Republicans: "Democrat Party" No More

WASHINGTON — Republicans have come up with another name for the opposing party _ the right name.

For years now, the GOP has gone after "Democrat schemes," "Democrat presidents," "Democrat Congresses" _ all phrases from the 1996 Republican platform, repeated many times since. Twenty years earlier, Bob Dole famously declared that all wars of the 20th century were "Democrat wars."

On Tuesday, members of the Republican platform committee meeting in Minneapolis voted down a proposal to call the opposition the "Democrat Party" in the 2008 platform. Instead, they'll go with the proper Democratic Party.

"We probably should use what the actual name is," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the panel's chairman. "At least in writing."

In 1996, references to the Democratic Party were purged from a draft of the platform. As party leaders explained at the time, they wanted to make the subtle point that the Democratic Party had become elitist, no longer small-d democratic.

In the debate Tuesday, Jim Bopp of Indiana echoed that sentiment but said fair's fair.

"We should afford them the respect that they are entitled and call them by their legal name."

(This version CORRECTS SUBS 5th graf to correct to 1996.)

Comments

[wbramh]

Like everything else about the Republican Party, that's mighty white of them!

I suppose in the interest of detente, I should stop calling the Republicans by their shortened and oft-written moniker:

"The Repugnant Party."

From now on, I'll call them by their proper name:

"Oil Slicks."

[edwarvir]

No Mike4Obama they earned that name. It's their Name and we are sticking with
it LOL

[adzeman]

So if I don't hold my breath waiting for the party of rich brats to grow up you'll be offended? Good.

[08politicaljunkie]

Is this how they spend their time? Is this what they do with our taxes?

[WasteNJ]

Who cares what Republicans say? Really.

[madeupcity]

shoot! we dos like bein ignarent!

[larmarch5]

I don't get how Democrat Party is perjorative. I'm proud to be a Democrat. If anything it shows, to English majors at least, that republicans aren't as literate as they should be and that even if they are literate, they have to be illeterate lest they be perceived as elitist by their believers.

[LiberalDemIda]

Because it can sound like DemocRAT, see? On the other hand, Joe Scarborough loves to say "dimmocrat". Listen to how he says it.

And for those that try to defend him and say that that's just how he pronounces it, I've heard him say Democrat correctly on several times on Hardball and David Gregory's "Race to the White House" so he can pronounce it correctly IF he wants to.

Obama / Biden '08

[ESerafina42]

Ohhhhhh, "at least in writing." How thoughtful of the Republic party.

[bdaved]

The Republan Party and its supporters have been trying to seize control of our language with things like Democrat Party, death tax, appeasemen­t., and all sorts of things they want us to negatively associate with their opponents. The Republan Party is trying to mess with your head. Don't let the Republan Party get away with it. And if they want to take the "ic" away from Democrats and keep their own "ic" I guess that makes the Republan Party the ickier party.

[LiberalDemIda]

It's a psyops scheme. The Republicans know the power of words and the Democrats don't help themselves nor us, the American people, by affirming instead of correcting them when they play their word games.

Obama / Biden '08

[ProfessorDuh]

Like hell they will.
Rethuglicans.

[CindyM2008]

Amen.

[DRaymond]

Wow, what a breakthrough in bipartisan politics. And it only took them tewlve years to decide to have the basic level of decency to treat their opponents with the basic respect of calling them by their real name.

[Destin]

The Neocon Party is so far out of touch with the average American, it's a wonder anyone remembers that the Republican Party did exist at one time in our history, briefly, between 1860 and 1869, since then it's been "all neocon, all the time" and they forget it was McKinley who started the war with Spain as an attempt to establish an "American Empire". That's why to this day, in 2008, we still have US Colonies in the form of Guam, the Mariannas, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands. And to this day, is why we hate Cuba (Castro stole our colony) and have less than warm relations with the Philippines (they fought 2 long, brutal wars against us to get their independence). ;)

[sjmarie]

The Democrats are going to lose the election if they don't get tough and begin attacking McCain..

[Kire]

The New Yorker had a story called the "Ic" Factor about this issue on August 7, 2006.

[buckbuck11]

Republicans and fair play are mutually exclusive concepts.

Think:
Republicans: Lucy Van Pelt
Democrats: Charlie Brown