Examples of Political Jargon

Political jargon refers to the words and phrases used by politicians, lobbyists, the media, and other people to talk about political issues in a quicker, coded way. Political jargon is the shared language of catch phrases spoken by those in politics. Following are some examples of political jargon.

Jargon Examples

Here are some examples of political jargon, and what the words really mean:

• Left-Wing: a politician or citizen who is more liberal than the average person. Typically, this is someone who is for socialized medicine, for gay rights, and pro-choice, among many other issues.
• Right-Wing: a politician or citizen who is more conservative than the average person. This typically means someone who is looking for lowered taxes, especially on the upper class, for decentralization of government, and someone who shoots down gay rights issues with discussion of “family values.”
• Flip flopper: A candidate or politician who changes his mind on certain important issues over time.
• Bailout: Helping a large company with its debts with the intention that the company will repay the money in the future.
• Bipartisan: An effort that brings together both political parties in mutual agreement.
• Partisan: Something that only works toward the goals of one political party, and often works against the goals of the other.
• Birther: Someone who believes President Obama was born outside of the United States.
• Feminazi: A militant Feminist who is viewed as going overboard on women's causes.
• Right-to-lifer: A person who is anti-abortion.
• Pro-Choice: A person who is in favor of a woman's right to choose abortion or not.
• Grown in office: A political term used for someone who won office based on one set of principles, but over time adopted an opposite set of principles.
• RINO: This term is short for "Republican in Name Only," and is used to criticize Republicans who often side with Democrats.
• Blue dog: A Democrat who is likely to side with Republicans on certain issues.
• Greenwashing: When companies attempt to make themselves look environmentally friendly (usually when they're not especially environmentally friendly).
• Red state: A state that votes primarily for Republicans or conservatives.
• Blue state: A state that votes primarily for Democrats or liberals.
• Tree hugger: An environmentalist.
• Frankenfood: This term is used by politicians and lobbyists to refer to genetically-modified food products.
• Public Servant: Political jargon for an elected official.
• Reform: To change a law or a system to make it better or more efficient.
• Lame duck: A politician who is considered ineffective, either because he or she was recently elected out of office or announced retirement.
• Kool-aid-drinker: Derogatory term for an individual who votes for a candidate or a party against their common sense.

These are all examples of political slang terms or political speech that is used commonly by those on the "inside" of politics.