by David Safier
Dr. Word, as readers of his occasional posts are well aware, is not a man much given to emotions. However, he found himself falling victim to what is often referred to in the current lexicon as a "man crush." The object of his affections: Steve Benen, who writes on the Maddow blog.
Benen has put together a dictionary of terms commonly used during the current budget skirmishes. First, he states what each word "means to most English-speaking people," then "what the word means to Republicans." For instance:
Compromise, noun
What the word means to most English-speaking people: a compromise settles a dispute by mutual concession.
What the word means to Republicans: a compromise is a resolution in which Democrats meet some or all of the Republican Party's demands, generally as part of a larger extortion strategy in which Republicans are threatening the public with deliberate harm.
Benen defines 8 words and terms, all worth perusing for their wit and wisdom. One more example, then I will allow the curious reader to read the rest in their original posting.
The federal budget process, noun
What the phrase means to most English-speaking people: the federal budget process allows members of Congress to create a spending framework for the government for one year.
What the phrase means to Republicans: the federal budget process is a weapon that can be used to extract concessions from Democrats.
(h/t to AzBlueMeanie for the link)