Nancy’s Grammer Lesson
We’re used to hearing terms like “fiscal responsibility,” “family values,” and “protecting the homeland” in political lingo. But with so much repetitive use these terms get misused, misapplied, and reinvented. They can lose meaning gradually over time, or in some instances people can just assign whatever new meaning they would like. Let’s take the word “bipartisan” for example. Webster’s Dictionary defines “bipartisan” as follows:
of, relating to, or involving members of two parties ; specifically: marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties.
The meaning of that word hasn’t changed much since 1895. That is, until Nancy Pelosi redefined it. On CNN’s State of Union Sunday morning show Nancy explained that “bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes.” There you have it. What a deft political maneuver! In accusing Republicans of “misrepresenting what the [healthcare] bills says,” she misrepresents the meaning of a common word that has been in use for more than a century.
Political jargon can be confusing enough for the average consumer without such grammatical reinventions. Perhaps the DNC should send out monthly decoder rings so the rest of us could keep up with the new definitions. Next up? “Democratic“!
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Hoosier Advocate’s Grammer Lesson – It’s spelled “Grammar”.
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Congratulations! You can detect ironic humor.