Over the past few weeks, republicans have thrown all sorts of labels at Barack Obama:
"Muslim socialist"
"Nazi communist"
"Terrorist"
"Arab"
"Elitist"
The GOP leaders have also used several words to describe themselves that further exemplify their poor vocabulary skills:
"Maverick"
"Small business owner"
"Reformer"
Interviews with Sarah Palin, in particular, make it even clearer that the GOP needs remedial help with vocabulary and a few pointers on political doctrine and history. I am therefore assembling a small collection of terms with which the GOP and its supporters should become better acquainted.
CAVEAT: These are simple dictionary definitions and basic explanations of complicated political philosophies. Please do not bother wasting time in demonstrating your "superior" knowledge by badgering me with how this fact isn't quite accurate, etc. Let's save our "gotchas" for the other side. But do feel free to add your own! Thank you!
Muslim: Of or pertaining to the religion, law, or civilization of Islam.
The Islamic faith calls for Sha'ria law, in which the government and people are responsible for carrying out the will of Allah and obeying Allah's laws at all times.
An Islamic government specifies Islam as the national religion; the schools teach Islam, and everyone's lives are governed by the Qu'ran.
Socialism: Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.
The founders of most socialist philosophies promoted atheism or, at a minimum, said religion should remain a "private affair." They opposed adoption of "state religion." This makes socialism contradictory to Islam.
The Islamic socialist movement did not resemble Western socialism; it allowed personal ownership of property and free-market competition. It also validated Islam's class system. While it does advocate redistributing wealth to narrow the gap between rich and poor, this is but one tenet of socialism; the establishment of a national religion makes Islam incompatible with socialism.
Therefore, "Muslim socialist," as some GOPers have called Obama, is an oxymoron.
Arab: Member of a Semitic people inhabiting Arabia and other countries of the Middle East.
A mentally unstable woman at a McCain event expressed fear that Obama was an "Arab," to which McCain responded "no, he is a good family man."
First, the woman was likely equating "Arab" with "Muslim." Being Arab is unrelated to being Muslim; there are Arab Christians. In addition, many Persians are Muslim and African American Louis Farrakhan is a Muslim but not an Arab. According to Obama's family lineage, he is not descended from people from a Middle Eastern country. Further, no dictionary equates "Arab" with "bad family man," as McCain apparently does.
Nazi: A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, founded in Germany in 1919 and brought to power in 1933 under Adolf Hitler or someone who holds similar views.
A GOP mailing recently went to 75,000 mostly Jewish voters in Pennsylvania, implying that Jews should watch for signs that Obama has Nazi intentions. Note that Nazis believed blacks, as well as Jews, were genetically inferior (hence, Hitler's outrage at Jesse Owens' Olympic performance) and should be executed; for Obama to be a Nazi, he would have to believe he was genetically inferior.
Communism: A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. Communism abolishes religion.
One cannot be a Nazi Communist (or a Muslim communist), as GOP supporters have said about Obama; Nazism is an anti-communist political doctrine (which may explain why the racist elements of the right are also rabid haters of communism).
Terrorist: A radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities.
Palin recently refused to label bombers of abortion clinics like Eric Rudolph "terrorists." Which element of the above definition does Rudolph not meet? Eric Rudolph was a Christian radical who sought to further his political beliefs on abortion by bombing abortion clinics and public events, and killing/maiming innocent Americans. He received help from other Christian anti-abortion radicals in eluding detection. Some of these groups openly advocate killing people involved in performing abortions.
Vice President: The Constitution restricts the role of the Vice Persident to becoming President if the President becomes unable to serve and acting as presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, allowing the VP to cast a vote only in the event of a tie and to certify the official vote count of the U.S. Electoral College.
"The Standing Rules of the Senate do not vest any significant responsibilities in the Vice President. Rule XIX, which governs debate, does not authorize the Vice President to participate in debate, and grants only to members of the Senate (and, upon appropriate notice, former presidents of the United States) the privilege of addressing the Senate, without granting a similar privilege to the sitting Vice President."
Palin has twice said that the Vice President has a role in effecting legislative change through participation in the Senate.
Elitist: The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
This term is inherently contradictory to the notion of being a "socialist," which prescribes all people as equal. Someone who feels entitled to use $150,000 in expensive clothes because they are a vice presidential candidate is elitist. Someone that believes by virtue of having amassed more wealth than others you deserve special tax breaks on that wealth is elitist. Someone who believes a position of power means that your friends/political supporters are more qualified to hold government positions is elitist.
Maverick: A lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
Neither McCain nor Palin qualify as intellectuals or artists. As politicians, McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time--even when it was against his own stated beliefs. McCain abandoned his "principles" when it came time to run for president. This is not "maverick-y." Palin lobbied for earmarks and made use of the "Good Ol' Boys" system to secure money for Alaska. She supports every tenet advocated by far right Republicans. This is not "maverick-y."
Reformer: To abolish abuse or malpractice in: reform the government.
Palin likes to say she is a "reformer" and "reformed" government in Alaska. She has been determined to have violated ethics laws in Alaska. She is under investigation for abusing her authority, and several of her actions have invited investigation, such as claiming per diems for more than 300 days spent at home and charging the state for airfare and luxury hotels on behalf of her children (including a 5-day stay at a $700/night hotel for her and Bristol to attend a 5-hour conference in NY). She has appointed unqualified cronies to positions of authority and has a habit of firing those who have opposed her. She accepted tens of thousands in gifts, many of which went unreported. This is not "reforming" government; these are examples of the types of malpractice most people oppose in government.
Experience: The process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something: business experience.
Palin says she has foreign policy "experience" because her state has an island close to a remote island in Russia, despite the fact that she has had no personal involvement with any representatives of the Russian government or any personal experience dealing with any issues involving Russia. Palin has "proximity" to Russia, not "experience" with Russia.
Small business owner: Someone who owns their own business and generally employs fewer than 100 employees.
Joe the Plumber is not a small business owner or close to one. Last week Lindsay Graham referred to Cindy McCain as "a great small business woman." In 2007, Hensley & Co (her "small" business) employed at least 600 people and earned her $4.7 million in income. McCain introduced millionaire Bob Long as a small business owner; Bob used to be CEO of a major company but now owns a yacht manufacturing business that made around $20 million in revenue last year and has "more than 125 employees." FAIL.
3,4,5: These are numbers that represent 3, 4, or 5 of something.
Yesterday McCain said he was 3 to 5 points behind in the polls. An average of national polls (per Talking Points Memo) shows Obama ahead by more than 8 points. This is 5, 4, and 3 more, respectively, than 3, 4, or 5.
There are may more terms of which the republicans seem clueless and in need of a good dictionary (what "violation of the law," means, for example; and what "negative campaigning" and "lies" mean). But hopefully when Bill O'Reilly is trolling Kos, as he does regularly, he will see this and learn something.