"Democrat Party"

Dear Matt,
You are so unbelievably right. Right, right, right. Did I say that you are right? How does it feel to be this right and have no one in the establishment who will listen. Do you have any tips on how to deal with that?

I follow politics pretty closely, and it never occurred to me that the President was saying this. He's obviously a prick, but why get all worked up over it.

Mountain-Mole Hill seems to apply

100% right, Matt, but what to do about it is the question. In fighting against this, there's a real danger of appearing whiny, oversensitive and prudish, which is hardly an improvement over appearing weak. I think the trick is to do it in a ways that are embarrassing to *them* -- the GOP drones and the Blitzers who let them get away with this needling on their shows. There are ways in which this can be done.

I agree. I also think this is somewhat related to "Macaca." The issue of whether it was ever recognized as a systematic slur is less important than the fact that Allen was describing someone by an incorrect name. It's true Allen didn't know Sidarth's name, but he made up for that by calling him a name that sounds silly in the context of "America and the real world of Virginia."
Anyway, my numerous enemies will accuse me of harping on one isolated incident months ago for which Allen (who eventually lost of course) apologized, but whatever.

"rethuglican" has a nice ring...would the other side whine about a few letters?

Then the ranswer would be to refer to the "Repub Party."
And always with a smile.

If its going to be "Repub", then it should be pronounced REpub.

Mathew -

As somebody who looks for the substance of the ideas of the candidates and how they conduct themselves and looks for them to present solid - well thought out solutions, I do not align myself to any party. I tend to be conservative in most matters but certainly not all. As a member of the military I have certain biases which I recognize and try to compensate for when discussing politics.

All of that to say – I couldn’t really give a crap what you call your party – or what others call it. If you are kicking out good candidates with real solutions, I’ll vote for them. With the President’s current approval ratings – and his famed mis-pronunciations and annunciations – do you really think any of your stated fears apply?

Give good candidates with real solutions and they will get elected – regardless of what opposition calls them. Hillary ain’t it!! You are begging the far right to rally harder than they ever have – I am opposed to the extreme wings of either party!!

If Democrats make a big deal over being called the "Democrat Party", we look like a bunch of whiners. It's a no-win situation. Ignore and pick another battle.

I second Eric's comment. Please also note that this sentence needs a "not" inserted before appear: Yes, yes it would initially seem petty and bizarre of all these outlets to insist that people either name the party correctly or else not appear.

With the President’s current approval ratings – and his famed mis-pronunciations and annunciations – do you really think any of your stated fears apply?

This is one of the most naive things I've ever read.

"As somebody who looks for the substance of the ideas of the candidates and how they conduct themselves and looks for them to present solid - well thought out solutions, I do not align myself to any party. I tend to be conservative in most matters but certainly not all. As a member of the military I have certain biases which I recognize and try to compensate for when discussing politics."

KW deserves a medal.

But kw is wrong about this:

"Give good candidates with real solutions and they will get elected – regardless of what opposition calls them."

That is simply not so.

KW deserves a medal.

Unfortunately, I think the award statues for "Best Stereotypical Concern Troll Performance" are on back order. Which is too bad, since:

I am opposed to the extreme wings of either party!!

is absolutely classic, especially when used to justify opposition to Senator Clinton.

Aaron -

It's not naïve, it is simple human nature. People have grown to expect him to make annunciation errors as he speaks – at this time he has not got a huge following, even within his party. This is something most people, to include myself and others posting to this, never even notice. So the better course of action is to ignore it and take care of your business. Given the opportunity, correct somebody politely if they use it incorrectly in conversation with you – on or off camera – and don’t resort to the childish name calling that is being thrown about here. You will loose credibility if you stoop.

Couldn't someone just ask the speaker -- Bush, Hannitty(sp?), whomever -- who incorrectly uses the term "Democrat Party" if they were aware that the word they are looking for, modifying "party," is an adjective rather than a noun, and that "Democrat" makes no sense in this context? That "Democratic" is the only grammatical way to describe the Party of the Democrats?

Seems like offering them a choice between not knowing how to speak grammatically and pure dishonest usage leaves them in a bind.

But maybe that's just my East Coast Elitism.

This should be strictly a tit for tat situation. Make it a joke. There should be a memo sent down from on high to every Dem insisting that they refer to the other party as the 'Republic party'. Yes, it's infantile (that's the point). Never whine. Mock them. In fact, Democrats should be ridiculing members of the Republic party at every opportunity (and there are so, so many of them).

BTW, the point of their calling the dems the 'Democrat Party' is to make 'Democrat' a vague epithet, like 'liberal'. Matt is right that this matters.

I always flash back to the night that the Supreme Court gave Bush the Presidency and he made an address to the American people in which he re-iterated his "uniter not a divider" creds by talking about how he worked well with the "Democrat leadership" in the Texas legislature. I wanted to believe that Bush was the real thing, but as soon as he used those words, I immediately knew it was all a sham. And whaddayaknow?

jonnybutter -- the only downside I see to the "Republic" approach is that the term is weighted with so much meaning and memory. It's also kind of inaccurate, and indeed, too kind, to call the party of Empire the "Republic" party.

In his interview with Juan Williams on NPR the other day, Bush claimed he had no idea that he said "Democrat party" during the SoTU... even after Williams pointed out that the speech text read "Democratic."

The point is this: Bush is a mean-spirited liar, pathologically so, and both his large and small lies deserve our attention. This particular lie is symbolic of Bush's disingenuous call for "bi-partisanship" and deserves attention for that fact, alone.

Ben Cronin,

Yeah, grammar lectures, that's the way to do it. (rolls eyes)

The point is not that it's technically incorrect, it's that it's *factually* incorrect and deliberately so -- which makes it an insult. So ask Hannity (in your situation): "Do you not KNOW the name of the party you're talking about? I thought you were familiar with politics in this country. So here: Repeat after me -- 'DemoCRATIC Party'." Make it a slightly mean joke, put him on the defensive, make him look foolish. I mean, besides in the usual way.

Ben's right, though, that 'Republic Party' gets us nowhere.

It's also kind of inaccurate, and indeed, too kind, to call the party of Empire the "Republic" party

Then call it the 'Publican Party, as in publicans and sinners.

the only downside I see to the "Republic" approach is that the term is weighted with so much meaning and memory.

True, but 'Democrat' is at least somewhat weighted as well.

It's also kind of inaccurate, and indeed, too kind, to call the party of Empire the "Republic" party.

It's a GOP speciality to drain words of their meanings.

The bottom line is that it doesn't matter. Saying 'Republic Party' is jarring and ridiculous. We're talking about the mentality of a 9 year old here, and we have to approach these people on their own cretinous level. The ridicule must be unrelenting. They really hate that.

Republicanian? Publican? Repub? GOPper?

"We're talking about the mentality of a 9 year old here, and we have to approach these people on their own cretinous level. The ridicule must be unrelenting. They really hate that."

If you are trying to vent your frustration or impress your buddies with your great wit this works. If you are trying to detract from whatever perceptions you are worried about this is self defeating. You now come off as a 9 year old thowing a tantrum. I could care less about eaither party name which makes me one of those you are worried about being swayed - and I am telling you "Don't Stoop!" Correct it (POLITELY) when the need arises and let it go otherwise! The only ones being impacted by this are those of you who are so upset right now.

How about this: "________ loves to try and tell you what the Democratic Party stands for, what the Democratic Party believes. But he can't even get the name of our party correct, so why would you believe him on anything else?"

I could care less about eaither party name which makes me one of those you are worried about being swayed -

Somehow, given that you think Senator Clinton represents the extreme wing of her party, I doubt that.

Jonnybutter said:

"It's a GOP specialty to drain words of their meanings. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter. Saying 'Republic Party' is jarring and ridiculous."

But I think that it very much does matter. Words have meaning. "Republic" is a word that we should be defending, not using as a vector for ridicule (however richly deserved). It would be a phyrric victory at best if we succeed in insulting Republicans only by dragging "Republic" through the mud.

I like Mike's proposal.

You now come off as a 9 year old thowing a tantrum.

Oh yes, politely 'correcting' a bully works every time, kw.

You are either a 'concern troll' or shockingly clueless about human nature. If dems made deft use of this a few times, I guarantee that the GOP (except for Bush, who doesn't care) would stop calling us the 'Democrat Party' very quickly. This silly insult would instantly be seen for the purile little stunt it is, and they would drop it in a hurry. Matthew is exactly right that this is about defending oneself on a very basic level.

It is a very sad commentary on the Democratic Party that, of all people, it's the Republicans who are the party with the political sense of humor and not us. How in the world did that happen?!

What exactly is a "concern troll"?

I strongly disagree with this version of the "bitch-slap" theory of American politics.

Democrats have, in the past, frequently been deemed weak for failing to stand up to personal attacks. Dukakis attempted to stay above the fray and he was painted as a coward. Kerry failed to respond to the Swift-Boating and it made him look either weak or guilty. There has long been a tendency for the media to talk about Democratic weakness on foreign policy as if it were a known fact, and these are the sort of bitch slaps that demand a swift and aggressive response.

But little bits of needling like "Democrat Party" are essentially trivial. It's not as if Bush went hardcore freeper and started talking about the "Demon-rat Party" or called us "The Party of Death." Odds are that most viewers either didn't notice it at all, or else they chalked it up to Bush's perpetual mangling of the English language. It's probably a good idea for the DNC to call Bush on this, and a good idea for Democrats on TV talk shows to criticize anyone who uses the "Democrat Party" line. But to make a big, huge deal out of this type of issue is, I think, a mistake. When you blow a lesser slight out of proportion like this, it doesn't come off as a tough, strong response... it sounds like whining. And whining only reinforces the Republican slurs about Democrats as girlie-men.

Right now Democrats are being bitch-slapped by the Dick Cheneys of the world for supporting "Retreat and Defeat," and Fred Barnes is trotting out the Vietnam dolchstosslegende. These are slaps to the face. These are the media narratives that need to be confronted and destroyed. As for the "Democrat Party" nonsense, just remember what your mother said about sticks and stones. Point it out as evidence of the juvenile nature of Republican attack politics, and move on.

insulting Republicans only by dragging "Republic" through the mud.

With all due respect: lighten up. I'm not talking about forever changing the name of the other party or anything like that. I'm talking about a little well-placed ridicule, something the Democratic party doesn't do nearly enough of. It's not 'stooping', it's laughing at them. Bullies hate to be laughed at.

A 'concern troll' is someone who gives supposedly helpful advice to people he/she is actually opposed to.

We have conservatives over here - they call themselves Conservatives and we call them Tories. I suggest you do the same. I understand it has certain rather appropriate resonances in the US...

> But little bits of needling like "Democrat
> Party" are essentially trivial. It's not as
> if Bush went hardcore freeper and started
> talking about the "Demon-rat Party" or called
> us "The Party of Death." Odds are that most
> viewers either didn't notice it at all, or
> else they chalked it up to Bush's perpetual
> mangling of the English language.

Have to disagree. This is basically the original (liberal) "broken windows" theory of community policing in action in the political world. They start with "Democrat Party", get away with it, and proceed from there step-by-step to dolstchosslegende.

And this was fully confirmed when Bush threw a "islamofascist" into one of his speeches (9 months ago?). That shows clearly that this sort of meme manipulation is very deliberate, studied very carefully by the the Radicals, and injected very deliberately into the public discourse.

Cranky

Looks like Democrats might need a "what's my name" moment. All they need to do is to look up the Muhammad Ali-Ernie Tyrell fight from the mid-60s.

Before the fight, Tyrell refused to call Ali by his chosen name, instead choosing to call him "Cassius Clay." Ali punished Tyrell by keeping him up for 15 agonizing rounds, shouting "What's my name?" between onslaughts of brutal punishment. Some people say that was Ali at his darkest. But protecting your dignity isn't always meant to be pretty.

jonnybutter,

The first problem is that you are somehow feeling bullied by the whole thing. Secondly if you politely correct it in a public forum - as it occurs - you rise above the childish name calling and avoid the trap of looking like you are overly sensitive and reacting to a simple language mis-step.

Believe me, after 15 years leading troops - I am all too aware of human nature. First thing to consider is your audience and the response you want from them. Most suggestions here will make you look angry, silly and/or just plain ridiculous - I am not trying to TROLL anything just offering an unaffected perspective. So if you and MDS care to cut on me for that – fine, go with what you want to do. (Just as a note MDS I was not saying Senator Clinton represented the extreme of your party – I was saying she will draw out the extreme of the other party.)

I think we should use Repiglican to refer to them until they change their ways with Democrat.

Most people see no difference between "Democrat" and "Democratic." When Bush says it was just a slip of the tongue, they believe him.

But by making an issue out of it (finally), you lay the groundwork. The next 12 times some Republican does it, people will pick up on it, and they'll start to realize that you were right to claim they did it on purpose. And they'll rethink the fact that they believed Bush's excuse in the first place.

We're just laying the groundwork here. I thought that was pretty clear.

Why don't we just start calling the Republicans the "Iraq War Party?" This is a term that will in no way demean them since they are so proud of the war in the first place, and it will serve as an instructive reminder of the differences between the two parties.

I'd much rather have had the Dems stand up on the Military Commissions Act last fall, or any of a thousand other things.

But if we must do something about "Democrat Party" other than let it be water off a duck's back, let's call them the "Publican Party" in return.

If you want to talk about strength, 'two can play at that game' is a stronger response than acting annoyed by their rather inoffensive misnomer.

Steve -
You are absolutely right!!! - lay the "mistake" out there - but don't make yourself look stupid in how you do it. You don't completely ignore it, you don't over react to it, and then you can rise above it with dignity. Leave the other guy to look like an ass. From many years of fighting every battle head on – no holds barred, I have found that with these types of things the old "never wrestle a pig" adage holds very true.

I like the suggestion from our friend across the pond re: Tories. We all know which side the GOP would have taken during the Revolution.

I do agree that it's actually a fairly important fight and is worth being fought simply because Frank Luntz is behind it. Luntz is one of the worst all-time debasers of language and needs to be fought at every turn.

The Daily Show actually did a really amazing segment on Luntz with Samantha Bee, if anyone else caught that. It was during the big push for privatizing Social Security and she does a wonderful job of drawing him out. I'm at work and can't check the link, but this should work.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/04/19.html

Anyway, it seems to me that a sense of humor is probably the best way to handle this. A nice laugh, a broad smile, and a patronizing, "Well, Sean, we at the DemoCRATIC Party believe that ..." Repeat often and loudly, with the same intonation as if you're correcting a sixth grader. If we have public features repeatedly calling themselves "Democratic" it has the exact opposite effect of the right calling them the Democrat Party. If the left is Democratic, what's that make the right?

Finally! It's good to see somebody with lots of readers stand up on this issue. For conservatives, using "Democrat" as an adjective is an attempt to exercise a petty form of domination over Democrats and liberals. It's also a typical conservative language game in which conservatives can feel dominant when Democrats don't object and accuse Democrats of being "emotional" if they do object. That way, conservatives can feel that they win both ways.

The bad grammar involved in using "Democrat" as an adjective is also intentionally aggressive. The idea is to assert grammatical ignorance as superior to knowledge and portray conservatives as rebellious, unconventional, tougher, and more masculine than wimpy, over-educated liberals. In many ways, using Democrat as an adjective is the linguistic version of wearing cowboy boots or clearing brush for the cameras. It creates a faux Southern or "country" authenticity.

Like Matt, I think it's important to reject the usage. I also think it's important to maintain a continual critique of the stereotyping and faux macho crap underlying the usage. The faux machismo of the Bush administration is exactly what got us into the disaster in Iraq.

Start calling the Republican Party the Bush Party.

Look, KW is quite right. Hardly a malicious strategem, this "Democrat Party" saying is simply an honest misunderstanding among honest gentleman. If it were to arise on one of our public discourse programs the most proper thing to do would be to simply make clear the error. Surely the culprit, an honest man, will correct himself, leaving our good liberal vindicated and the mothers and grandmothers watching Hannity and Hardball most positively impressed.

Indeed, it was just the other day I saw something rather simliar occur on the Hannity program. The host had just finished his Enemy of the State segment, and as he was returning to his news desk, his producer stood up and gently interjected and said: "My dear fellow, merely criticizing the present administration does not make one an enemy of the state apparatus as a whole, but merely an opponent of the administration." And wouldn't you know it, Hannity retracted immediately, saying: "Verily, my friend, it so: Sean Penn has criticized the executive, but this no more makes him an enemy of the nation than you and I or any other law-abiding citizen. Clearly we must respect each other and our right to disagree. I beg Mr. Penn's pardon."

With reasonable, ingenuous men such as Hannity guiding the nation's discourse, what does the left have to fear?

Yes, yes, yes. Humor and punch. "Well, Sean, we in the Demo [pause] CRATIC Party say ABC, while those in the PUBLICAN Party say XYZ."

KW: If you don't think it matters, then why do the Republicans do it? Over the past couple of years, they have, as a group, started caling it the "Democrat Party", instead of the "Democratic Party". It's clearly deliberate. If didn't advance their agenda in some way, then why would they do it?

"Start calling the Republican Party the Bush Party."

I really like this idea, actually. I'm not sure how easy it would be to pull off without attracting too much attention, but instead of directly trying to twist around the word "Republican," it could be a lot easier and way more effective if they just dropped the name entirely and constantly referred to them as "President Bush's Party" or "The President's Party." Attach Bush to the party as often and as permanently as possible.

Talk about a wedge issue. "Are you with the Decider or against him?"

At first this seemed very difficult.

Then it came to me- when someone says "Democrat party", you interrupt them and say "Excuse me, but you just said 'Democrat Party'- is that because you are ignorant, or do you have some sort of agenda?"

Of course, this stategy depends on the people who go on talk shows actually being strong-willed Democrats capable of distinguishing themselves from Republicans and running the country. But at least it's a plan.

Part of the charge of the slur comes from colloquialisms like "Jew lawyer" or "woman doctor." It has rather nasty genealogies..

Why do they do it? I’m not a Republican so I can’t say for sure but it could well be for the very reasons Mathew asserts – and to get a response like many that have been suggested here. They can’t really lose too much on the issue – unless you throw it out there and they become ugly over it. Otherwise they can either make you look weak or make you look like an ass based on your chosen response. That is why Steve is right – calmly throw it out there as an issue and let them get stupid with it. On the other hand - Look at how much time and brain power has been spent by some very intelligent people on such a trivial matter when all else fails throw out as many little distractions as possible for people to trip over. I can’t say for sure why Republicans would choose to misspeak – the more important question is how do you respond and why? I have offered my thoughts but I don’t have a dog in the fight.

Every time a Democrat is on-air or in public with the Republican who uses "Democrat Party", he should refer to their party as the "Publican Party" (I thought of "Republic Party", but associating them with the country as such is too flattering), for a neat parallel, or, if that's seems or the "elephant party" or "elephantine party" to up the ante (although keep in mind that a quick-witted Republican could retort with "ass party_; in most contexts, we should settle for "Publican Party". I agree that this matters, and have read claims that the Elephanto's poll-tested "Democrat Party" and that's why they use it.

while I agree with your proposition and the bitch-slap theory, I really think this is an instance where it is best to let it go. Aside from avid blog readers, no one really knows this is an issue, and I would guess most Americans would never get the issue. Complaining about it would sound whiny which is the desired response the GOP is hoping for.

"He's calling us names again...."

Save the bitch-slap back for bigger issues like questioning of patriotism, etc, in which case Dems need to hit back very hard, and be unrelenting in objection and demands for apologies. They we give them a free pass on such behavior makes me ill.

Of course, liberals are not just called wimps but are also accused of being oversensitive. It helps in rhetorical warfare if you have a barb for every occasion.

Talking about bipartisanship while leaving off the '-ic' works because the general public who might be concerned about rudeness in general doesn't readily get what the fuss is about. You secretly provoke a sharp response at the very moment that you seem to be reaching out.

Republicanian? Publican? Repub? GOPper?

"Party Of Nixon"

I think the trick is to do it in a ways that are embarrassing to *them*

Well, three syllables does seem to be most GOPers' limit, so maybe it's asking too much for them to remember four.

Seriously, folks?

Don't work on twenty different ways to botch "Republican" - there's no alteration that doesn't sound completely awkward.

When Sam Hannity, Tyler Carlson and Bob O'Reilly refer to the Democrat Party, just call them by their God-given names...or something close enough that they should just shut up instead of arguing.

Neil Gingrich was the mastermind of the "Democrat" thing in the first place. He and Joe W. Bush should really learn to deal with the repercussions of their actions.

epublicanian? Publican? Repub? GOPper?

I'll suggest "grand OLD party," with an emphasis on old as the principal modifier.

As in:

"Sean, do you really think the grand OLD party is correct to support an escalation of troops while insisting on making permanent the tax cuts for the wealthy?"

or:

"Why do you suppose the grand OLD party is so concerned with a female speaker of the House?"

We don't even have to change their name.

readerworth on January 30, 2007 at 03:49 PM:

"Don't work on twenty different ways to botch "Republican" - there's no alteration that doesn't sound completely awkward..."

Really? Why not just them " 'Publicans "? With or without the glottal stop in place of the first syllable. Actually, it glides off the tongue easier than that nasty 4-syllable concoction they want to call themselves. That makes it hip and very, very current. Better yet, the definition of the word suits 'Publicans precisely, especially the part related to being tribute collectors of a hated imperial power.

Yeah, except no one in the real world has ever heard the word 'publican', much less knows what it means or even connotes. Get real, guys. Let's be a little less obscure. I actually kind of like Brad's 'old' gambit.

What readerworth said: just mispronounce the name of the person who says 'Democrat Party'. That'll be Seen Hannity, Bert Hume, Nell Cavuto, etc. Sting their precious little egos.

A name should not matter that much as long as we still know who we are and aren't shaken by others mess-ups. We could be focusing this energy on eradicating global poverty. According to the Borgen Project, it costs a mere $19 billion annually to eradicate world hunger. With all the energy we have waisted on inappropriate naming, we could have called our representatives hundreds of times and let them know that it is time to do something about the Millennium Development Goals and finally given hunger the attention it deserves. So stop complaining and start calling.

no one in the real world has ever heard the word 'publican', much less knows what it means or even connotes.

You can bet every conservative Christian who hears it will get the message. I agree that most of them aren't in the real world, but they still vote and stuff.

This "Democrat Party" thing has been going on for a long time. Someone above mentioned something about "the last couple of years," but it's been going on a lot longer than that.

Someone, somewhere (I can't recall where) said that he thought it began with the John Birch Society. I can't confirm that, but it would certainly make a good deal of sense.

Make no mistake: it is deliberate. We've seen too much of its use, and always among people like Tom DeLay, Sean Hannity, Dubya, and countless anonymous online wingnuts, for it to be mere coincidence or idiosyncracy.

The best explanation I've heard for its etymology is that, by using "Democrat" as an adjective, the Right intends to associate it with other words with the -crat suffix that are usually perceived as negative: bureaucrat, aristocrat, autocrat, plutocrat, etc.

Let's just call them the Republicants...because they can't do anything right.

You're absolutely right. Whenever I hear the term, I know immediately what's behind it--and it's always used by some of the nastier right wingers. Ezra is way too young to understand the history and contempt behind that word. I think Bob Dole first used the phrase in the '70s when he talked about "Democrat" wars (and he was including WWII). There weren't many politicians meaner or more despicable than Dole (but then Exra...sorry I meant Ezra...was just becoming aware of politics around the time Dole became a Viagra spokesman). As for the argument that only bloggers know about this...that's nonsense. My mother, who is in her 80s, and most of the Democrats who lived through WWII, hate that term.

Presumably, if CNN cared about accuracy it would not employ people are regular commentators who can't correctly name America's older and larger political party.

Well, especially in a post about accuracy in using words and respecting political parties, I'd expect the author to realize that the comparatives older and larger are correct when only two items are compared. But I guess it's only the duopoly that's due respect; misusing language to marginalize non-Republicrats is fine and dandy.

Another version of this went on in Pennsylvania throughout the recent election. Santorum made a religion out of maligning the name of his opponent, Robert Casey, Jr.

Casey's late father was a two-term PA governor, and truth-be-told, the son wouldn't have had a career in politics without that connection, as he's a huge snooze. But he was running against Santorum and that alone was enough for open season to be declared on his name. Casey Sr. has been dead for many years, so there's no chance anyone in PA would have mistaken Jr. for Sr., but Santorum began the campaign by identifying his opponent as "Bobby" Casey, a name he was never called, even by parents or sibs. Every Republican in politics would admit that Jr. has never answered to "Bobby," but Bobby he bacame -- and even "Little Bobby Casey," at the hands of Santorum, who would sneer every time he said it.

Unfortunately for Little Ricky Santorum, he could have been beaten in the election by Adolf Hitler, Jr., so it was a futile effort. But the former senator couldn't stop himself, having such an infamous (in some circles) name himself.

Over at Kos there's a growing consensus around the reciprocal naming for the "other" party:

Republican-American

OK, pretending not to notice name calling is wimpy.

But neither is getting your undies in a bunch over name calling either. As the saying goes, sticks and stones...

On name calling politely patronize the person and say 'ok, call me whatever you want' making clear that's what you expect of petty idiots.

Then, beat the shit out of them, literally or figuratively, in ways that actually matter.

Republican-American is hilarious, and shall be used among friends.

But it's not helpful. Never get in a name calling match with idiots and reactionaries. You'll tire of it long before they will.

Besides, there are a lot of moderate Republicans thinking about changing sides, and we don't need Kos Kids offending them.

Opps, sorry about the name calling. Meant to take the high road there so as to be more convincing.

Why not just call them the Rabid Right?

I so agree with this Matt. The response by democrats when republican hacks use this locution should be analogous to the response Muhammad Ali gave to Ernie Terrell, the guy who kept calling him Cassius Clay. "What's my name?" [punch hack in the face] "What's my name?" [sock hack in his gut] "What's my name?"

It really should never slide. Would you debate someone who kept referring to you as "asshole"? No, you'd focus on the fact that he needs to stop calling you asshole before the debate can continue.

Thank you for nailing the nature of the offense given (and meant to be given) by substituting democrat for democratic. I suggest that an appropriate response for talking heads in the media when they can respond in real time, is to refer to the other party as the PCP, explaining that GOP no longer applies. PCP = Pentecostal-Corporate Party.

Now and forever, for me it's the Macaclicans.

Bush's explanation to Juan Williams of why he used that word was incoherent gibberish. Is Bush going to pieces under the strain?

The Democrats do the same thing:

Reagan's "strategic defense initiative" derisively became "star wars" whenever a Democrat talked about it.

Supply-side economics became "trickle-down" to make it sound worse.

Gingrich's "contract for America" became "the contract ON America"........

Gee, I guess those "schoolyard-bullying" tactics never drew Matt's notice, how strange.. 8-)

Matt is absolutely correct.

The 'democrat party' slur is so obviously deliberate and meant to belittle that it makes my head explode when I read some of these commentors who think it should be shrugged off. How do you people think the word 'liberal' became the equivalent of the word 'nig*er? Because we allowed it to become so. Because we allowed the MSM to allow it to become so.

Call them out repeatedly on their BS and call them on it now. And to give the naked boy Emperor a pass on this is to give him the football once again for Charlie Brown to kick at and fall on his ass. Call out the pathalogical lying school yard brat and pound a lick of respect into his head. These so called 'small battles' can set the tone for all of the 'larger battles'. This is the kind of thing that makes a difference. Beleive in it, and stand up for yourselves.

This is the natural extension of Bush's need to talk down to everyone with his little nickname for them. Sadly, reporters seem to like his little putdown when he gives them his designated name rather than using their given name.

Personally, I'm fond of "Republicanic Party."

It sounds vaguely off-putting in its own right -- perhaps it's because it sounds like the Titanic, another behemoth sunk by the collision of hubris with reality -- and it has the advantage of being precisely reciprocal to the original offense: if the "-ic" suffix is so insignificant that we should not complain when they drop it from our name, then they can hardly complain when we add it to theirs.

Late to the party, but commented on this subject already at TAPPED.

It's an insult, it's intended to be an insult, and the Democrats need to confront it. Not just for Joe and Joanne America, who probably don't give a damn, but for the dreaded mainstream media types who do pay attention and shape public opinions.

this illustrates the essence of the 'political correctness' charge. the talk radio blowhards, whose coordinated repetition has been essential to everything Republican, have made 'democrat' acceptable. soon, if you want to complain about it, you'll get the PC label. if you want to be called ben and they keep calling you benjamin they are jerks at least. the Limbaugh and Hannity bunch even dabbled briefly in ressurecting the use of 'nigger', using it's use by African Americans amongst themselves as an excuse. if today's talk radio monopoly had not been limited by the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE before Reagan (Reagan's most significant contribution to today's disaster) they would today publicly be calling complaints about N-word use 'political correctness'. looking for a place to protest? let your local public radio station and the sponsors of these blowhards know there are economic reprecussions for being part of an organized party propaganda machine.

The "bitch slap" theory will come into play a LOT this campaign season. Rotten garbage like Rush Limbaugh and fellow thugs are already calling Barack Obama by his full name "Barack Hussein Obama, the Halfrican" and "accidently" calling him "Barack Osama" or other, related names. It's a smear, it's all a smear, intentional, to hurt him, and you'll see it a lot.

How about renaming them the Publican party? (As in tax collector -- see Webster's.)

Just begin to call it "Republc Party"

In retaliation, Democrats should refer to Bush as "Junior." He hates that word more than anything else. He'll get the message.

For a perfect example of why this matters, recall the scene in the movie "The Sting" when Paul Newman's character is setting up the patsy in a poker game on a train. Newman repeatedly mispronounces Doyle Lonigan's name as a means of getting under his skin and distracting him from the what is actually happening. It seems this is a standard technique used by con men--or should that be Conservative men...

I think that you correct them every time pointing out that they have mispernounced the name. The idea being that if they can''t get the name right how can they be correct about other things. I don't think that you look petty when you do it. It makes them look incorrect and stupid. It also puts them on the defensive.

In the first place, no, we shouldn't continue to let this one slide. I know the Republicans bring so much BS with them, so many insults, so much corruption, so many lies, it's hard to know where to start.

Or actually, not that hard, and I can certainly understand anyone who'd pick ending the war over this. The thing is, it's not either/or, and there's not one wrong thing they do over which we shouldn't kick their lying asses. Don't let these dicks get away with anything.

Excuse me, why are you deliberately mispronouncing name of the majority party? An accident? That's just a lie, everyone in your party makes a point of it. Why do Republicans always act like especially bratty third-graders? Seriously, I'd like an answer.

Point two, if we're going in for tit-for-tat misprounounciation, why go for something that sort-of sounds like "Republican," like we accidently got it wrong? How about "the party of corruption" or "the cheap labor party"? Too confrontational? Too bad. Rip 'em a new one.

Personally, I favor "RE-pubs." Short and simple. I agree we shouldn't let it pass unnoticed: the "broken window" theory turned out to be absolutely right. We need to pay attention to every window they break, as soon as they break it.

At the same time, I've got to say that JC is right about the Democratic tendency to rename, too: Star Wars, "trickle down economics," and so forth. We all do the renaming/demeaning thing, probably because it's (a) effective and (b) fun.

So I definitely agree we hit back at the "Democrat" party rename, but keep it a joke. We've got no call to get up on a moral high horse, and we don't need to anyway. A few references to the "REpub" party and we'll have made our point without high drama.

"Is a political party that can't even protect its own name really going to keep America safe?"

I've heard James Carville make the same argument. He said until Democrats learn to fight for themselves the country will never trust them with national security.

This has nothing to do with actual bravery or where you stand on the issues. Newt might be a draft dodger but he looks like a fighter on TV. So the public thinks of him as "strong". Likewise Gephardt might have served in the military but people see his "please don't hit me" demeanor on TV and think he is a wimp.

How about Re-PUBE-lic party?

All I know is this:

When the playground bully swung at me as a kid, I had two options.

1. Dodge, weave, maybe get hit, run away.
2. Dodge, weave, maybe get hit, and then punch the motherf'kr in the mouth.

One makes him stop, the other encourages him.

Is this immature? Perhaps, but so is our national politics. I never got an SOB to leave me alone or change course by ignoring him. And even if I did, where's the leadership in that? It's like no one here ever read an Sun Tzu or Clausewitz. C'mon...

I do agree the weapon of choice should be ridicule. It's effectiveness has been proven throughout history, whether you're talking Jon Stewart, Mel Brooks, Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde. And luckily, it seems all the really funny people are almost always on our side.

RE: "It's not a big deal unless you take standing up for yourself to be a big deal. When Democrats go on TV and let a conservative get away with the phrase "Democrat Party" it's signaling that Democrats are weak. They're too weak to stand up for themselves."

AMEN. I've been saying for a long time that any "Democrat" on a talk show needs to immediately correct the slur whenever it's used. Have some fun with the offender and ask them, "Just curious, why do you say Democrat? You know the proper word. Do you really think misstating my party's name will help yours? Are you that childish? Are we still in the schoolyard?" Call them out for what they are. If we can get a critical mass going, make the utterer the issue, make them afraid to use it, the word will be gone in no time. Can't you just picture the look on Fred Barnes' face the first time he's subjected to such ridicule? It would be priceless.

I commend Casey for his restraint. What would have been wrong with "Little dick" Santorum? Since his childhood, he apparently turned into "Big dick" Santorum. What are the other choices?

I agree that "Democrat Party" is a tactic -- the word is wrong, uglier to the ear than democratic, jarring and typical of the GOPs (alas, effective) wordplay.

But it is essential that we not seem petty in putting things right. How about an underhandedly nice correction, akin to "actually, our party is called the democratIC party, but we have decided not to go "nucular" about it. We know English usage is not the President's biggest problem right now."

Isn't it clear why they decided to change from Democratic to Democrat Party? Democratic sounds like democracy, which is generally considered a positive attribute. Whereas Democrat (and Republican) just sound like politicians, which is currently a bad attribute.

"Republicanian? Publican? Repub? GOPper?"

Republican't.

As in:
CAN'T protect our troops.
CAN'T protect Katrina or Rita victims.
CAN'T protect our kids from pedophile Congressmen.

Elaborate defenses are a mistake; they make us sound pompous and like we're overly sensitive, playing into another Republican meme. Retaliation is good; if the Repubs make an issue, so can we. Though I suggested Publican, I now like "Republicanism" and. accordingly, "Republicist" - just because "-isms" have a bad name. It also makes the c soft, so it sounds like "publicist" - an appropriate dig at how media constructed they are. That appropriate when republican spokespeople use the term. When theoretically impartial media people use it - Tweety, Hannity, whoever, just politely correct them: "Actually, the name of our party is the "Democratic Party"" Their credibility relies on their expertise, and treating the misnaming as extremely base ignorance seriously undermines that. No talk show host could withstand being so corrected more than once; to do it once is a mistake, to repeat it once corrected is the mark of an idiot.

Republi-see-you-next-Tuesday Party

I like the word "Republico" party. It rhymes nicely with "politico" and extends into calliing individuals "Republicos" or "The Republicos" rather than "Republicans". An additional point of saying "Democrat" party is to divorce the term from it's meaning, that is why "Republico" works, it ties the word to politico and pure politics rather than any principle. The other good thing is it isn't necessarily offensive on it's face, it's just a good ole fashioned slang term that an illiterate hick from Texas would be forgiven using....

After first striking with it I also think the only way to deploy it is by fair warning, as in "You've always used "Democrat party", when appearing with you I will use "Republico" unless you agree to use Democratic party and end this nonsense." That would be for upstanding elected officials, partisan activists should just dive right in until the Republicos whine.

it would be a lot easier if Dems could broadcast it as loudly and frequently as Limbaugh and Hannity. that's why we need a new FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsqprEihjXg

Rep. Weiner gives it back to the Republic Party -- someone else posted this as an example of throwing the Pelosi/plane thing back at the other side. But I do love his constant references to the "republic party."

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I think , İt's very nice ...

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bence yanlış

Second the posts above about the strategic stupidity of these "experts". They are experts at manipulating the Washington system, and actual wisdom and knowledge of the foreign countries involved would be a detriment to that. It would produce, for example, reasons not to go to war

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