A “pen and pad briefing” is a briefing held by lawmakers or White House officials at which video and photography is not allowed. It’s similar …
“Ping pong” refers to reconciling the differences between a House-passed bill and a Senate-passed bill by amendments between the chambers, rather than forming a conference …
A phrase used by Vice President Spiro Agnew to refer to the members of the media with whom he had a very acrimonious …
A “motion to vacate” the chair is a parliamentary procedure in the House of Representatives that allows a member to propose a resolution to remove …
To “Akinize” is to try to diminish a political foe by likening his or her words to remarks on “legitimate rape” made by …
A “money bomb” is an intense grassroots online fundraising effort over a brief fixed time period to support a candidate for election.
This …
GOTV is an acronym for “get out the vote” or increasing voter turnout in an election.
It involves various activities and initiatives to …
Plausible deniability is the ability to deny any involvement in illegal or unethical activities, because there is no clear evidence to prove involvement.…
The “Eleventh Commandment” refers to the adage, “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.”
This unwritten rule encourages party unity by discouraging public criticism …
To “poison the well” is to pre-emptively present adverse information to an audience, with the intention of discrediting or ridiculing what another politician intends to …
A Rose Garden campaign is when an incumbent president takes advantage of the power and prestige of his office to help him run for re-election.…
Psephology is the scientific study and statistical analysis of elections and voting.
Through employing various quantitative methods and data analysis, psephologists seek to …
“Bundlers” refers to individuals or organizations that raise large sums of money from multiple donors to support a political campaign or cause.
These bundlers are …
The “Richards effect” is the phenomenon in which polls consistently underestimate support for female candidates relative to white male candidates.
The termed was coined by …
A “Sister Souljah moment” is a public repudiation of an extremist person or statement perceived to have some association with a politician or his party.…
A “gotcha question” is one posed by a reporter in an effort to trick a politician into looking stupid or saying something damaging.
These questions …
“You’re no Jack Kennedy” is a phrase used to deflate politicians who are perceived as thinking too highly of themselves.
The words come from the …
A “demon sheep” is a sinister politician who pretends to be what he is not.
It’s a derogatory term related to Republicans who …
The term “bafflegab” is used to describe language or speech that is intentionally vague, misleading, or difficult to understand.
In politics, it is often used …
A “spoiler” is a candidate who has no chance of winning, but whose candidacy still impacts the outcome of the election.
A spoiler candidate …
A “heck of a job” is a complete and total screw-up.
It’s used, ironically, to show when one’s view of a situation is in contradiction …
A “slush fund” is an unregulated store of money which is often used for illicit or illegal purposes.
A slush fund can come from political …
An annual picnic in Fancy Farm, Kentucky that has come to represent the traditional starting point of the fall campaign season in Kentucky.
The gathering …
A stump speech is a speech that a politician makes again and again as they travel to different places during a campaign.
The speech might …
A “Senate hold” is how a U.S. senator informally signals his objection to a bill or presidential nomination.
Most congressional actions clear parliamentary hurdles by …
A “shadow cabinet” is formed when the opposition party in a parliamentary system appoints members to serve in each of the cabinet-level positions — even …
A “kangaroo ticket” is a ticket for higher office in which the person at the bottom of the ticket is considered more electable or is …
Godwin’s Law is a term first promulgated in 1990 by author and lawyer Mike Godwin.
Originally intended as a lesson in information “memetics,” or how …
Blue-slipping is a term that originates from the United States Congress and refers to a procedural action taken by the House of Representatives to assert …
“Bunk” is empty or nonsense talk.
In 1820, Rep. Felix Walker from Ashville, North Carolina justified his long-winded and somewhat irrelevant remarks about the Missouri …
“Arsenal of democracy” is a term that was first coined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a radio address to the nation on …
In politics, a “safety net” – also known as a “social safety net” – refers to the welfare programs that are designed to provide benefits …
A patriot is a person who loves, supports, and defends one’s country.
The term “patriot” is derived from the Latin word “patriota,” which means “fellow …
“Dark money” describes political donations that are made by individuals or organizations in a way that hides their identity from the public.
In the United …
“Filling the tree” is a procedure used by the Senate Majority Leader to offer a sufficient number of amendments on legislation to “fill the tree” …
The term “germane” is used to describe the requirement that proposed amendments or provisions introduced during the legislative process must be relevant and directly related …
The term “bean counter” is a slang term used to refer to individuals who are perceived as overly focused on financial or budgetary concerns, often …
A leak in politics is the spread of secret, often unfavorable, news about a politician to the media by someone in his or her inner …
A “gypsy moth Republican” is a pejorative term used by conservative Republicans to describe a moderate members of their party who represent a Northeastern or …
An “autopsy report” is a comprehensive examination and analysis performed by a political party, organization, or think tank following an electoral defeat.
The primary objective …
The “Checkers speech” was a televised address given by then-Senator Richard Nixon on September 23, 1952 as he was fighting to retain his …