‘A panel of bureaucrats whose task it is to examine everyone needing medical attention and decide who gets denied healthcare. Used as propaganda to scare old, confused, ignorant people into opposing healthcare reform, despite not actually existing in the bill.’
from Urban Dictionary
In the news… Paul Ryan Tells Florida Seniors That Obamacare Includes Death Panels (9/22/12)
delaying a political decision in the hope that it will go away or that someone else will deal with it later
In the news… Fiscal Cliff Plan C: Kick the Can Down the Road (Christian Post, 12/26/12)
‘A combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board government spending cuts scheduled to become effective Dec. 31, 2012. The idea behind the fiscal cliff was that if the federal government allowed these two events to proceed as planned, they would have a detrimental effect on an already shaky economy, perhaps sending it back into an official recession as it cut household incomes, increased unemployment rates and undermined consumer and investor confidence. At the same time, it was predicted that going over the fiscal cliff would significantly reduce the federal budget deficit.’
from Investopedia.com
In the news… Fiscal Cliff Deal Not In Sight As Deadline Nears
absenteeism among police officers or other unionized employees who claim to be off work sick but are in fact absent in support of union contract demands or negotiations: so called from police officers’ blue uniforms
Hawaii state, county knew of election “blue flu” (New England Cable News, 10/22/12)
a member of a demographic group-usually a working class, high school-educated father with relatively conservative values and unpredictable voting behavior. The name refers to the stereotype that this group tends to enjoy NASCAR and other high-energy sports/entertainment
In the news…
Romney tries a retool with NASCAR race fans (Reuters, 9/9/12)
Tagged demographic, high-school educated, male, Voter, working class
The practice of recruiting political candidates for lower office whose last names start with the letter, A (or another letter early in the alphabet). This practice is based on the theory that in low profile elections voters will tend to support whichever candidate has a name (first or last) that falls noticeably earliest in the alphabet.
A mid-day moratorium established by the White House on newsworthy announcements and events. The announcement, ‘the lunch lid is on’ means that reporters can go to lunch knowing that any important news from the White House will not break as they are eating.
Tagged Journalists, moratorium, news, President, reporters, white house
a political party that embraces a wide range of beliefs & backgrounds among its members rather than requiring strict adherence to ideology as a prerequisite for membership.
In the United States, during the latter half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the Republican Party boasted membership of big business interests, laborers (both of whom supported the GOP’s tariff strategy) as well as many African-Americans, due to Republican Abraham Lincoln’s abolition of slavery and the party’s stance on civil rights.
Also, in the United States, a very good example of this approach was the New Deal coalition which formed in support of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies. This coalition brought together labor unions, southern Dixiecrats, progressives, and others in support of FDR’s economic program, even though these groups strongly disagreed on other issues.
(from Wikipedia.com)
In the news…
- The Miami Herald: Bring back the GOP big tent (8/26/12)
- The Washington Post: Frozen out of GOP convention speaking role, Ron Paul lectures his party at counter rally (8/27/12)
unwavering political party allegiance, either through force or choice
an enthusiast proponent of military action (‘hawk’) who avoided the oportunity for military service when of age (‘chicken’)
Famous chicken hawks include Rush Limbaugh (avoided Vietnam due to a pilonidal cyst), Newt Gingrich, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, & George W. Bush.
- On video… Ron Paul on calling Newt Gingrich a Chickenhawk ABC NH Republican Debate (1/7/12)
- At AWOLBush.com… Who served in the military?
the ARGOTIST 