Earmarks are funds that are allocated to a specific program, project or for a designated purpose, or that direct specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.
These projects or exemptions typically benefit a particular constituency, often within the home district …
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally in more than 193 countries.
The event emerged against the backdrop of an …
“Effete snobs” was a phrase used by Vice President Spiro Agnew to denounce anti-war protesters, and young intellectuals in general, during the Vietnam era.
The phrase quickly caught on and was adopted as a slogan by the anti-war …
An “ego wall” is where people flaunt their political connections by displaying photos of themselves with more famous people.
The phenomenon is also sometimes called the “glory wall” or “me wall.”
Mike Nichols: “The ego wall is where the …
“Eight millionaires and a plumber” is a dismissive reference to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first cabinet.
Eisenhower’s critics complained that the president’s top advisers were all wealthy and therefore, by implication, out of touch with ordinary people. The only exception …
An “elastic state” is one whose voting outcome in a presidential election is relatively sensitive or responsive to changes in political conditions, such as a change in the national economic mood.
Campaign strategists carefully analyze the preferences and behaviors of …
The “Election Administrator’s Prayer” is a phrase that is used to refer to the challenges and responsibilities faced by those who are responsible for administering elections.
The phrase is meant to be humorous and tongue-in-cheek, highlighting the many difficult and …
To “electioneer” is to actively take part in an election by working for the election of a candidate or a party.
The word is almost always used in a pejorative sense. Most of the time “electioneering” is used to suggest …
The Electoral College is a constitutionally mandated process that determines who serves as president and vice president of the United States every four years.
It was a compromise between having Congress elect the president and a direct election by popular …
Ronald Reagan famously said that the “eleventh commandment” was: “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.”
The phrase was coined in the 1960s by Gaylord Parkinson, who was the state chairman of California Republicans at the time.
Parkinson added: “Henceforth, …
A list of political opponents kept by the Nixon administration. The phrase “enemies list” is now used as shorthand to refer to suspected abuses of power in any administration.
In 1973, former White House aide John Dean III told the …
“Entryism” is a political tactic of joining an organization with which you do not agree with the intention of changing it from the inside.
In his 1959 book Masters of Deceit, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover described entryist tactics …
The “Era of Good Feeling” refers to a period in U.S. history from about 1815 until about 1825, characterized by a sense of optimism and positivity.
The era is closely associated with the presidency of James Monroe, who served two …
The “eunuch rule” is a reference to the provisions in many state constitutions which prevented state governors from running for a second consecutive term in office. Those provisions have been amended in almost every state; as of 2020, Virginia is …
“Every Man a King” is the title of a speech delivered in 1934 by Senator Huey Long of Louisiana.
The speech, which Long delivered on national radio, is one of Long’s most famous speeches, along with his “Share the Wealth”…
“Evil empire” was President Ronald Reagan’s name for the USSR.
Reagan often portrayed the struggle between the US and the USSR as a moral war between good and evil. In some of his most famous speeches, he advocated a strong …
The term “ex officio” comes from the Latin phrase “from the office,” and in politics it refers to someone who is part of a political body just by virtue of holding a different elected office.
The most common example of …
An exit poll is a survey of voters taken immediately as they leave the polling place in which they are asked which candidate they chose.
They are typically conducted by media companies to get an early indication of who actually
An exploratory committee is a preliminary organizational structure that potential candidates establish to assess the viability of their candidacy before officially entering the presidential race.
This committee is formed with the primary aim of gauging support, raising funds, and developing …