Have we heard the last of the adjective, “job-killing”?

by David Safier

For me, this will be an early indication whether Republicans are interested in toning down the rhetoric. We should never again hear the adjective "job-killing" — as in "job-killing health care bill" — from another Republican politician or party official. They can still say the health care bill will cost the country jobs — it would be nice if they had a reasonable set of facts and analyses to back up the assertion, but that would be asking a bit much — but the word "killing" should be stricken from their descriptions.

Most of the recent concern about violence-laden language and imagery from Republicans has been about metaphorically "targeting" Democrats. We all know the examples.

But there is also the language Republicans use when they describe what Democrats have done or plan to do. Their most aggressive — and probably most effective — language characterizes Democrats as murderers or traitors, people who are guilty of criminal acts against an individual — murder — or the country — treason. "Job-killing" is an extremely effective term, which is why Republicans have attached it to health care reform, the budget and the stimulus. To "kill" jobs sounds far worse than making people lose jobs, or increasing the jobless rate, because of the implied violence. By metaphorically criminalizing Obama (job-killing Obamacare) and other Democratic supporters, Republicans are saying Democrats don't deserve to walk among decent people.