This is a list of common political metaphors. This article is about metaphor in literature and rhetoric. ...

Relating to the executive

• eminence grise: literally, "grey man," from French. Colloquially, the power-behind-the-throne. An official close to the president or monarch who has so much power behind the scenes that he or she may double or serve as the monarch.
• figurehead: a leader whose powers are entirely symbolic, such as a constitutional monarch.
• puppet government: a government that is manipulated by a foreign power for its own interests.
• star chamber: a secretive council or other group within a government that possesses the actual power, regardless of the government's overt form.

An éminence grise (French for grey eminence), is a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or otherwise unofficially. ... Forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Figurehead is a carved wooden decoration, often female or bestiary, found at the prow of ships of the 16th to the 19th century. ... A constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... A puppet state is a state whose government, though notionally of the same culture as the governed people - owes its existence (or other major debt) to being installed, supported or controlled by a more powerful entity, typically a foreign power. ... The Star Chamber (Latin Camera stellata) was an English court of law at the royal Palace of Westminster that sat between 1487 and 1641, when the court itself was abolished. ...

Relating to legislation

• blank check: legislation which is vaguely worded to the point where it can be widely exploited and abused.
• grandfather clause that allows a piece of legislation to not apply to something old or incumbent.
• poison pill a provision in an act or bill which defeat or undermines its initial purpose, or which make it politically unacceptable.
• pork barrel legislation or patronage: acts of government that blatantly favor special interest groups.
• rider that attaches something new or unrelated to an existing bill.
• sunset clause to prevent legislation from being permanent.

A blank check (carte blanche) is a check that has no numerical value written in, but is still signed; check owners are normally advised to specify the amount before signing. ... A grandfather clause is an exception that allows an old rule to continue to apply to some existing situations, when a new rule will apply to all future situations. ... Poison pill originally meant a literal poison pill (often a glass vial of cyanide salts) carried by various spies throughout history, and by Nazi leaders in WWII. Spies could take such pills when discovered, eliminating any possibility that they could be interrogated for the enemys gain. ... Pork barrel, in a literal sense, is a barrel in which pork is kept, but figuratively is a supply of money; often the source of ones livelihood. ... This article belongs in one or more categories. ... In legislative practice, a rider is an additional provision annexed to a bill under the consideration of a legislative assembly, having little connection with the subject-matter of the bill. ... A sunset clause is commonly a provision of a law passed by a legislature which causes that law to, in effect, repeal itself automatically as of a given date in the future, unless it is extended by another act of legislature. ...

Relating to elections

• character assassination: spreading (usually) manufactured stories about a candidate with the intent to destroy his or her reputation in the eyes of the public.
• dark horse: a candidate who is largely ignored by opponents yet makes significant gains.
• landslide victory: a huge victory for one side.
• muckraking: uncovering and publicizing scandalous information about a person or organization
• mudslinging: harsh partisan insults exchanged between candidates.
• parachute candidate / carpetbagger: a candidate who runs for election in an area which he or she is not a native resident or has no ties.
• paper candidate: a candidate who puts no effort into his campaign and is essentially just a name on the ballot.
• riding coattails: victories by local or state politicians because of the popularity of more powerful politicians.
• sacrificial lamb: a candidate who is put forward to run for office, by his party or others, but who has no chance of winning.
• stalking horse: a perceived front-runner candidate who unifies his or her opponents, usually within a single political party.

Character assassination is the process of harming a persons reputation enough to cause rejection of that person from their community. ... A dark horse candidate is one who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice. ... In politics, a landslide victory (or just a landslide) is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming majority in an election. ... In American English, a muckraker is a journalist or an author who searches for and exposes scandals and abuses occurring in business and politics. ... Mudslinging is the exchange of insults between candidates in an election. ... A parachute candidate, also known as a carpetbagger in the United States, is a political term for an election candidate who does not live in the area he is running to represent. ... In United States history, carpetbaggers were Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction between 1865 and 1877. ... In a representative democracy, the term paper candidate is often given to a candidate who stands for a political party in an electoral division where the party in question enjoys little or no support. ... Riding coattails is a metaphor that refers to the way in which lower level or uninspiring celebrities can often reach stardom through their ties to another, more popular and successful celebrity. ... A sacrificial lamb refers to a lamb (or metaphorical parallel) killed or discounted in some way in order to further some other cause. ... Look up Stalking horse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Relating to the issues

• wedge issue: an issue which turns members of a party against each other.
• third rail: an issue which is so controversial, pursuing it or even attempting to address it could end one's political career.
• straw man: the practice of refuting an argument that is weaker than one's opponent actually offers, or which he simply has not put forth at all. A type of logical fallacy.
• sacred cow: an institution which few dare question, because it is so revered.

Wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which is used by one political group to split apart or create a wedge in the support base of an opposing political group, with a view to enticing voters to give their support to... Third rail consisting of two strips of aluminium fitted to a steel rail. ... A straw man argument is a logical fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponents position. ... This article is about Hinduism. ...

Others

• Government in the sunshine: a government which keeps all its records and documents open and easily accessible by the public.
• lame duck: a politician who has lost an election, or who is serving his last term in an office where the law limits the number of times he may succeed himself, and is simply waiting for his term to expire.
• melting pot: a society in which all outsiders assimilate to one social norm.
• salad bowl: a society in which cultural groups retain their unique attributes (opposite of melting pot theory).
• Spin (public relations), a heavily biased portrayal of an event or situation.
• witch hunt: a hysterical pursuit of political enemies