Do You Speak Republican?

Many graduates of high school and college had to take courses in a second language.  Most students elected to learn French or Spanish with a few hearty souls choosing Latin.  Unfortunately, no accredited institution offers courses in Republican.  Going back to the 80s and the Reagan presidential campaign, the language of Republican, although sharing many words with the English language was a separate language unto itself.  The main premise of the Republican language is you say what your listener wants to hear but your actual words have a totally different meaning.  In some cases every statement has the modifier, except, that actually goes unsaid but is understood by every Republican listener.  An example of this occurs every time Republicans refer to debt and deficit.  In the Republican language debt and deficit are bad EXCEPT when increased by a Republican President or Republican Congressional majority.  The same can be said for the term reconciliation when used to pass legislation in the Senate avoiding a filibuster EXCEPT when used by a Democratic Senate majority.  Another example is the Senate practice of filibuster, again a necessary legislative rule EXCEPT when avoided by Republicans confirming Supreme Court and other Federal Court lifetime appointments.  More recent examples of the Republican language is the expression bipartisan.  This term again only refers to circumstances when Congressional majorities are in the hands of Democrats and unlike in the English language actually means giving Republicans what they want even though they lack to power to implement what they want without Democratic support of their policies.  Bipartisan can also mean Democrats cannot use their majorities to override Republican wishes or intentions.  As the recent pandemic has keeps students away from schools and colleges there is a major increase in the need to somehow expand language skills of the American voter.  By the way, for even more examples of Republican speak be sure to tune into broadcasts of Sunday’s CPAC convention.