old fast. There would be no time to talk about anything else. Besides, our opponents, comprised mostly of the white working class, don’t give a shit about grammar, hate anything that reminds them of a schoolmarm, and love anything that smacks of demeaning educated people.
Could we all agree to put "weaponizing" in quotes every time we use it as it's the Republicans new "Democrat party"? How do they succeed at getting their little word usages into general use?
I'm not sure the use of "weaponizing" is incorrect, but it is certainly over-used; and I share your amazement at their ability to "weaponize" certain words and phrases.
PS. I think the use of Democrat as an adjective was popularized by Dick Army umpteen years ago. It caught on with uncivil Republicans (that is, all Republicans) right away.
I am not accusing Jamie Raskin of misogyny, but it is worth noting that men have been using "democrat" in that way for a long time without repercussion, as if it were somehow ok for men to say something insulting, or act obnoxious, but not ok for women to behave the same way.
I don't think people attack her in this instance because she is a woman, but because she is aping the R line that they all have used for years.... R men and women on D men and women.
Oh, she can't, but she knows that using Democrat as the Rs do is an insult. The one that really made smile today is Herr Gaetz not knowing who published his source. I find that when I call for sources on some of the dreck I see on other sites, there is a lot of stumbling around or the person reveals a wing nut site. The real corker was the person who said I should dig deeper and then used Judicial Watch as her source. And I hope I am remembering the name of that wing nut site correctly.
Hahaaahaaa..CW Bo Burrrr Ttt.. talk about a boob-job. What she needs is a boot-camp and a few deployments to some 'out-posts' made from packing crates, sandbags, and mosquito/spyder nets, on the rocky hillside of a valley in some far-a-way land. No hi-heels.
She may not be grammatically aware. But she sure groks the non-verbal attitude. And since attitude is all that she appears to be and specializes in, the correction stings.
I found this very interesting and a little surprising. Speaks to the MAGA base. This report is from the Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, July 2019.
“What is the make-up of adults with low English literacy skills by nativity status and race/ethnicity?
“U.S.-born adults make up two-thirds of adults with low levels of English literacy skills in the United States.5 However, the non-U.S. born are over-represented among such low-skilled adults. Non-U.S.-born adults comprise 34 percent of the population with low literacy skills, compared to 15 percent of the total population (figure 2).
“White and Hispanic adults make up the largest percentage of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy, 35 percent and 34 percent respectively (figure 3).
“By race/ethnicity and nativity status, the largest percentage of those with low literacy skills are White U.S.-born adults, who represent one third of such low-skilled population. Hispanic adults born outside the United States make up about a quarter of such low-skilled adults in the United States (figure 3).”
Hmm. The second paragraph is odd. Yes, non-U.S. born adults comprise about a third of the population with low literacy skills... because (as the first sentence already states) the other two-thirds are U.S.-born adults. <insert eye roll here> Am I missing something? What's surprising?
I’m an old white woman, just turned seventy. And I was a loyal Republican until that brass escalator (hated tfg before he ever declared). I retired as the librarian of a high-poverty K-5 NC public school, 2007-17. If asked, I would have said that Black illiteracy would have been higher. And I’m ashamed of that. The kids at my school were about 45% urban Black, 40% rural white, 14% Hispanic and a small number of Asian and other. The Hispanic population grew over my ten years. So I should have known better.
If you use the link to NCES, Figure 3 shows Black illiteracy at 23% - not what the Republicans would have you believe.
Glad you're here with us, Suzanne! Congrats on removing yourself from the Rs. As someone else kindly told me, we're forgiven for not having all the 'correct' answers earlier. We did the best we could with what we had or knew at the time. Thank you for pursuing that career in public education.
Zelle, I don’t subscribe to demeaning another by how they got their education to point out someone else’s apparent lack of understanding the English language. When we as a society cannot communicate in our own language, we must go back to square one and clarify the speaker’s “misspeak” but without insulting another. That appears to be acting in the same way. Just sayin’. Let’s stay higher on the road.
The correction isn't about teaching grammar. The correction is about putting someone in their place via pointing out their meanness (intentional use of Democ-rat) without pointing to it directly. Cunning and wily and absolutely needed. Clarifying the hidden message - You mess with us and you'll get you're come up-pence. Finally! You don't "straighten up" a bully by silence nor by the "higher road." You straighten up the bully by matching their energy and then one. Congress is a street brawl today. Raskin, by reminding the opposition that it can't get away with its insults, is drawing the line and saying, we won't put up with your BS anymore. You are on notice! (And, Raskin's sharp, they know he knows where they are vulnerable and he won't pull any punches and will be so polite as he delivers the needed skewer.
Yes, Selina. And Raskin made his point while battling cancer and undergoing chemo. I'm thankful for him every day. The issues between our parties make it clear that we must stand up to these ignorant bullies, and I'm all for it. Taking the high road just isn't effective, and the bullies see it as a sign of weakness.
Don’t bad mouth the GED. The test is difficult. It is more difficult in staying in high school and getting a diploma. We all do not need to have Ivy League diplomas.
Polite and proper has yielded 'Zero' results for Dems Pat. Your point is taken regards ill considered generalizations. The 'professional' in that regard was someone with literally walls full of degrees; she also ran against a charlatan and lost, partially as a result of ill considered - ill aimed generalizations. Dems in general are decades behind reality concerning 'taking off the gloves'. An activist such as myself has been on their collective azzes for decades about that. Is that just that, or have they really been totally out of touch ?
I've been haranguing this for a couple of decades, and in a response from the DNC for a donation, I wrote instead that the party needs a weapon sharper than a rubber knife, and a few sets of what becomes Rocky Mountain oysters. The Dark Brandon began to appear about that time, for which I attribute pure coincidence. Since the Dems don't want to muss up their J Crews by gutter fighting, some ju jitsu would be a beginning, and Mr Raskin is excelling at that, along with Mr Swalwell. But I don't detect any momentum. I am fascinated by Their (the other side) ability to dismiss formalities like accusing Mr Buttigeg of every crisis or disaster whether it's in his purview or not. Pin it on someone as high up as possible. MTG says 6 billion crossed the border last year or whatever she stated, she doesn't care about accuracy because her followers just quivered and reached for their weapons. Tell Them that DJT can't run for re-election again and They will besiege Piggly Wiggly in a New York minute. They do not insist on the finer points like some Dems I know, throw propriety out the damn window and get to it. I'll wait.
Oh MaryCat... It's not about dissing the GED. Awesome for your daughter!! Cheers to her success!!
It's about showing that LB is ignorant and not helpful in her current role in Congress. For me, the BIG reveal was her complaining loudly about separation of church and state in such crass and obviously ignorant language. Like a pissed off teenager. She appeared to truly have no clue about basics of American civics. And she's a legislator???
"From the web"? That's your citation? I know you are being snarky (very in these days), but if you base a statement on something, you'd better dang better be more specific than "from the web". Even Gaetz did better than that.
" @NaveedAJamali" has posted this stupid lie in several places around the internet (Twitter, Quora, etc). While Boebrt did indeed pass her GED in 2020, months before being elected to Congress, the truth is that she had to pass a four-course review in order to earn that GED. She passed on the first try, not the fourth.
You can search Snopes (reliable internet fact-checking source) and learn that truth yourself.
I'm with Annie on this -- please provide a source for this information. Not that I don't think Lauren Boebert is a loose cannon, but before you assert something dealing with a person's credentials, factual and accurate sourcing is absolutely necessary.
Will Jamie and Steve create a fashion trend with the ‘Bandana’ Look?
‘Jamie Raskin Credits Steven Van Zandt For Bandana Look As He Endures Chemotherapy’
‘The Maryland Democrat said treatment has been going well since he was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma.’
'WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) received an ovation Tuesday at the House Oversight Committee’s first meeting since he started cancer treatment, sporting a bandana look he credited to a famous rocker.'
“We’re all rooting for you,” committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told Raskin at the start of the meeting, which was the panel’s first of the year. “We know that you’re going to win this battle. You’re in our thoughts and prayers, and it’s good to see you here today.”
‘Raskin said that he hoped all the well wishes he’d received would become “seeds of friendship over the year” and that he planned to beat his illness. The ranking member seemed to blush as the room burst into applause. '
'On Tuesday, Raskin’s black-and-white bandana covered up the apparent hair loss.'
“I give all honor to Little Steven for creating this look for American men going through something,” Raskin told HuffPost, referring to guitarist and actor Steven Van Zandt.(HuffingtonPost)
In MY part of the country it stood for Grouchy Old Parasites. At least until 2020, when they literally gave up on having a platform. Now it's Grabbing Others' Puss*es. The nomenclature changes so fast these days!
TC, I wanted you to know that, while I can't afford to be a paid subscriber on your substack at this time, I do read it, and absolutely loved ¨Nobody Here But Us Chickens:¨ I hope that paid subscribers shared it via social media. I did and hope it brings you new readers.
Same boat as Gailee. Also the writing that you've shared about your Jurate was just so touching. I wish I could do more than just say how much I loved it but, unfortunately, I cannot. Just thank you, TC, for putting yourself "out there" at such a raw time. Deep and kind stirrings.
TC, since other folks are 'fessing up regards affordability to follow / participate at your page, I am one as well. I find myself a disabled senior with only SS as income - despite being in deep denial over accepting that status. The small sum I pay to participate here is actually painful, b/c 5$ for this, is 5$ away from another thing; but I 'must' be here.
"The love of money" and power figures into the history of both, but compare Reagan era (and since) pronouncements on "government' with Lincoln's "The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.", or imagine any prominent Republican saying anything remotely similar today? And obviously, it wasn't the Republicans who carried around Confederate flags back in Lincoln's day.
And yes, Teddy, a school of Lincoln Republican, famously championed the general welfare over plutocratic appeasement. Even Ike was mostly moderate, even, in some ways, Nixon.
In MT they hav excommunicated a former Republican Gov, telling him he can no longer refer to himself as a Republican. He notes that he has not changed his stance, it is the GOP. In exchanges with people on our Republican Congressional representatives, if I refer to them as MAGA, they say they are not but what they say reflects a MAGA stance. I have taken to referring to them as RINOS & their statements as reflective of the Christian National Party. Andrew Whitehead co authored a book discussing the CNP I am waiting to read. I am wondering when the leaders of the GOP will come out of the closet & say what they really are.
Many years ago I had a friend who had worked as a peon in the "Bohemian Grove", a patch of redwoods that caters exclusively to the ultra-wealthy and powerful, CEOs, Senators, and the like. He claimed they would get stinking drunk and openly brag to each other about what they were really up to, at least some of which was contempt for the poor.
As for the passionate fan club, I think they are so muddled with mental malware they don't know which way is up.
The party of greed. They even adopted it for a while (less so since the Subprime debacle) appropriating and proudly parroting the phrase "Greed is good" from film that cautioned against it. We all pursue self-interest, but it is only "greed" when it's hurting others. "Greedy Old Plutocrats" is among the more accurate updates of their moniker.
While I appreciate the irony, it cuts both ways. Democrats used to be mostly slave-owners, and were, roughly until Nixon, the majority party in the south.
They were Dixiecrats who caucused with Democrats. Democrats had to agree to a lot of deeply immoral actions to keep Dixiecrats in the caucus. The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act in the 1960s broke the Dixiecrats loose and freed Democrats from having to kowtow to stone-cold racists.
I was going to write the same thing! It seems small, but it's exactly like Janie Raskin said, a tiny, ridiculous insult. Every time a GOP member says Democrat this or Democrat that, it rankles. You're so right: common courtesy would be a good first step for restoring a positive working relationship between parties. Maybe we should reward Rep. Raskin with one of those T-shirts that say 'I am silently correcting your grammar.'
My brother, also a Van Zandt fan, wore the same kind of bandana during the hairless part of his treatment. This is no coincidence. Someone on here mentioned a wig. Uncomfortable and hot. Not much to do about the no eyelashes and eyebrow part. They grow back though. His hair came back almost enough to cover the scar. His scc originated in his lung and metastesized to his brain. It was kind of nasty, but my brother is a Stratton and therefore stubborn. He actually beat the thing. I bet Jamie will too. His cancer is a different kind, and from what I understand, his odds are way better than my brothers. I'd love to be able to introduce them someday.
I have been tilting at that windmill for at least15 years, and am thrilled that Raskin is taking them to task. He also wins the internet with "Banana Republicans".
What is funny is that my wife (who sweats a lot, and has to wear a bandana as a headband when she works outside, even in freezing temperatures) calls them "bananas" as a joke.
I unfortunately too have been irked by the pejorative use of Democrat. But as mentioned here already, I believe that some use it out of ignorance while others knowingly use it as a pejorative. And Raskin of course nail it.
The pejorative use of of the noun 'democrat' in place of the adjective 'democratic' goes back at least to Minnesota governor Harold Stassen, a perpetual and unsuccessful seeker of the G.O.P. presidential nomination in the last century. Republicans have continued to use it, and shockingly, I have heard some ignorant Democrats even make the mistake of doing so. The pejorative effect it has is similar to the negativity that accompanies referring to a Jewish businessman as a 'Jew businessman.' While even the word 'pejorative' is probably beyond the depth of many Republicans, they like the insulting negativity calling their opposition the Democrat Party provides. It probably gets them a few votes, too.
Jamie Raskin is being too nice. We should take his advice and refer, always, to the Banana Republican (or maybe just Banana Republic) Party and to Banana Republicans.
I think they like the word "Democrat" because they feel it ends with "-RAT"? My hunch is they don't like "Democratic" because they're thinking "democratic"--small "d"--is something they represent more than we do. Maybe we should start doing something similar to "Republican" and start calling them "Republics"...I like "Repubes" myself...
I expect that the MAGA response to the concern for grammar and civility will be to call it out as another example of “wokeness” (a term, by the way, that was rejected by my spellchecker).
Thank you. Republicans have used that slur on the other party since the 1940s. It is meant to say to us, and to the American people, that our party is not worthy of enough respect to warrant learning its proper name. Call this repellent practice out whenever you can.
Since when do we not use nouns as adjectives? Car seat, table top, coffee mug. This is common in English, German, Japanese and I suppose many other languages. We live in a republic. Is republican an adjective? Maybe in 1856, but now we use it as a noun. Should we refer to the republicanic party.? Or maybe we should refer to the republic party and the democrat party. The term Democratic Party is in my opinion a grammatical subterfuge, a way to make one party seem more democratic than the other, a contention not borne out by history. Meanwhile democrats should start talking about restoring taxes, not raising them. That would be more correct.
How many people know Trump’s tax cut for ordinary people was designed to expire in 2025, restoring the pre-2017 rates after that? But his tax cut for corporations was written to be permanent.
How many people know the range of tax rates in our history?
I see a lot of folks think that democrat party is an insult. Maybe Democratic Party seems like an insult to republicans. It perhaps has irked them for a long time. So everyone is insulted? Seems like a distraction from more important things to me. If you can’t stand a little heat, stay away from the bonfire.
desperado, you make some excellent point, but maybe missing the key point. The Republicans that incorrectly use Democrat use it as an insult. Should one ignore stupid childish insults or should stupid childish insults be called out. That is the question. As a sign of respect we refer to people the way they prefer. To do otherwise is disrespectful and insulting.
desperado, here is another "take" on how appropriate are the names of our two political parties. There is a big difference between a republican form of government and a democratic form of government. It seems plausible that we could actually become a true democracy, wherein every citizens has a moral obligation and duty to participate in a self-governing nation. In 1789 the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had to travel by carriage or horseback -- for some, it was a journey of hundreds of miles and days or weeks of rough travelling. Today we have the Internet. In a Constitutional Republic, we elect "representatives", but inevitably a Rep can only represent, at most, a subset of all constituents. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was my Representative in the House. He certainly did not represent my policy preferences. The Republicans tend to think they are smarter than most other people. Historically they have tended to be older white males, who tended to play the role of "Dad". "Father Knows Best". We don't get what we want because the Will of the People can be casually ignored.
For a while I took umbrage upon hearing "The Democrat Party". But I decided to try to own it, and now when I hear "democrat party" I hear "Party of the Democrats".
Bottom line: Democracy is aspirational for the US. We live in a Republic. We are governed by a micro-mini minority of the American People, who make public policy for the rest of us. I hope some day we will all be democratic.
A political party can call itself whatever it wants. And it is wrong for others, not of that party, to permanently change it to something more to their liking when referring to it. Republic Party would be fine, but that's not the G.O.P.'s official name.
Great idea... a turn on reality of correct wording. Till the '60's, all paid a fairer share to be in this community of USA with 'all' that entails, like equal treatment and protection before the laws of the land we protected with blood and treasure. JMHO, all those opposed could join hands with Putin, Xi, Ayatollah, or.. we give them the smaller of the US virgin islands that 'someone' doesn't already own and give them an aging PT boat or 2 to defend their collective way of life.
Those of us whose memories go back to the 1960s, or who have read up on the history and listened to old newscasts from that decade, remember how white Southern politicians regularly referred to "the Democrat Party." I can still see and hear George Wallace's sneering face when he said it. There's no question in my mind that the current crop of Republicans -- the direct descendants of those white "Southern Democrats" -- know exactly what they're doing when they use "Democrat" as an adjective.
It is said that when words aren't sufficient to describe something, music can add the emotion necessary to properly communicate an idea. That's what opera does. That's what gospel music does. That's what country music does. That's what rap and hip-hop do. All of these are superior to Republican attempts to corrupt and confuse spoken language with such misuse of words like Democrat, socialist, and whatever else they choose to redefine.
Kudos to Jamie Raskin for pointing out the misuse of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective. -- This has irked me for years, and while I doubt it will stop Republicans for continuing this implied pejorative terminology, it is important to call out the misuse and ask for grammatically correct and respectful language as a common courtesy and an important first step toward bipartisanship.
Are we perhaps overestimating Congresswoman Boebert’s language skills by assuming she can grasp the difference between a noun and an adjective, and further, understands the different usage of both?
I’m skeptical.
We all know, as does Raskin, that the grammar is not the point t. The point is to make "Democrat" a dirty word.
I very much like Raskin's suggestion of calling the other Party the Banana Republicans every time we mention them. I know this is childish name-calling, but it actually is truthful!😊
The Republican use of the word “Democrat” was begun by Karl Rove and was always intended as an insult. Now if someone would call out their use of “woke.” It too is intended as an insult. The press should ask Republicans who talk about “woke policies”and the like, what does that word mean to you, and provide an example. It’s just used like scratching on a blackboard, to irritate people.
“Woke” is different. It’s not just a barb. It reminds people of why they vote Republican: because they want to preserve the enormous, systemic advantages of white Americans. That makes “woke” the most efficient possible communication of Republican values to Republican-leaning voters that can be conceived. A complete message in four letters.
Woke actually means awareness... kindness. Caring humanitarian. What BRs are NOT usually!!
I think if you were to ask one of them what the word means, they would be unable to define it. All they know is people start clutching their pearls when they hear it!
You’re right. It’s the right’s equivalent of virtue signaling to each other. But it really means nothing in their eyes other than f***ing withe the libs.
And one of the things that makes "woke" so powerful among GOPers is that so many whites in our country are underprivileged, and they feel left behind by black people and immigrants--as many of them actually are! (As my long-ago Berkeley professor, Arlie Hochschild wrote in her fairly recent book, Strangers in their Own Land.) Who dies from opioid overdoses? Who are all those ne'er do wells in JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy? They're whites!
We Democrats go way overboard with sorting people by skin color, and insisting whites are the top of the heap, and much to our detriment at election time. Money has a lot more to do with privilege in the US than does skin color. People of Indian, and probably Chinese ancestry do better financially, on average, than white people, as do several other non-white groups.
Well studied. Thx for sharing that out loud David.
Yes... economic classism doesn't always match up with stereotypical ethnicity. Been noticing that for years.
Sooo... Arlie Hochschild was your UC Bezerkeley prof??? Just now reading her book... only in the first part so far. She's brilliant in how she approaches this work.
Horrified at the parallels between E. Palestine OH train disaster and all the 'industrial pollution' destroying in short order the lives, homes, communities, environment in SW Louisiana where those regular people tell her their awful stories. And yes, so far, they're all white. Tragic.
The destruction is just horrendous and likely permanent.
If you haven't seen B.J. Novak's film, Revenge... it's excellent. Another powerful study in struggling white American culture.
How are whites "underprivileged?" I can agree that many lack adequate resources for housing,, food, and shelter, educational opportunities, and employment opportunities, but right now, I cannot imagine that there is any group in this nation who has more "privilege" than a person whose skin is white. Time and again, studies reveal that when examined side by side -- apples to apples, oranges to oranges, so to speak -- when you compare a white person's situation at every level, in any category, to that of a person of color (especially black people), there is real disparity between them, with the white having a distinct advantage over the other.
We're not going to improve anything buying into the trope of the whites being somehow oppressed by people who don't look, act, or think like they do, or the even worse idea that there's nothing really wrong with a system that is designed in such a way that assistance and lift can only be provided to any person at the expense of another. That's called a "zero-sum" situation, and it usually results in nobody being satisfied.
We can do better. We have to think our way out of this mess we're in, and offer help and fresh ideas when we can, and we above all else need to understand that we're all sharing the same sky.
As I blow it back, woke is self educated as a successive, successful, life long pursuit; a high compliment to my thinking. Also a worthy insult to toss back, when one is 'woke' to the widespread inability to read, write, and process information objectively and critically in this digital misinformation age.
yep, D4N ... exactly how i define it as well. proud of it, too. you said it much better. :D
I'm kinda drawn to MAGAts, and how it is pronounced... indicative of insect larvae.
Absolutely Ally ! ..... And it 'resonates'. I highly recommend over using and abusing it at every opportunity. *edit in - I've also taken a real liking to calling them "proud boyz" especially including revolting MTG; no where in her do I recognize the grace inherent in a real female of our species.
Yes, it's the purposeful and somewhat underhanded insult that is the goal of 'misusing' that word. Yep, Cheryl... it is truthful and accurate ... Love the Banana Republican Party!! Perfect!! Banana Republicans!! From now on....
Actually, that was not his point. Quite the opposite., and I think it behooves us to recognize that and honor it. He was comparing -some- Republicans misuse of the word Democrat to an "as if", and used the example "It's as if everytime we (Dems) referred to their colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we use, oh, say, "banana republicans", and we used it every time we referred to anything about them." He goes on to say "But we don't do that", and gives a lesson in civility to the Republicans about the importance of using appropriate terminology on the House floor when speaking to or about the other party in order to further communication. I suggest we do the same, and stick to the point, and avoid language meant primarily to demean. Disagreement is appropriate. Snide name-calling is not.
I always thought that Rs deliberately misusing the word was to confuse small 'd' democratic with capital 'D' Democractic. And since plenty of people aren't careful (or don't know) about nouns vs. adjectives, this just played into the purposeful mix-up.
I agree with you that that is how it started. I have made that mistake often at times (confounding Democrat with Democratic), even though I've been active in the Democratic Party for a very long time. It didn't really matter so much until, as is true of much of what the present iteration of the Republican party does, it was taken up as a dig, a jibe meant to demean. We had two choices: ignore it until it burned itself out. But grammar police kept highlighting it, giving it more power. The other choice was exactly what Raskin did, making a gently worded correction and then placing it not in the frame of ignorance or grammar, but in the long tradition of using terms of respect and recognition in legislative chambers. One reason I admire him so much: he sets an example for all of us.
In my younger days, I was a fast typist and words would often get away from me, and sometimes I didn't pick up in proofreading. I made a practice of having someone else look over my work before sending it out to a wider audience. Now, my fingers make a LOT of mistakes, but how carefully I proof depends on what I am typing and the how forgiving an audience might be. Added all spellings with and without caps to my word list to alert me. It works in most settings.
Now this common but understandable mix-up has been perverted and made into a childish insult, so I added it to my word list so it gets red-lined no matter how it is spelled.
Truly appreciate you, Annie.
Thanks, Suz-an. That made my day.
Go ahead, attack a woman for using the word "democrat" the way Republican men have been using it for years, if not decades. The two "Macs" - McCarthy and McConnell - have used the word as slur, not to mention George W. Bush. It's great that Jamie Raskin pointed this out, but it's also way past due time that Democrats called it out. Now, who is going to call out the fact that weaponizing the terms "woke" and "critical race theory" is overtly racist? Not just on the House or Senate floor, but on main stream media?
And while we are criticizing folks for barely completing high school, let's keep in mind the fact that Ron DeSantis is a graduate of Harvard. Lauren Boebert is a despicable person, but it's not because she didn't go to college.
And the comment is not directed at her because she is a woman either, but because she is aping what she has heard from other Rs, so she can appeal to the base.
It's just too easy to dump on Boebert, not that she doesn't deserve it and good on Jamie Raskin for calling it out on the House floor. It just can't stop there; Dems need to call out the GOPs demeaning rhetoric all the time.
That would get old fast. There would be no time to talk about anything else. Besides, our opponents, comprised mostly of the white working class, don’t give a shit about grammar, hate anything that reminds them of a schoolmarm, and love anything that smacks of demeaning educated people.
And ours. We do ourselves no favors with this kind of indulgence.
Could we all agree to put "weaponizing" in quotes every time we use it as it's the Republicans new "Democrat party"? How do they succeed at getting their little word usages into general use?
I'm not sure the use of "weaponizing" is incorrect, but it is certainly over-used; and I share your amazement at their ability to "weaponize" certain words and phrases.
They get their demeaning language into general use because their demeaning terminology appeals to their base.
PS. I think the use of Democrat as an adjective was popularized by Dick Army umpteen years ago. It caught on with uncivil Republicans (that is, all Republicans) right away.
"Go ahead, attack a woman for using the word "democrat" the way Republican men have been using it for years, if not decades."
The most bizarre accusation of misogyny I think I've ever seen.
I am not accusing Jamie Raskin of misogyny, but it is worth noting that men have been using "democrat" in that way for a long time without repercussion, as if it were somehow ok for men to say something insulting, or act obnoxious, but not ok for women to behave the same way.
It's something to think about, though, don't you think?
I don't think people attack her in this instance because she is a woman, but because she is aping the R line that they all have used for years.... R men and women on D men and women.
No.
And Yale...
Oh, she can't, but she knows that using Democrat as the Rs do is an insult. The one that really made smile today is Herr Gaetz not knowing who published his source. I find that when I call for sources on some of the dreck I see on other sites, there is a lot of stumbling around or the person reveals a wing nut site. The real corker was the person who said I should dig deeper and then used Judicial Watch as her source. And I hope I am remembering the name of that wing nut site correctly.
This comment should be in the discussion about Gunslinger Barbie.
lol Michele !
Hahaaahaaa..CW Bo Burrrr Ttt.. talk about a boob-job. What she needs is a boot-camp and a few deployments to some 'out-posts' made from packing crates, sandbags, and mosquito/spyder nets, on the rocky hillside of a valley in some far-a-way land. No hi-heels.
She may not be grammatically aware. But she sure groks the non-verbal attitude. And since attitude is all that she appears to be and specializes in, the correction stings.
Yes, it's a mystery. Maybe Boebert should consult with MTG and her Peachtree dish.
Do we know at what grade level Lauren Boebert's reading comprehension is?
I found this very interesting and a little surprising. Speaks to the MAGA base. This report is from the Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, July 2019.
“What is the make-up of adults with low English literacy skills by nativity status and race/ethnicity?
“U.S.-born adults make up two-thirds of adults with low levels of English literacy skills in the United States.5 However, the non-U.S. born are over-represented among such low-skilled adults. Non-U.S.-born adults comprise 34 percent of the population with low literacy skills, compared to 15 percent of the total population (figure 2).
“White and Hispanic adults make up the largest percentage of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy, 35 percent and 34 percent respectively (figure 3).
“By race/ethnicity and nativity status, the largest percentage of those with low literacy skills are White U.S.-born adults, who represent one third of such low-skilled population. Hispanic adults born outside the United States make up about a quarter of such low-skilled adults in the United States (figure 3).”
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019179/index.asp
Hmm. The second paragraph is odd. Yes, non-U.S. born adults comprise about a third of the population with low literacy skills... because (as the first sentence already states) the other two-thirds are U.S.-born adults. <insert eye roll here> Am I missing something? What's surprising?
I’m an old white woman, just turned seventy. And I was a loyal Republican until that brass escalator (hated tfg before he ever declared). I retired as the librarian of a high-poverty K-5 NC public school, 2007-17. If asked, I would have said that Black illiteracy would have been higher. And I’m ashamed of that. The kids at my school were about 45% urban Black, 40% rural white, 14% Hispanic and a small number of Asian and other. The Hispanic population grew over my ten years. So I should have known better.
If you use the link to NCES, Figure 3 shows Black illiteracy at 23% - not what the Republicans would have you believe.
Glad you're here with us, Suzanne! Congrats on removing yourself from the Rs. As someone else kindly told me, we're forgiven for not having all the 'correct' answers earlier. We did the best we could with what we had or knew at the time. Thank you for pursuing that career in public education.
I’m not sure, but I bet you could describe it with the fingers on one hand.
You insult the 5th graders.
Annnnnddd my typing dyslexia initially typed inslut. Junior high mind took that and ran with it.
LOLOLOL!!!! Thank you for the yucks today, Ally!! :D
That's wonderfully humorous!
Might only need one finger.
GED - just before she ran for office. So, perhaps High School.
Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Boebert
She dropped out of her senior year in high school to have a baby.
Soooo correct!!
No matter whether Laura knows the difference or not, there are lots of Banana Republicans who do. We need to say this to every one of them.
Are you sure it's not weaponizing language?
Zelle, I don’t subscribe to demeaning another by how they got their education to point out someone else’s apparent lack of understanding the English language. When we as a society cannot communicate in our own language, we must go back to square one and clarify the speaker’s “misspeak” but without insulting another. That appears to be acting in the same way. Just sayin’. Let’s stay higher on the road.
The correction isn't about teaching grammar. The correction is about putting someone in their place via pointing out their meanness (intentional use of Democ-rat) without pointing to it directly. Cunning and wily and absolutely needed. Clarifying the hidden message - You mess with us and you'll get you're come up-pence. Finally! You don't "straighten up" a bully by silence nor by the "higher road." You straighten up the bully by matching their energy and then one. Congress is a street brawl today. Raskin, by reminding the opposition that it can't get away with its insults, is drawing the line and saying, we won't put up with your BS anymore. You are on notice! (And, Raskin's sharp, they know he knows where they are vulnerable and he won't pull any punches and will be so polite as he delivers the needed skewer.
Yes, Selina. And Raskin made his point while battling cancer and undergoing chemo. I'm thankful for him every day. The issues between our parties make it clear that we must stand up to these ignorant bullies, and I'm all for it. Taking the high road just isn't effective, and the bullies see it as a sign of weakness.
Don’t bad mouth the GED. The test is difficult. It is more difficult in staying in high school and getting a diploma. We all do not need to have Ivy League diplomas.
It's a bit like taking the test to become a citizen. One must actually know things in order to pass it.
If I were still teaching social studies or US history, I would use the citizenship test as a curriculum.
We are beginning to sound like those “effete eastern snobs” that my buddy Spiro T Gyro Agnew spoke about.
I remember that dude. He turned out to be a real gem...
Polite and proper has yielded 'Zero' results for Dems Pat. Your point is taken regards ill considered generalizations. The 'professional' in that regard was someone with literally walls full of degrees; she also ran against a charlatan and lost, partially as a result of ill considered - ill aimed generalizations. Dems in general are decades behind reality concerning 'taking off the gloves'. An activist such as myself has been on their collective azzes for decades about that. Is that just that, or have they really been totally out of touch ?
I've been haranguing this for a couple of decades, and in a response from the DNC for a donation, I wrote instead that the party needs a weapon sharper than a rubber knife, and a few sets of what becomes Rocky Mountain oysters. The Dark Brandon began to appear about that time, for which I attribute pure coincidence. Since the Dems don't want to muss up their J Crews by gutter fighting, some ju jitsu would be a beginning, and Mr Raskin is excelling at that, along with Mr Swalwell. But I don't detect any momentum. I am fascinated by Their (the other side) ability to dismiss formalities like accusing Mr Buttigeg of every crisis or disaster whether it's in his purview or not. Pin it on someone as high up as possible. MTG says 6 billion crossed the border last year or whatever she stated, she doesn't care about accuracy because her followers just quivered and reached for their weapons. Tell Them that DJT can't run for re-election again and They will besiege Piggly Wiggly in a New York minute. They do not insist on the finer points like some Dems I know, throw propriety out the damn window and get to it. I'll wait.
My daughter has a GED, and you can bet she's smarter than anyone who insults her that way. Please, do better.
Oh MaryCat... It's not about dissing the GED. Awesome for your daughter!! Cheers to her success!!
It's about showing that LB is ignorant and not helpful in her current role in Congress. For me, the BIG reveal was her complaining loudly about separation of church and state in such crass and obviously ignorant language. Like a pissed off teenager. She appeared to truly have no clue about basics of American civics. And she's a legislator???
We don’t know that. I suspect someone else took her exam for her.
lol Zella !
"From the web"? That's your citation? I know you are being snarky (very in these days), but if you base a statement on something, you'd better dang better be more specific than "from the web". Even Gaetz did better than that.
" @NaveedAJamali" has posted this stupid lie in several places around the internet (Twitter, Quora, etc). While Boebrt did indeed pass her GED in 2020, months before being elected to Congress, the truth is that she had to pass a four-course review in order to earn that GED. She passed on the first try, not the fourth.
You can search Snopes (reliable internet fact-checking source) and learn that truth yourself.
I'm with Annie on this -- please provide a source for this information. Not that I don't think Lauren Boebert is a loose cannon, but before you assert something dealing with a person's credentials, factual and accurate sourcing is absolutely necessary.
Will Jamie and Steve create a fashion trend with the ‘Bandana’ Look?
‘Jamie Raskin Credits Steven Van Zandt For Bandana Look As He Endures Chemotherapy’
‘The Maryland Democrat said treatment has been going well since he was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma.’
'WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) received an ovation Tuesday at the House Oversight Committee’s first meeting since he started cancer treatment, sporting a bandana look he credited to a famous rocker.'
“We’re all rooting for you,” committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) told Raskin at the start of the meeting, which was the panel’s first of the year. “We know that you’re going to win this battle. You’re in our thoughts and prayers, and it’s good to see you here today.”
‘Raskin said that he hoped all the well wishes he’d received would become “seeds of friendship over the year” and that he planned to beat his illness. The ranking member seemed to blush as the room burst into applause. '
'On Tuesday, Raskin’s black-and-white bandana covered up the apparent hair loss.'
“I give all honor to Little Steven for creating this look for American men going through something,” Raskin told HuffPost, referring to guitarist and actor Steven Van Zandt.(HuffingtonPost)
My brother and sister in law were on the committee that hired Raskin. (voters in a certain Maryland district.)
To know what irks me? The "GOP" moniker: supposedly, the Grand Old Party.
The DemocratIC party is actually older.
Even their nickname is an obvious lie.
It stands for "Ghouls, Ogres and Putzes."
In MY part of the country it stood for Grouchy Old Parasites. At least until 2020, when they literally gave up on having a platform. Now it's Grabbing Others' Puss*es. The nomenclature changes so fast these days!
GOP
Grabbing Others' Puss*es
Go Will Go!!
I’m LITERALLY laughing out loud!
same!!!! :D
Will, from Cal , I will laugh all day to those description of GOP meaning
OK, with this conversation thread, now I'm ready for the day. 🤣
Will, you are a delight! :)
Right ON !! When will THEY " WAKE UP ??!!"
lol Will ! Now I'm on the floor !
TC, I wanted you to know that, while I can't afford to be a paid subscriber on your substack at this time, I do read it, and absolutely loved ¨Nobody Here But Us Chickens:¨ I hope that paid subscribers shared it via social media. I did and hope it brings you new readers.
Thank you!
Same boat as Gailee. Also the writing that you've shared about your Jurate was just so touching. I wish I could do more than just say how much I loved it but, unfortunately, I cannot. Just thank you, TC, for putting yourself "out there" at such a raw time. Deep and kind stirrings.
Thank you.
Greedy Oligarch Party
TC, since other folks are 'fessing up regards affordability to follow / participate at your page, I am one as well. I find myself a disabled senior with only SS as income - despite being in deep denial over accepting that status. The small sum I pay to participate here is actually painful, b/c 5$ for this, is 5$ away from another thing; but I 'must' be here.
Many of us in this boat, D4N. Checked out Substack Reads page (something like that) recently. Lots of discussion about this topic.
Lol TC.. I fell off my chair laughing !
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have gone through a lot of changes. The early Republican party had a lot more going for it.
In fact, the two parties have done a 180 degree shift since the early 20th century.
"The love of money" and power figures into the history of both, but compare Reagan era (and since) pronouncements on "government' with Lincoln's "The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.", or imagine any prominent Republican saying anything remotely similar today? And obviously, it wasn't the Republicans who carried around Confederate flags back in Lincoln's day.
And yes, Teddy, a school of Lincoln Republican, famously championed the general welfare over plutocratic appeasement. Even Ike was mostly moderate, even, in some ways, Nixon.
Up until 1868 when they discovered having power meant access to money.
In MT they hav excommunicated a former Republican Gov, telling him he can no longer refer to himself as a Republican. He notes that he has not changed his stance, it is the GOP. In exchanges with people on our Republican Congressional representatives, if I refer to them as MAGA, they say they are not but what they say reflects a MAGA stance. I have taken to referring to them as RINOS & their statements as reflective of the Christian National Party. Andrew Whitehead co authored a book discussing the CNP I am waiting to read. I am wondering when the leaders of the GOP will come out of the closet & say what they really are.
Many years ago I had a friend who had worked as a peon in the "Bohemian Grove", a patch of redwoods that caters exclusively to the ultra-wealthy and powerful, CEOs, Senators, and the like. He claimed they would get stinking drunk and openly brag to each other about what they were really up to, at least some of which was contempt for the poor.
As for the passionate fan club, I think they are so muddled with mental malware they don't know which way is up.
Which gov?
I'm guessing Montana. "MT".
Will, a couple of years ago I adopted "Ghastly Oligarch Party" as the true meaning of the acronym GOP. I use it all the time here.
I'm fine with GQP. Shorter to type and summarizes where most of them are these days.
I just call them the party of death.
The party of greed. They even adopted it for a while (less so since the Subprime debacle) appropriating and proudly parroting the phrase "Greed is good" from film that cautioned against it. We all pursue self-interest, but it is only "greed" when it's hurting others. "Greedy Old Plutocrats" is among the more accurate updates of their moniker.
Excellent description.
Irks me to nth degree
GOP: Guns Over People (courtesy of MoveOn).
accurate!!
While I appreciate the irony, it cuts both ways. Democrats used to be mostly slave-owners, and were, roughly until Nixon, the majority party in the south.
They were Dixiecrats who caucused with Democrats. Democrats had to agree to a lot of deeply immoral actions to keep Dixiecrats in the caucus. The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act in the 1960s broke the Dixiecrats loose and freed Democrats from having to kowtow to stone-cold racists.
And the Southernist Party scum who were "Democrats" then are "Republicans" now.
".. Follow the money"
ALWAYS
Banana Republican Party, I love it.
Expecting common courtesy, you jest
I would expect it in a fully functioning democracy. It is not unreasonable to require a degree of visible professionalism where so much is at stake.
How I wish
Jamie Raskin is on fire!
I am a resident of Ohio, in between Cleveland and Akron. I have always adored Raskin.
I was going to write the same thing! It seems small, but it's exactly like Janie Raskin said, a tiny, ridiculous insult. Every time a GOP member says Democrat this or Democrat that, it rankles. You're so right: common courtesy would be a good first step for restoring a positive working relationship between parties. Maybe we should reward Rep. Raskin with one of those T-shirts that say 'I am silently correcting your grammar.'
Common courtesy is no longer in the R playbook. They love being as rude as they can possibly be and some of them are way beyond rude.
Reminds me of Gov. Huckabee Sander’s use of Democrat as an adjective during the SOTU rebuttal. Turned my stomach.
didn't listen to it... tho she certainly oughta know better
😆😆😆😆😆 Great idea!
Love Jamie Raskin. Praying to any and all gods for his health and wellbeing.
I hope he continues to wear the pirate-style headscarf even after completing treatment (successfully, of course).
My brother, also a Van Zandt fan, wore the same kind of bandana during the hairless part of his treatment. This is no coincidence. Someone on here mentioned a wig. Uncomfortable and hot. Not much to do about the no eyelashes and eyebrow part. They grow back though. His hair came back almost enough to cover the scar. His scc originated in his lung and metastesized to his brain. It was kind of nasty, but my brother is a Stratton and therefore stubborn. He actually beat the thing. I bet Jamie will too. His cancer is a different kind, and from what I understand, his odds are way better than my brothers. I'd love to be able to introduce them someday.
Appreciate this story, Annie. So glad your brother survived it all.
yeah, it's pretty great!
I have been tilting at that windmill for at least15 years, and am thrilled that Raskin is taking them to task. He also wins the internet with "Banana Republicans".
Yes, and Jamie Raskin wins with his Democratic Majority Bandana. Ally, what do you think of the Bandanas for Democracy Campaign?
I'd buy several.
What is funny is that my wife (who sweats a lot, and has to wear a bandana as a headband when she works outside, even in freezing temperatures) calls them "bananas" as a joke.
Funny, 'Banana, Bandana …" isn't that a Gilda Radner? The Democracy Bandana would sell. Think of the variety of designs with red, white and blue.
For sure!! Banana Republicans for the win!!
I unfortunately too have been irked by the pejorative use of Democrat. But as mentioned here already, I believe that some use it out of ignorance while others knowingly use it as a pejorative. And Raskin of course nail it.
The pejorative use of of the noun 'democrat' in place of the adjective 'democratic' goes back at least to Minnesota governor Harold Stassen, a perpetual and unsuccessful seeker of the G.O.P. presidential nomination in the last century. Republicans have continued to use it, and shockingly, I have heard some ignorant Democrats even make the mistake of doing so. The pejorative effect it has is similar to the negativity that accompanies referring to a Jewish businessman as a 'Jew businessman.' While even the word 'pejorative' is probably beyond the depth of many Republicans, they like the insulting negativity calling their opposition the Democrat Party provides. It probably gets them a few votes, too.
Jamie Raskin is being too nice. We should take his advice and refer, always, to the Banana Republican (or maybe just Banana Republic) Party and to Banana Republicans.
I vote for “Banana Republic Party”
I think they like the word "Democrat" because they feel it ends with "-RAT"? My hunch is they don't like "Democratic" because they're thinking "democratic"--small "d"--is something they represent more than we do. Maybe we should start doing something similar to "Republican" and start calling them "Republics"...I like "Repubes" myself...
I expect that the MAGA response to the concern for grammar and civility will be to call it out as another example of “wokeness” (a term, by the way, that was rejected by my spellchecker).
Or elitism. They think anyone who can put an articulate sentence together is an “elite”.
Thank you. Republicans have used that slur on the other party since the 1940s. It is meant to say to us, and to the American people, that our party is not worthy of enough respect to warrant learning its proper name. Call this repellent practice out whenever you can.
And also for him pointing out that HE was the genesis of Bobert’s bill.
Since when do we not use nouns as adjectives? Car seat, table top, coffee mug. This is common in English, German, Japanese and I suppose many other languages. We live in a republic. Is republican an adjective? Maybe in 1856, but now we use it as a noun. Should we refer to the republicanic party.? Or maybe we should refer to the republic party and the democrat party. The term Democratic Party is in my opinion a grammatical subterfuge, a way to make one party seem more democratic than the other, a contention not borne out by history. Meanwhile democrats should start talking about restoring taxes, not raising them. That would be more correct.
Yes, restoring taxes! Much better word choice!
How many people know Trump’s tax cut for ordinary people was designed to expire in 2025, restoring the pre-2017 rates after that? But his tax cut for corporations was written to be permanent.
How many people know the range of tax rates in our history?
Desperado, you are absolutely right about nouns as adjectives, and restoring taxes is what we should be doing, big time! Right on!
I see a lot of folks think that democrat party is an insult. Maybe Democratic Party seems like an insult to republicans. It perhaps has irked them for a long time. So everyone is insulted? Seems like a distraction from more important things to me. If you can’t stand a little heat, stay away from the bonfire.
desperado, you make some excellent point, but maybe missing the key point. The Republicans that incorrectly use Democrat use it as an insult. Should one ignore stupid childish insults or should stupid childish insults be called out. That is the question. As a sign of respect we refer to people the way they prefer. To do otherwise is disrespectful and insulting.
desperado, here is another "take" on how appropriate are the names of our two political parties. There is a big difference between a republican form of government and a democratic form of government. It seems plausible that we could actually become a true democracy, wherein every citizens has a moral obligation and duty to participate in a self-governing nation. In 1789 the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had to travel by carriage or horseback -- for some, it was a journey of hundreds of miles and days or weeks of rough travelling. Today we have the Internet. In a Constitutional Republic, we elect "representatives", but inevitably a Rep can only represent, at most, a subset of all constituents. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was my Representative in the House. He certainly did not represent my policy preferences. The Republicans tend to think they are smarter than most other people. Historically they have tended to be older white males, who tended to play the role of "Dad". "Father Knows Best". We don't get what we want because the Will of the People can be casually ignored.
For a while I took umbrage upon hearing "The Democrat Party". But I decided to try to own it, and now when I hear "democrat party" I hear "Party of the Democrats".
Bottom line: Democracy is aspirational for the US. We live in a Republic. We are governed by a micro-mini minority of the American People, who make public policy for the rest of us. I hope some day we will all be democratic.
A political party can call itself whatever it wants. And it is wrong for others, not of that party, to permanently change it to something more to their liking when referring to it. Republic Party would be fine, but that's not the G.O.P.'s official name.
Great idea... a turn on reality of correct wording. Till the '60's, all paid a fairer share to be in this community of USA with 'all' that entails, like equal treatment and protection before the laws of the land we protected with blood and treasure. JMHO, all those opposed could join hands with Putin, Xi, Ayatollah, or.. we give them the smaller of the US virgin islands that 'someone' doesn't already own and give them an aging PT boat or 2 to defend their collective way of life.
Thank you, desperado!! Restoring taxes!! Exactly right... such a George Lakoff thingy!!
Those of us whose memories go back to the 1960s, or who have read up on the history and listened to old newscasts from that decade, remember how white Southern politicians regularly referred to "the Democrat Party." I can still see and hear George Wallace's sneering face when he said it. There's no question in my mind that the current crop of Republicans -- the direct descendants of those white "Southern Democrats" -- know exactly what they're doing when they use "Democrat" as an adjective.
It is said that when words aren't sufficient to describe something, music can add the emotion necessary to properly communicate an idea. That's what opera does. That's what gospel music does. That's what country music does. That's what rap and hip-hop do. All of these are superior to Republican attempts to corrupt and confuse spoken language with such misuse of words like Democrat, socialist, and whatever else they choose to redefine.
Yes. Republicans sneer while Democrats smile.
Matt Gaetz's face keeps giving me George Wallace flashbacks.