Gov Pol Jargon

inside the beltway

a phrase used to describe matters that are important to U.S. government officials

policy wonk

a person who is an expert in politics, overly concerned with policy details

flip-flop

a sudden, unexpected change in a policy, value, or belief

John Q. Public

a common name used by the U.S. to describe a hypothetical member of the public or ¨common man¨

pundit

an expert who is frequently called on to give their opinion to the public

hack

a negative term to describe someone who is part of a political party, but is more interested in personal victory than the interest of the public

face time

a brief appearance on television, or a face-to-face meeting with a politician in order to convince them to vote a certain way

rank and file

a term for the ordinary members of an organization as opposed to its leaders

card carrying

strongly identifying as belonging to a group or party (think the Tea Party within the Republican Party)

dyed-in-the-wool

a phrase used to describe a person's unchanging political beliefs or opinions

closing ranks

when members of a political party make an effort to stay united, especially in order to defend themselves from severe criticism or face a challenging situation

bleeding hearts

a person considered too liberal in their political beliefs (want government assistance such as HealthCare, food stamps, etc.)

big tent

a political approach in which a party claims to be open to a wide spectrum of constituents and groups

backbencher

a member of Parliament who does not have cabinet rank, and who therefore sits in one of the back rows of the legislature (does not have much influence)

power base

the area or group of people that provides the main support for a particular political candidate

ex. During Obama's 2008 election, a record amount of African Americans joined together to elect the first African American President of the United States.

split ticket

voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

amen corner

a group that gives unwavering support

ballot stuffing

electoral fraud where someone who should only have one vote, submits multiple ballots

balanced ticket

when a political candidate picks a running mate, usually of the same political party, in hopes of appealing to a wider range of constituents

waffle

to talk foolishly or without purpose and being unable to make any clear decision without changing their mind

mudslinging

making malicious charges and trying to win an advantage over an opponent by referring to their negative aspects rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies (usually in the form of a political campaign)

weasel words

words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading (avoiding to fess up to inconvenient truths or not answering a proposed question)

pressing the flesh

a phrase used to describe meeting people in person, particularly at an event where you can network with other people

dark horse

a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort OR a contestant that seems unlikely to succeed but ends up winning

stalking horse

a political candidate who runs only in order to provoke the election and thus allow a stronger candidate to come forward

brokered convention

a situation in U.S. politics in which there are not enough delegates won during the presidential primary and caucus elections for a single candidate to have a pre-existing majority, during the first official vote for a political party's presidential candidate at its nominating convention

spin

a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure

shoo-in

a person or thing that is certain to succeed, especially someone who is certain to win a competition

slate

a list of candidates for nomination

stump

a place or occasion for public speaking (as for a cause or candidate)

coattails

refers to the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. (the party of a victorious presidential candidate will often win many seats in Congress as well)

boon doggle

work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value, any project on which government funds are wasted through inefficiency or political favoritism (uses government funds to stimulate the economy)

red tape

a series of actions or complicated tasks that seem unnecessary but that a government or organization requires you to do in order to get or do something

trial balloon

information sent out to the media in order to observe the reaction of an audience

the hill

local language for Capitol Hill, an area of D.C. where you can find the United States Capitol, office buildings for the Senate and the House, and the Supreme Court building

guns or butter

a phrase used to show how economists describe the trade-off between a nation's mix of producing military and civilian goods (as an economy produces military spending, it must reduce its production of food, and vice versa)

demagogue

a politician who supports popular fears and ignorance of the public in order to gain support from them

entitlement

those benefits guaranteed by law to individuals by the federal government, such as social security

dead cat bounce

gaining less support than one should for announcing a new political initiative

partisan

a committed member of a political partyIn multi-party systems, the term is used for politicians who strongly support their party's policies and are reluctant to compromise with their political opponents

Republican in Name Only (RINO)

term used by conservative members of the Republican Party of the United States to describe Republicans whose political views or actions they consider insufficiently conservative (aka Republicans who tend to vote more moderately or liberally)