Question about people saying "Democrat Party" etc. [View all]

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

I had a discussion on another board where someone made the claim that right wingers made saying "Democrat Party" instead of "Democratic" so ubiquitous that even Democratic politicians said it.

This is something I would definitely notice and remember if it ever happened and I can think of no such instance. As far as I can tell the usage dates back to around the GWB era and was probably pushed by some propagandist like Rove, Frank Luntz or Gingrich.

I would say that it is virtually universal among the right to the point where even big name GOP politicians will say it, and I think I can even remember Mitt saying it a time or two, most likely to show he was "on the wingnut team" (although someone like Mitt would probably use it in selective settings to avoid having someone like Chris Matthews call him out and embarrass him on live TV).

But even if they were the kind of Dem who didn't consider right wingers saying "Democrat Party" to be a big deal, the idea of a politician using the incorrect name for their own party on purpose, a usage promoted by the opposing party, doesn't ring true.

I had just never heard anyone make such a claim but will stand corrected if there are any notable examples. The person I was discussing the issue with could not produce examples despite their claim that it was a common event for Democrats to say this.