“Machine politics” is a phenomenon sometimes seen in an urban political context, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Political machines are characterized by tight organization and a strong centralized leadership, typically in the form of a “boss.” …
The “madman theory” is a political theory commonly associated with President Richard Nixon’s foreign policy during the Cold War.
Nixon tried to make the leaders of hostile Soviet bloc nations think the American president was irrational and volatile.
According to …
A “Mae West hold” is a type of Senate hold nicknamed because of the senator’s implied desire to make a deal, rather than block a legislative action entirely.
The reference to movie star Mae West alludes to her frequently misquoted …
The term “magic minute” refers to a procedural rule that allows leaders in the House of Representatives, typically the Speaker, unlimited speaking time, despite the nominal rule stipulating that speeches should not exceed one minute.
This rule has its …
A “maiden speech” is the first speech that an elected official makes in front of a legislature.
The term is most commonly used in the UK and in Commonwealth countries, but it is also used in the United States.
A …
“Mama Grizzlies” is 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 …
“Man in the street” is used to evoke the idea of the average voter, with mainstream political opinions and interests.
Merriam Webster notes that the phrase was first used in 1831, to mean an average or ordinary person.
The phrase …
Broadly, a mandate is the authority that voters confer on an elected official to act as their representative.
Usually, though, a political mandate refers to the idea that a political official has been elected because the public strongly supports their …
The mark-up is the committee meeting held to review the text of a bill before reporting it to the floor.
The term comes from the action of marking the draft bill with changes or corrections in preparation for its potential …
McCarthyism is a term used to describe the political practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without adequate evidence.
The term is named after Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who became known for his aggressive tactics in investigating alleged communists
“McConnelling” is the practice of setting music to awkward, B-roll footage of a politician.
The term was coined after Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) re-election campaign in 2014 posted a two-and-a-half minute video of the senator campaigning set simply to music.…
“Merchants of death” is a reference to the bankers and arms manufacturers that supplied and funded World War I.
The phrase is also used to refer to arms dealers in general.
The term has also been extended to other industries.…
The “military industrial complex” is a term referring to all the components of a nation’s military establishment, including the private businesses involved in producing weapons and other military equipment.
The term was popularized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who used …
“Missile gap” is a phrase used during the Cold War, referring to the theory that the US lagged behind the Soviet Union in terms of its ballistic missile defenses.
The US and the USSR were engaged in a high-stakes arms …
A “Mission Accomplished moment” has come to mean any grandiose declaration of success which later rings false.
On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush delivered a speech announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq.
“In the battle …
“Mistakes were made” is a phrase used in politics intentionally in the passive voice.
This specific usage, typically adopted by politicians or high-ranking officials, serves to acknowledge a problem or error without attributing explicit responsibility or fault.
In the precise …
“Misunderestimate” is a malapropism invented by President George W. Bush that has come to mean “to underestimate by mistake.”
Bush accidentally used the term in a 2000 interview, saying, “They misunderestimated me.”
He likely meant to say “underestimated” but the …
The term “mollycoddle” means to treat certain constituents or voters in an almost absurdly overprotective way.
Typically used in the context of the “welfare state” and those who feel entitled to government assistance, those who have been labeled “mollycoddled” by …
A money blurt is the strategy of using a politician’s controversial statements to attract a large number of campaign donors.
The Washington Post explains how it works:
…An up-and-coming politician blurts out something incendiary, provocative or otherwise controversial. The remark
A “money bomb” is an intense grassroots online fundraising effort over a brief fixed time period to support a candidate for election.
This technique is often used by political candidates or organizations in order to raise a significant …
Morning business is routine business that is supposed to occur during the first two hours of a new legislative day in the U.S. Senate.
This business includes receiving messages from the President and from the other legislative chamber, reports from …
“Morning in America” is a phrase from a 1984 political ad for President Ronald Reagan’s re-election campaign to evoke a renewed American economic and social landscape.
The Reagan campaign sought to build on perceptions of economic progress during the 1984 …
A “mossback” is an extreme conservative, one so bound up in the past and resistant to forward motion that it (figuratively speaking) is covered in moss, like a stone.
The term mossback originally referred to people dodging the draft during …
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 the Speaker from their position.
This motion is often used as a means of expressing …
The term “motor voter” refers to a law in the United States that allows eligible citizens to register to vote when they apply for or renew their driver’s license.
This law, known as the National Voter Registration Act …
“Movers and shakers” are those who have power and influence in business, politics, or other segments of the public sphere.
Party leadership, committee leaders, or people with influence among certain demographics can all be considered movers and shakers.
Powerful advisors …
A muckety muck is a person with the highest status or most power in an organization.
From a political standpoint, this usually refers to someone in the party leadership or with another influential position.
The term is interchangeable with mucky-muck …
“Muckraker” is a name given to progressive journalists and writers in the early 20th century. The term is still sometimes used today to refer to investigative journalists.
The early 20th century muckrakers were not, of course, the first journalists ever …
In politics, “mudslinging” is a tactic used by candidates or other politicians in order to damage the reputation of a rival politician by using epithets, rumors or mean-spirited innuendos or insults.
The term is often used interchangeably with the more …
In American politics, the term “mugwumps” was first used to describe those who left the Republican party in favor of the Democrats in 1884 to vote for Glover Cleveland instead of the GOP nominee James Blaine.
At a …