Today we reinaugurate The Tin Lizard, an "anything" blog, a sibling of Morning Fog.
There are many election-related topics to address but right now, but The Lizard's attention turns to the political use of language. These days nearly any term can become fraught with politically partisan meaning. Terms like "lock him up" and "treason" are cavalierly bandied about, and personal insults against one's political opponents are commonplace.
I'd like to address a less emotionally-charged misuse, i.e., how our two major political parties address each other. Formally, we have the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
For Republicans, it has become a badge of honor to use the word "Democrat" as an adjective: "Democrat Party," "Democrat proposal," "Democrat failures," and so on. It's understood by all that this isn't a slander, yet it clearly is an intentional slur, aimed at provoking mild annoyance among the opponents. It's exactly analogous to mispronouncing an opponent's name (Ka-MAH-la, for example). They believe it's an effective tool, and perhaps it is, though the usage-conscious person might wonder why Republicans so despise "democrats" - what do they have against the idea that the people govern? At heart, we know the answer.
Nevertheless, actual Democrats have resisted the urge to respond in kind to this sort of childishness. I've not heard any Dem refer to the opposing party as the "Republic Party." Should they? No, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie - and yes, they do keep on lying - but Democrats serve the political good of the country by referring always to their political opponents and their voters as "Republicans." Let them keep their adjective.
But one group should have its own special adjective: Those Republicans who have no courage, who have traded the governing principles of the country and the Constitution for political advantage, who (to paraphrase Pete Buttigieg) have searched their minds without finding a conscience. These are the enablers. They include every Republican now sitting in the Senate or House, as well as many elected and appointed officials at other levels.
I propose dubbing this group "Republickin'." It's an extra "k" with a little Southern accent folded in at the end. "Ick" expresses what the average person's gut reaction should be to their self-serving dishonesty; and at the same time it also conveys a je-ne-sais-quoi sense of the underlying nature of their relationship to their President.
Let's wrap up with one serious point about "Democrat" as an adjective: Your local news reporters may have adopted this terminology themselves, as ours in the Washington DC area have done. If so, please reach out to them to point out it's ignorant, incorrect, and an insult.
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