An unknown advisor explaining to President George W. Bush why his use of the phrase "Democrat Party" offends Democrats, from the February 25, 2007 Doonesbury strip.

Democrat Party is a political epithet used in the United States by some conservative commentators and by some members of the Republican Party in speeches and press releases to refer to the opposition Democratic Party. The key issue is the use of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective. Thus "Senator Kerry is a Democrat" is standard, while "Kerry is a Democrat Senator" is controversial. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Doonesbury is a comic strip by Garry Trudeau, popular in the United States and other parts of the world. ... American conservatism is a constellation of political ideologies within the United States under the blanket heading of conservative. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Democratic Party. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States; the other being the Republican Party. ...

Many members of the Democratic Party object to the term. New Yorker Magazine commentator Hendrik Hertzberg attacks the users: "There’s no great mystery about the motives behind this deliberate misnaming. 'Democrat Party' is a slur, or intended to be - a handy way to express contempt. Aesthetic judgments are subjective, of course, but 'Democrat Party' is jarring verging on ugly. It fairly screams 'rat.'"^[1] Hendrik Hertzberg is an American journalist and author. ...

History of usage

"Democrat Party" has a long history of occasional use by opponents of the Democratic Party and sometimes by others. The history has been traced by several scholars and commentators.^[2] The earliest known use of the term, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was in Great Britain in 1890: "Whether a little farmer...is going to rule the Democrat Party in America."^[3] The term was used by Herbert Hoover in 1932, and in the late 1930s by Republicans who used it to criticize Democratic big city machines run by powerful political bosses in what they considered undemocratic fashion. Republican leader Harold Stassen said in 1940, "I emphasized that the party controlled in large measure at that time by Hague in New Jersey, Pendergast in Missouri and Kelly-Nash in Chicago should not be called a 'Democratic Party.' It should be called the 'Democrat Party.'"^[4] The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929–1933), was a world-famous mining engineer and humanitarian administrator. ... In this 1899 cartoon from Puck, all of New York City politics revolves around boss Richard Croker A political machine is an unofficial system of political organization based on patronage, the spoils system, behind-the-scenes control, and longstanding political ties within the structure of a representative democracy. ... Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943 and a perennial candidate for the president of the United States. ... Frank Hague (1896 - 1956) was the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1873 – January 26, 1945) controlled Kansas City as a political boss. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Edward Joseph Kelly (born: May 1, 1876; died: October 20, 1950; buried in Calvary Cemetery) served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1933-1947) for the Democratic Party. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, City of the Big Shoulders, The 312, The City that Works Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government...

The noun-as-adjective has been used by numerous Republican leaders since the 1940s and appears in most GOP national platforms since 1948.^[5] In 1947 the Republican leader Senator Robert A. Taft said, "Nor can we expect any other policy from any Democrat Party or any Democrat President under present day conditions. They can not possibly win an election solely through the support of the solid South, and yet their political strategists believe the Southern Democrat Party will not break away no matter how radical the allies imposed upon it."^[6] President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the term in his acceptance speech in 1952 and in partisan speeches to Republican groups.^[7] Ruth Walker notes how Joseph McCarthy repeatedly used the phrase "the Democrat Party," and critics (as shown in the cartoon) argue that if McCarthy used the term in the 1950s then no one else should do so. ^[8] Robert Alphonso Taft I (September 8, 1889 - July 31, 1953), of the Taft family political dynasty of Ohio, was a United States Senator and Presidential candidate in the United States Republican Party. ... D. D. Eisenhower during WWII Dwight David Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower, October 14, 1890 - March 28, 1969), nicknamed Ike, was an American soldier and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953-1961). ... Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1957. ...

Current usage

In recent decades, however, the Republican Party has made the phrase "Democrat Party" its preferred way of referring to its opposition. The Republican Party Web site makes extensive use of the term, although "Democratic Party" is used almost as often. The White House since 2001 has often used the noun-as-adjective when referring to the opposition party, and President Bush has used it almost exclusively.^[9][10] Likewise it is in common use by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay,^[11] House Minority Leader John Boehner,^[12] Senator Charles Grassley,^[13] Congressman Steve Buyer^[14] and others. George W. Bush spoke the phrase "Democrat majority" in his 2007 State of the Union Address.^[15] (The advance copy that was given to members of Congress read "Democratic majority".)^[16] Bush joked about his leadership of the "Republic Party" the following month.^[17] Thomas Dale DeLay (born April 8, 1947) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Sugar Land, Texas. ... John Andrew Boehner (IPA pronunciation: ) (born November 17, 1949), is an American politician of the Republican Party who serves as House Majority Leader, and a U.S. Representative from Ohios 8th congressional district, which includes parts of the city Dayton as well as several southwestern counties along the Indiana... Charles Ernest Chuck Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is the senior United States Senator from Iowa. ... Stephen Earle Steve Buyer (born November 26, 1958) has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, easily winning reelection by the 4th District of Indiana. ... The 2007 State of the Union Address will be held on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 9pm Eastern Standard Time. ...

Aside from partisan usage, the term can also be found used in non-partisan media. Media Matters for America has documented the occasional use of "Democrat Party" by CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and the Associated Press. Abroad the term is occasionally used by the BBC.^[18] Screenshot from Media Matters for America (Jan 6, 2006) Media Matters for America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 by formerly conservative (now liberal) journalist and author David Brock; it is an organization that hosts a website featuring watchdog journalism. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an influential international daily newspaper published in New York City, New York with a worldwide average daily circulation of more than 2. ... Front page of the Tribune incorrectly reporting that Dewey won the 1948 presidential election The Chicago Tribune, formerly self-styled as the Worlds Greatest Newspaper, remains the leading newspaper of the Midwest of the United States. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion...

Some state and local Democratic organizations use the noun-as-adjective on their web pages (often but not always mixed with "Democratic Party") in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Indiana.^[19]

Issues of grammar

Some believe that the use of the noun "Democrat" as an adjective is ungrammatical on the grounds that "Democratic Party" is not a proper noun, but a noun modified by an adjective.^[20] Using a noun as a modifier of another noun is not grammatically incorrect in modern English in the formation of a compound noun, i.e. "shoe store," "school bus," "peace movement," "Senate election," etc. Americans commonly speak of "the Iraq war" rather than "the Iraqi war."^[21][22] Others see the issue, however, as not one of grammar, but rather whether the party is to be only called what it calls itself, or also by what its opponents call it. For the surname, see Grammer. ... A proper noun is a noun that picks out a unique entity. ... The word modifier applies to either the adjective or the adverb in a sentence. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A compound is a word composed of more than one free morphemes. ...

The use of "Democrat Party" could be part of a broader linguistic trend. As one linguist explained, "We're losing our inflections – the special endings we use to distinguish between adjectives and nouns, for instance. There's a tendency to modify a noun with another noun rather than an adjective. Some may speak of "the Ukraine election" rather than 'the Ukrainian election' or 'the election in Ukraine,' for instance. It's 'the Iraq war' rather than 'the Iraqi war,' to give another example."^[21] Linguistics is the scientific study of language. ...

The "Republic Party" and the "Republicans Party"

Members of the Republican Party, from political commentators to President Bush himself, made especially extensive use of the term "Democrat Party" during the run-up to the 2006 midterm elections; earlier waves of usage had inspired the "Publican Party", but this failed to catch on. In response to the growing use of the epithet in late 2006, a corresponding epithet for the Republican Party, the "Republic Party", began to circulate in liberal parts of the blogosphere. On February 4, 2007, Bush good-naturedly acknowledged the recently-coined epithet for his party in a speech to House Democrats, stating "Now look, my diction isn't all that good. I have been accused of occasionally mangling the English language. And so I appreciate you inviting the head of the Republic Party."^[23] Look up Publican in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Blogosphere is the collective term encompassing all blogs as a community or social network. ...

Additionally, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) repeatedly invoked the phrase "The Republic Party" on the floor of the House of Representatives in February 2007 while lambasting Congressional Republicans for their opposition to providing a private jet for Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi.^[24]. This amenity had been provided for Pelosi's predecessor, Republican Dennis Hastert, as a security measure after the 9/11 attacks. Anthony D. Weiner (b. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      House of Representatives is a name used for legislative bodies in many countries. ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the House and is the first woman to hold that position. ... John Dennis Hastert (born January 2, 1942) is an American politician and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ...

Another corresponding noun-as-adjective has also begun to circulate on the Internet: "The Republicans Party." [7][8][9]

Notes

William L. Safire on NBCs Meet The Press with Tim Russert. ... Hendrik Hertzberg is an American journalist and author. ... This page is about the nineteenth century English poet. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Slate is an online news and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley and owned by Microsoft (as part of MSN). ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... In the Gregorian Calendar, December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years), at which point there will be 13 days remaining to the end of the year. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ... Screenshot from Media Matters for America (Jan 6, 2006) Media Matters for America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 by formerly conservative (now liberal) journalist and author David Brock; it is an organization that hosts a website featuring watchdog journalism. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Roy H. Copperud, American Usage and Style: The Consensus 1980, pages 101-102.
• Ignace Feuerlicht. "Democrat Party," , American Speech, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Oct., 1957), pp. 228-231 online in JSTOR
• Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern American Usage 1998, p. 196.
• Hendrik Hertzberg. "The 'IC' Factor" The New Yorker, August 7, 2006.
• John Lyman, "Democrat Party," American Speech, Vol. 33, No. 3 (October 1958), pp. 239-40 in JSTOR notes term as used by some Democrats in Maryland.
• Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, 1994, pp 328-29, page 667.
• Geoffrey Nunberg. "The Case for Democracy" in "Fresh Air" commentary, January 19, 2005 (radio broadcast).
• Geoffrey Nunberg, Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show 2006.
• William Safire, Safire's New Political Dictionary (1993).
• Hans Sperber and Travis Trittschuh. American Political Terms: An Historical Dictionary (1962) pages 117-23.
• Walker, Ruth. "Republicans, Democrats, and the Afghan on the couch" Christian Science Monitor, January 27, 2005
• "Democrats Find Ally In Republican Camp", UPI, August 17, 1984.

January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) is an international newspaper published daily, Monday through Friday. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Adjectival use of nouns