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Democrat Party (epithet)

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"Democrat Party" is a political epithet used in the United States instead of the name (or more precisely, the proper noun) Democratic Party. The term has been principally used by some conservative commentators and some members of the Republican Party in speeches and press releases.

The word "Democrat" is not at all controversial, except when it is used as an adjective (as in "Democrat Party" or "Democrat Senator" or "Democrat idea"). In that case some Democratic Party leaders and non-partisan commentators have objected to the use as adjective.[1] New Yorker commentator Hendrik Hertzberg wrote:

There’s no great mystery about the motives behind this deliberate misnaming. "Democrat Party" is a slur, or intended to be – a handy way to express contempt. Aesthetic judgments are subjective, of course, but "Democrat Party" is jarring verging on ugly. It fairly screams "rat."[2]

History of usage

"Democrat Party" has been used from time to time by opponents of the Democratic Party. The history of the term has been traced by scholars and commentators to the early 20th century.[3] The earliest known use of the term, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was by a London stock-market analyst, who wrote in 1890, "Whether a little farmer from South Carolina named Tillman is going to rule the Democrat Party in America – yet it is this, and not output, on which the proximate value of silver depends."[4] The term was used by Herbert Hoover in 1932, and in the late 1930s by Republicans who used it to criticize Democratic big city machines run by powerful political bosses in what they considered undemocratic fashion. Republican leader Harold Stassen later said, regarding his use in the 1940s, "I emphasized that the party controlled in large measure at that time by Hague in New Jersey, Pendergast in Missouri and Kelly-Nash in Chicago should not be called a 'Democratic Party.' It should be called the 'Democrat Party.'".[2]

The noun-as-adjective has been used by Republican leaders since the 1940s and appears in most GOP national platforms since 1948.[5] In 1947, Republican leader Senator Robert A. Taft said, "Nor can we expect any other policy from any Democrat Party or any Democrat President under present day conditions. They cannot possibly win an election solely through the support of the solid South, and yet their political strategists believe the Southern Democrat Party will not break away no matter how radical the allies imposed upon it."[6] President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the term in his acceptance speech in 1952 and in partisan speeches to Republican groups.[7] Ruth Walker notes how Joseph McCarthy repeatedly used the phrase "the Democrat Party," and critics argue that if McCarthy used the term in the 1950s, then no one else should do so.[8] The Dan Smoot Report throughout the 50s and 60s used the phrase, almost without exception.

In 1984, when a delegate of the Republican platform committee asked unanimous consent to change a platform amendment to read the Democrat Party instead of Democratic Party, Representative Jack Kemp objected, saying that would be "an insult to our Democratic friends." The committee dropped the proposal.[9]. In 1996, the wording throughout the Republican party platform was changed from "Democratic Party" to "Democrat Party". In August 2008, the Republican platform committee voted down a proposal to use the phrase "Democrat Party" in the 2008 platform, deciding to use the proper "Democratic Party". "We probably should use what the actual name is," said Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the panel's chairman. "At least in writing."[10]

The term has also been used on occasion by other opponents of the Democratic Party, such as Ralph Nader.[11]

Current usage

Following the inauguration of President George W. Bush in 2001, he often used the noun-as-adjective when referring to the opposition party.[12][13] Likewise, it is in common use by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay,[14] House Minority Leader John Boehner,[15] Senator Charles Grassley,[16] Congressman Steve Buyer,[17] and other Republicans. In 2006, Ruth Marcus, a columnist for The Washington Post, noted that "[t]he derisive use of 'Democrat' in this way was a Bush staple during the recent campaign", and she chastised Bush for the intentionally offensive usage.[18] Bush also spoke of the "Democrat majority" in his 2007 State of the Union Address.[19] The advance copy that was given to members of Congress read "Democratic majority."[20] Bush joked about his leadership of the "Republic Party" the following month.[21]

Alaska governor and Republican Party vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin used the epithet during the 2008 United States presidential campaign.[22][23]

Aside from partisan usage, the term can also occasionally be found in less partisan media. The term has been used (in isolated instances) by CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today,[24] and the Associated Press.[25] "Democrat" is occasionally used as an adjective by local Democratic Party organizations.[26]

Grammar issues

Some believe that the use of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective is ungrammatical.[27] Using a noun as a modifier of another noun is not grammatically incorrect in modern English in the formation of a compound noun, i.e. "shoe store," "school bus," "peace movement," "Senate election," etc. Americans commonly speak of "the Iraq war" rather than "the Iraqi war." However, the use of nouns as adjectives could be part of a broader linguistic trend. As one linguist explained, "We're losing our inflections – the special endings we use to distinguish between adjectives and nouns, for instance. There's a tendency to modify a noun with another noun rather than an adjective. Some may speak of "the Ukraine election" rather than 'the Ukrainian election' or 'the election in Ukraine,' for instance.[28]

In American history many parties were named by their opponents (Federalists, Loco-Focos, Know Nothings, Populists, Dixiecrats), including the Democrats themselves, as the Federalists in the 1790s used "Democratic Party" as a term of ridicule.[29].

Response

Members of the Republican Party, from political commentators to George Bush and John McCain themselves, made especially extensive use of the term "Democrat Party" during the run-up to the 2006 midterm elections. In response to the growing use of the epithet in late 2006, a corresponding epithet for the Republican Party, the "Republic Party", began to circulate in liberal parts of the blogosphere;[citation needed] the previous Republican waves of usage had inspired the "Publican Party", but this failed to catch on.[30]

Democrats complained about the use of "Democrat" as an adjective in the 2007 State of the Union address by President Bush. "Like nails on a chalkboard," complained Clinton White House Chief of Staff John Podesta. Political analyst Charlie Cook attributed its use to force of habit rather than a deliberate epithet by Republicans: "[They] have been doing it so long that they probably don't even realize they're doing it."[20] On February 4, 2007, Bush joked in a speech to House Democrats, stating "Now look, my diction isn't all that good. I have been accused of occasionally mangling the English language. And so I appreciate you inviting the head of the Republic Party."[31] Additionally, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) repeatedly invoked the phrase "The Republic Party" on the floor of the United States House of Representatives in February 2007 while lambasting Congressional Republicans.[32]

On the other hand, the hypercorrection of using Democratic as a noun has been employed, especially in asserting bipartisanship. Charlie Crist, Republican governor of Florida, claiming essential agreement with both of his state's Senators, said that "he'd already had communications with Senator Bill Nelson, who happens to be a Democratic."[33]

Another corresponding noun-as-adjective response has also begun to circulate on the Internet: "The Republicans Party."[34] Members of the Democratic Underground have proposed that "Republicon Party" be used as a counter to the Republican adoption of "Democrat Party" as a putdown.[35] Sherman Yellen suggested "The Republicants" as suitably comparable in terms of negative connotation in an April 29, 2007 Huffington Post commentary[36]

On the February 26, 2009 edition of Hardball with Chris Matthews, Republican Representative Darrell Issa referred to "a Democrat Congress". The host, Chris Matthews, took exception, saying:

Well, I think the Democratic Party calls itself the Democratic Party, not the Democrat Party. Do we have to do this every night? Why do people talk like this? Is this just fighting words to get the name on?[37]

Issa denied that he intended to use "fighting words". Matthews replied, "They call themselves the Democratic Party. Let’s just call people what they call themselves and stop the Mickey Mouse here - save that for the stump."[37]

In March 2009, after Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) repeatedly used the phrase "Democrat Party" when questioning U.S. Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag, Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said:

I’d like to begin by saying to my colleague from Texas that there isn’t a single member on this side of the aisle that belongs to the “Democrat Party.” We belong to the Democratic Party. So the party you were referring to doesn’t even exist. And I would just appreciate the courtesy when you’re referring to our party, if you’re referring to the Democratic Party, to refer to it as such.[38]

Notes

  1. ^ President's Sin of Omission?
  2. ^ a b Hertzberg, Hendrik (2006-08-07). "The "Ic" Factor". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  3. ^ including Feuerlicht (1957), Lyman (1958), Safire (1993), Sperber and Trittschuh (1962), Numberg (2005) and Hertzberg (2006).
  4. ^ under "Democrat" 4 citing Spectator 15 Nov. 1890 p 676, which see; they mark the use of democrat attributively as rare, and have only one earlier citation ("in a democrat way"); this is from Coleridge's Biographica Literaria, which has other neologisms, including "intensify."
  5. ^ National Party Platforms, 1840-1996, editors Kirk H. Porter, and Donald Bruce Johnson, (1996).
  6. ^ Robert Taft, The Papers of Robert A. Taft, edited by Clarence E. Wunderlin, Jr., 2003, 3:313.
  7. ^ The Washington Post, October 28, 1958, page A8.
  8. ^ Walker (2005).
  9. ^ "Democrats Find Ally In Republican Camp". New York Times. UPI. August 17, 1984.
  10. ^ Calvin Woodward, "No more 'Democrat wars' for GOP spinmeisters?", Associated Press, August 26, 2008
  11. ^ See "Transcript: Ralph Nader on 'Meet The Press' Sunday, May 7, 2000" at [1]; "Presidential candidate Ralph Nader makes stop in Minnesota; sees little difference between Bush, Kerry," Oct 27, 2004, at [2]
  12. ^ "Bush Courts Black Voters at Urban League" by the Associated Press, July 23, 2004.
  13. ^ List of 356 uses of Democrat as an adjective by President Bush
  14. ^ "DeLay: Democratic Party Unfit to Lead", Fox News, July 26, 2003.
  15. ^ "Pelosi's Big Day", Slate, January 4, 2007.
  16. ^ "Alito: No Person Is Above the Law", Fox News, January 9, 2006.
  17. ^ "Transcript: House debates articles of impeachment", CNN, December 18, 1998.
  18. ^ Marcus, Ruth (November 22, 2006), "One Syllable of Civility", The Washington Post, pp. A21{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  19. ^ Official 2007 State of the Union Transcript
  20. ^ a b Copleand, Libby (2007-01-25). "President's Sin of Omission? (Dropped Syllable in Speech Riles Democrats)". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  21. ^ Noam H. Levey (February 4, 2007). "Bush reaches across Partisan divide". Los Angeles Times.
  22. ^ Matthew E. Berger (November 3, 2008). "Palin Talk Taxes, Slows Pace; Governor Stays Honed On Tax Attack In Final Stretch". National Journal.
  23. ^ John M. Broder and Julie Bosman (November 2, 2008). "In States Once Reliably Red, Palin and Biden Tighten Their Stump Speeches". New York Times.
  24. ^ John Solomon (October 11, 2006). "Democrat leader reaped $1.1 million from sale of land he didn't own". USA Today.
  25. ^ J.B. (August 16 2006). "GOP strategists christen "Democrat (sic) Party" -- and the media comply". Retrieved July 19 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  26. ^ See The Starke County Democrat Central Committee
  27. ^ Copperud (1980)
  28. ^ Walker (2005); Master the Basics: English by Jean Yatets, 1996, page 64.
  29. ^ Nunberg (2006); Safire, (1993), 176, 391-2, 595-6; Sperber and Trittschuh. 118-9, 150, 231-2.
  30. ^ Feuerlicht, 1956
  31. ^ "At Democrats' Meeting, Bush Appeals for Cooperation". The Washington Post. 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  32. ^ Youtube - Anthony Weiner Rips the "Republic Party".
  33. ^ " Staking out Positions on a Revote in Florida and Michigan." New York Times March 7, 2008
  34. ^ Eric Margolis, CommonDreams.org, Yankees are Blind to Blundering Bush, October 17, 2004. Retrieved February 6, 2008; Margaret Romao Toigo, Blogcritics, Religious Conservatives Righteously Indignant Over Apparently Gay-Friendly Old Party, October 28, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2008; Republicans Party Goes IPOD, May.3, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  35. ^ Democratic Underground thread
  36. ^ Sherman Yellen's "The Republicants".
  37. ^ a b Mullins, Anne Schroeder (February 26, 2009), "Don't call Democrats, Democrats!", The Politico{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  38. ^ "Rep. Kaptur scolds GOP: 'Democrat Party' doesn't exist". thinkprogress.org. March 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-04.

References

  • This article incorporates material from the Citizendium article "Democrat Party (epithet)", which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License but not under the GFDL.
  • Copperud, Roy H. (1980). American Usage and Style: The Consensus. pp. 101–102.
  • Feuerlicht, Ignace. "Democrat Party", American Speech, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Oct., 1957), pp. 228-231 (online in JSTOR)
  • Garner, Bryan A. (1998). A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. p. 196.
  • Hertzberg, Hendrik (August 7, 2006). "The 'IC' Factor". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  • Lyman, John (October 1958). "Democrat Party". American Speech. 33 (3): 239–40.
  • Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. 1994. pp. 328–29, 667.
  • Nunberg, Geoffrey (2005). "The Case for Democracy", "Fresh Air" commentary (radio broadcast), January 19, 2005
  • Nunberg, Geoffrey (2006), Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show, 2006.
  • Safire, William (1993). Safire's New Political Dictionary.
  • Sperber, Hans; Trittschuh, Travis (1962). American Political Terms: An Historical Dictionary. pp. 117–23.
  • Walker, Ruth. "Republicans, Democrats, and the Afghan on the couch", Christian Science Monitor, January 27, 2005
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