Somehow I missed the start of what seems to be a well-established sand-kicking match over refering to the Democratic Party as the Democrat Party. Is there anyone who can fill me in on the origins?
"Democrat Pary" is a perjorative. Used to be common in the South, but pretty much everyone has stopped using it, except Republicans who are deliberately antagonizing, and President Bush who routinely put his foot in his mouth.
I don't know that it's a perjorative, but recently it seems to be interpreted as one by the Democrats. This is presumably because of its frequent use by Bush and a few conservative media types (some of whom are actually Southern, and old enough to remember when it used to be common there.)
It's a lot older than George W. Bush, and probably older than his father.
It means a party that isn't really democratic, but is simply composed of that ignorant and arrogant lot of Americans who call themselves "Democrats." I've heard it all my life, and I am from the once solid South.
I just know I started to notice folks getting really pissy about it about the same time a lot of Dems started calling themselves "Progressives."
I'd guess it has its roots in the "I'm not a Democrat, I'm an Independent!" form of liberalism-- where the person holds all views espoused by the center to left of the Dem party, but doesn't like labels.
Come to think of it, "Dem" sounds a bit like "dim", so some folks better at dishing mockery than taking it may want to change the party's name to avoid that....
The Blackadder Say:
ReplyDeleteI think it was a Bush thing.
"Democrat Pary" is a perjorative. Used to be common in the South, but pretty much everyone has stopped using it, except Republicans who are deliberately antagonizing, and President Bush who routinely put his foot in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteJoel
I don't know that it's a perjorative, but recently it seems to be interpreted as one by the Democrats. This is presumably because of its frequent use by Bush and a few conservative media types (some of whom are actually Southern, and old enough to remember when it used to be common there.)
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot older than George W. Bush, and probably older than his father.
ReplyDeleteIt means a party that isn't really democratic, but is simply composed of that ignorant and arrogant lot of Americans who call themselves "Democrats." I've heard it all my life, and I am from the once solid South.
I just know I started to notice folks getting really pissy about it about the same time a lot of Dems started calling themselves "Progressives."
ReplyDeleteI'd guess it has its roots in the "I'm not a Democrat, I'm an Independent!" form of liberalism-- where the person holds all views espoused by the center to left of the Dem party, but doesn't like labels.
Come to think of it, "Dem" sounds a bit like "dim", so some folks better at dishing mockery than taking it may want to change the party's name to avoid that....