Political Dictionary

A “backgrounder” is an off-the-record briefing for members of the news media.

In politics, a “bellwether” refers to a geographic area whose political beliefs and voting preferences reflect that of a wider area.

“Five o’clock follies” is a familiar and derogatory nickname for the daily press briefings that the U.S. military held for American reporters during the Vietnam War.

The “Compact of Fifth Avenue” resulted from a meeting in 1960 between aspiring presidential candidate Richard Nixon met Nelson Rockefeller in Rockefeller’s New York City home to discuss Nixon’s campaign.

“Separate but equal” was the infamous justification for the decision in Plessy v Ferguson, the case that formally legalized segregation.

“Ballot box stuffing” is a term that refers to the practice of illegally submitting more than one vote in a ballot in which just one vote is actually permitted.