| August 5, 2005 Alaskan in Exile by Neil Zawicki “Have you heard the changing words?” Kevin Kinney said that. He’s the front man in the Georgia band Drivin’ n Cryin. It’s the refrain in their song, “Peacemaker.” Changing words is something the GOP does with diabolical acuteness. They choose and change their words regularly, in order to keep their slight-of hand running at full throttle. They’ve recently mounted an effort to change “War on Terror,” to “Global struggle to defeat enemies of democracy.” This is because the label is souring, and they know it. Another fantastic example is the recent newspaper article – which was buried on page three of most papers – about John Bolton’s meeting with the CIA prior to the Iraq War. It seems Bolton said he never met with the CIA, while democratic senators discovered that he had. How did Bolton’s handlers deal with the revelation? They said that Bolton “mistakenly” reported that he hadn’t met with the CIA. He didn’t lie ... he made a mistake. When Karl Rove was revealed as the administration source that leaked to the press the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, Bush chose his words carefully. The president had said he’d fire anyone who was involved in the disclosure. After Rove was outed, Bush said, “I’ll fire anyone convicted of any wrong doing.” It really is amazing what this administration knows it can get away with. But they choose their words well. Word choosing is not exclusive to one side of the isle. Former president Bill Clinton famously retorted in his impeachment hearing, “It depends on what the meaning of the word “Is” is…” Progressives do it, too. Up until a couple years ago, progressives were liberals. And in the 1920s and ‘30s, before they were liberals, they were progressives. The changes were made to shed negative perceptions surrounding the words. Words are magic. People apply meaning to them, and then it is nearly impossible to alter that perception. The GOP understands the best policy is to find another word. Another curious practice in the science of word usage is the hollow attempts by republicans to add to their existing stigma-laden words. There are now “Compassionate Conservatives” and “Progressive Conservatives.” Why would a conservative feel the need to announce that they, apparently unlike other conservatives, are compassionate? And what is a progressive conservative? Is that like an orange apple? Word usage tactics are part of a bigger bag of tricks – all language based – employed by the GOP. Each eyebrow-raising action the administration pulls, seemingly every week, fades into media obscurity within days. This is because the spin machine at the White House dazzles the press with something new each time. It is no accident that Bush announced his choice of John Roberts to replace Sandra Day O’Connor when he did. It diverted the press from the Rove problem, and once again the public forgot about a very serious breach of trust committed by the administration. The next time a story appears in the press about the Bush Administration doing something questionable, I suggest we all take bets on how long the story will last before a new and eclipsing announcement from the White House woos the attention of the press. In light of these tactics, do I think the next scandal to emerge from the administration will stick? In a word, no. Neil Zawicki, exiled Alaskan, is Editor at Large for Insurgent49, a former reporter for the Alaska Star, and winner of the Alaska Press Club's 'Best Columnist' award. He is now living out the rest of his days in an undisclosed location in Oregon. He can be contacted at - neil@insurgent49.com |
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Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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