Modern Usage
Following his inauguration in 2001, President George W. Bush often used the noun-as-adjective when referring to the opposition party. Likewise, it has been used by former Texas Representative and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner of Ohio, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, Representative Steve Buyer of Indiana, and other Republicans. In 2006, Ruth Marcus, a columnist for The Washington Post, noted that "he derisive use of 'Democrat' in this way was a Bush staple during the recent campaign", and she chastised Bush, alleging he was being intentionally offensive. Marcus went on to say the argument about the term was "trivial, sticks-and-stones linguistic bickering".
Bush spoke of the "Democrat majority" in his 2007 State of the Union Address. The advance copy that was given to members of Congress read "Democratic majority." Democrats again complained about the use of "Democrat" as an adjective in the address: John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff for Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton, complained that it was "like nails on a chalkboard". Some commentators ignored Bush's slur against the newly elected Democratic majority; others debated whether Bush was intentionally using the term as a slur. Congressional historian Julian E. Zelizer said "It's hard to disentangle whether that's an intentional slight". Political analyst Charlie Cook doubted it was a deliberate attempt to offend Democrats saying Republicans "have been doing it so long that they probably don't even realize they're doing it."
Bush later joked about the issue by talking about his leadership of the "Republic Party" the following month. On February 4, 2007, Bush joked 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."
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh uses the term almost exclusively when referring to Democrats.
Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin used the term during the 2008 United States presidential campaign.
"Democrat" has been used as an adjective by USA Today. In Indiana there are several legally incorporated organizations with "Democrat" as part of their official name, such as the "Indianapolis, 17th Ward Democrat Club Inc." and the "Andrew Jackson Democrat Club Of Tippecanoe County."
Republicans frequently use the noun "Democrat" incorrectly as an adjective during Congressional debate.
Read more about this topic: Democrat Party (epithet)
Famous quotes containing the words modern and/or usage:
“An ... important antidote to American democracy is American gerontocracy. The positions of eminence and authority in Congress are allotted in accordance with length of service, regardless of quality. Superficial observers have long criticized the United States for making a fetish of youth. This is unfair. Uniquely among modern organs of public and private administration, its national legislature rewards senility.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908)
“I am using it [the word ‘perceive’] here in such a way that to say of an object that it is perceived does not entail saying that it exists in any sense at all. And this is a perfectly correct and familiar usage of the word.”
—A.J. (Alfred Jules)