POLITICS OCTOBER 12, 2011
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Welcome to TNR’s 2011 list issue. Earlier this week we named DC's most over-covered stories, most over-rated thinkers, most powerful, least famous people, and TNR's favorite people. Today's installment: the worst words in Washington.
If you work in D.C., there are some phrases that you see far too often. Here are some of the most grating:
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM (CW)
“THE NEW CW: OBAMA HARD TO BEAT”
—Ben Smith, Politico
CREDIBILITY GAP
“This was the beginning of the yawning credibility gap between the Obama’s [sic] administration and business.”
—Mort Zuckerman, Financial Times
GRAND BARGAIN
“Rather than shift back to his base with a weak fiscal plan, Obama should have taken his idea of a Grand Bargain to the country.”
—Thomas Friedman, The New York Times
HOW WILL IT PLAY?
“Today President Obama signed Wall Street reform into law, and tomorrow he’s expected to sign a bill extending unemployment benefits. How will this play in November?”
—Chris Matthews, “Hardball”
MUSCLE THROUGH
“The House move sets up a battle with the Senate, where majority Democrats are trying to muscle through an almost $7 billion disaster relief measure.”
—Associated Press
PLAY TO THE BASE
“That’s what happens in Washington. [Republicans] are going to play to their base for a certain period of time.”
—Barack Obama, speaking to the press corps
PUT FORWARD A VISION
Romney’s campaign “is trying to put forward that vision.”
—Terry Nelson, Republican strategist
ROBUST
“Congresswoman Lowey has always believed that maintaining a robust foreign policy is critical to United States national security.”
—Democratic Representative Nita Lowey’s website
WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT
“The Department supports institutionalizing whole-of-government approaches to addressing national security challenges.”
—Defense Department report
WIN THE FUTURE
“The third step in winning the future is rebuilding America.”
—Barack Obama, 2011 State of the Union address
WIN THE MORNING
“We have got to win the morning.”
—Ron Fournier, National Journal editor
WONKISH
“Paul Ryan is routinely described as wonkish, a policy-detail guy short on political reality.”
—The Wall Street Journal
9 comments
My least favorite cliche: "speak truth to power." Dan
- dbuck1
October 21, 2011 at 8:06am
CW doesn't belong on this list; these words became/are a form of CW. They are meaningless words, used to express nothing, uttered by people who either have nothing to say or intend to mislead. That's what JKG meant when he coined CW. We used to have a sensitive ear to such nonsense, in response to the propaganda uttered by those who threatened our freedom, including freedom of thought. Now we accept words such as "clear sky amendments" when they have no meaning at all, or even when they mean the opposite. Today there's even a movement (in our leading universities no less) to subvert Strunk and White's lesson that we write and speak clearly, with words that have meaning.
- rayward
October 21, 2011 at 8:39am
My guess is the editors chose these words or phrases because they have meaning but have become overused. Some words that have little or no meaning that are in far greater use include "I think", "you know" and "I mean". These words add nothing to a statement but try counting them within any monologue of more than one minute.
- Doug12
October 21, 2011 at 10:28am
This is a mediocre piece. Many of the examples add nothing ("we have got to win the morning"), and there's no commentary on WHY these terms are "the worst." This is link bait to subsidize TNR's serious articles.
- jaltcoh.blogspot.com
October 21, 2011 at 10:44am
10/21/2011 - 10:44am EDT | jaltcoh.blogspot.com Lighten up man. What do you expect, prize winning stuff. It's a kibbitz, meant to be light and fun. "Link bait" really? How do you figure? People here will read what they wish and don't "bait" for that. What's serious is its own attraction.
- basman
October 21, 2011 at 12:55pm
Populism, has to be the worst. It's even repeated in Franklin Foer's article. With O'bama moving towards populism with measures on inequality. Anything that benefits the majority of the population seems to be called "Populism" with all of its negative connotations. God, I hate it.
- IggyPop
October 21, 2011 at 3:11pm
Kind of a dull selection, though. What about the increasing and irritating use of "not over till the fat lady sings," one of the more baroque (and potentially insulting?) locutions currently in fashion?
- ironyroad
October 21, 2011 at 8:11pm
Robust has already been my favorite. I've been working military R&D and procurement for years, and everything must be "robust". Doesn't TNR use "wonkish" or "policy wonk" a lot?
- dubyadoubte
October 21, 2011 at 9:03pm
As to this thread: the fat lady has sung.
- basman
October 21, 2011 at 9:48pm