Rush Limbaugh can claim success with an attack upon the language; he’s managed to change the name of a major political party. His efforts have been so successful that US Senators are now saying ‘Democrat’ Party on the very floor of the Senate, and no one – not even our dim Dems – is noticing, let alone objecting. Mr.Limbaugh of Palm Beach is very very good. Very good indeed.
He began some years ago referring to the Democratic Party as the ‘Democrat Party’. It was meant of course as an insult – Democratic described a benign admirable philosophy while ‘Democrat’ played on ‘Dixiecrat‘, an infamous and historical pejorative used to refer to Southern Democrats who still supported segregation; when the liberal wing of their own party passed the Civil Right legislation in the 1960’s, the Dixiecrats moved en masse to the Reublican Party. Today’s modern Democratic Party, by its actions, has redeemed itself from that past. But Rush saw an opening and he jumped in. In so doing, he was no doubt also hoping to deflect racist charges leveled at segments of his own party.
I don’t think the association of ‘Dixiecrat’ with ‘Democrat’ has taken hold in the larger society, but the use of the denomination “Democrat Party’ in place of ‘Democratic Party’ has indeed taken hold.
Like I said above, Mr. Limbaugh of Palm Beach is very very good. Very good indeed.
You know Moe, I had forgotten all about Limbaugh using the term “Democrat Party” and the lame GOPers following suit. Good article!
Also thanks for the link. Keep up the good work on your blog. It’s just MY cup of tea. Wow.
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Thanks! We shall be each other’s fans.
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The first time I heard Limbaugh use that, I thought it was childish. Then I heard Gingrich start to use it. The usage began to spread among the most buffoonish Republicans, until it reached a point where it became the accepted Republican pronunciation.
Maybe someone should start referring to Limbaugh as Limburger. Limbaugh is fat and Limburger cheese is fat. Limburger cheese is notoriously offensive and Limbaugh is notoriously offensive. So why don’t we start calling him that? Oh. That’s right. We’re not in primary school.
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Okay! I like Limburger (actually, I do like the cheese).
Or how about The Eternal Bridegroom? Or SizeALot. There are many . . .
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When contemplating Limburger, I revert right back to primary school. Fourth grade to be specific – fourth grade girls being the most exclusionary creatures on the planet.
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Hey, you gotta give credit when credit is do. 😉
Im Tat by the way, its the wife’s bosom. 🙂
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Oh I’m giving him full credit. So how’s your wife like your ‘handle’?
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Oh, she’s got a good grip on it now. lol
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OMG – a pundit (wow – lots to play with there! whoops, I’m making it worse . . .)
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I was just watching Limbaugh being shown how to golf on the ‘Haney project’, I really had to laugh seeing him in shorts and swinging like a putz and realizing how many people actually think this guy is the man. Sometimes life is very entertaining.
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That’s a disturbing picture.
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I don’t know if Rush knows this or even cares, but outside the USA the term “democrat” is generally applied to folks who believe in or work towards democracy, so it is not neccesarily a smear.
Also, I have noticed that there are tons of great smears used by political factions in America. Re-thug-li-kkklans, anyone?
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Oh I’m sure you’re right and he doens’t care – his audience is American anyway. And yeah, any political party can claim ‘smears is us’, but I find this four-times married, often morbidly obese, college drop out (I know, I say this a lot, but it really can’t be said enough) and son of privlege who’s made a career of mocking others – especially those without his advantages – to be particularly vile. I like to mock him. Or deride him. Or whatever.
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Must say I’ve only heard Re-thug-licans, not that kkklans thing.
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You haven’t done your home work Moe.
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Hey Steve, you sound like my mother! What did I get wrong. Married five times, not four? 🙂
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