Mama Grizzlies
A metaphor used by 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin for conservative women. In speeches during the 2010 midterm election campaign, Palin challenged these “mama grizzlies” to rise up and “take this country back” and invoked her 2008 acceptance speech where she compared herself to a pit bull. Said Palin: “You don’t want to [...]
boll weevil Democrat
Boll weevil Democrats were conservative southern Democrats in the mid 1900s, largely known for their opposition to civil rights. They used the term because the boll weevil, a southern pest, could not be eliminated by pesticides – politicians therefore thought of them as a symbol of tenacity. The term fell out of use in the [...]
bleeding heart
A term that describes people whose hearts “bleed” with sympathy for the poor and downtrodden. It’s frequently used to criticize liberals who favor government spending for social programs. However, former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Jack Kemp was remembered in a Los Angeles Times obituary as a “bleeding heart conservative” for policies he supported to empower [...]