The “shot” generally refers to the more impactful or shocking element, while the “chaser” serves to contextualize, contradict, or ironically underscore the “shot.”
Originating from bar terminology where a ‘shot’ of liquor is followed by a ‘chaser’ to smooth the taste.
The phrase in a political setting is often employed to draw attention to hypocrisy, inconsistency, or the complexities of a particular issue.
More on “Shot/Chaser”
An oft-deployed pithy form of attack in Republican and Democratic emails, Twitter posts, and news releases in which a controversial quote or fact—the “shot”—is followed by a contradictory quote or fact—the “chaser.”
“SHOT: Hillary claims server has emails ‘from my husband and me,’ the Republican National Committee said in a March 2015 tweet. “CHASER: Bill hasn’t sent an email since leaving WH.” The tweet included a link to a summary of a Wall Street Journal article quoting Bill Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna as saying that the former president doesn’t use email.
From Doubletalk © 2016 Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark.
Use of “Shot/Chaser” in a sentence
- The campaign’s shot/chaser moment came when the candidate first denounced negative campaigning but was found to have funded attack ads against his opponent just days later.
- In a classic shot/chaser, the senator fervently argued for fiscal responsibility on the Senate floor, only for news to break hours later revealing his support for a pork-laden spending bill.
- The president’s speech praising bipartisanship served as the shot, and the chaser was his immediate veto of a bipartisan bill, leaving political analysts and the public to question the sincerity of his earlier remarks.