The politics tag has no wiki summary.
8
votes
3answers
194 views
What is the origin of the word “optics” that's prevalently used now in politics?
Here’s an example from RealClearPolitics:
But the optics bode well for a party whose chances of winning the White House depend on attracting many more Hispanic voters than it did four years ago.¹ ...
8
votes
2answers
242 views
Why is the current unrest in the Arab world called the “Arab Spring”?
Does spring in "Arab Spring" refer to the season - or something else?
5
votes
1answer
133 views
Why do newspapers use the terms “women voters” and “women candidates”?
I've noticed that when discussing political demographics or candidates, many reporters use the phrases "women voters" and "women candidates". This feels horribly awkward grammatically. It's hard to ...
3
votes
3answers
489 views
Is the expression ‘a legitimate rape’ logically appropriate and viable? [closed]
Missouri’s Republican candidate for the US Senate, Todd Akin, made a naïve remark on anti-abortion issue that has now become the target of thundering criticism. Time Magazine (August 20th, 2012) ...
3
votes
5answers
122 views
Hypernym for “coalition” and “opposition”
I'm looking for a word (or expression) that is a hypernym of coalition and opposition. I want to be able to ask a party whether its "type", for lack of a better word, is coalition or the opposition ...
1
vote
3answers
504 views
Addressing a former office-holder by that office's title [closed]
When is it appropriate to use an "expired" honorific to address or refer to a person?
In the U.S., former state governors are occasionally referred to as "Governor So-and-so", although they have not ...
1
vote
2answers
81 views
Origin and correct meaning of “make political book”
Re-watching old episodes of the X-Files. In which Agent Mulder says: (paraphrasing)
just pseudo-science used to make political book
(Transcript here)
(FYI The Episode was written by Mat Beck)
...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
Is “august public official” considered an idiom, and has august always been used to refer to public officials? [closed]
Reading this article they referred to Justice Scalia as an "august public official." The phrase is also used in the book "Parade's End" by Ford Madox Ford on page 423. I can't seem to find the ...
0
votes
2answers
176 views
Is the “overseas” bushism really so absurd? [closed]
A famous quote by George W. Bush is
More and more of our imports come from overseas.
Which is spread with the implication of being particularly stupid because "overseas" is a term to describe ...
