"DEMOCRAT" OR DEMOCRATIC?

Can any one tell me when exactly the rightwing Republicans started referring to the Democratic Party as "the Democrat Party"?

Even some in the media do it now, but others as well, including ordinary citizens who have listened to too much Rush or Fox News or other outlets of rightwing-think. A lot of them unaware that they are even taking part in an historical change of political perception. But, of course, many of them very aware of what they are doing.

The rightwing Republicans successfully demonized the term "Liberal" until most politicians, including liberal Republicans, as well as the usual Democratic Party suspects, became afraid of using it to describe anything they might appear to be connected to. They've even tried to dehumanize "humanist" by equating it to "anti-Christian" and "atheist" for their fundamentalist followers. Now the right would obviously like to put to rest any idea that the Democratic Party has anything to do with governing or thinking or behaving democratically.

It's amazing they pull this stuff off isn't it? Unless you think about how much more that the coprorations who they shill for have pulled off. Like how did corporations legally become "persons"? And how do they continue to get away with that?—few of the responsibilities the rest of us "persons" have to live up to, less of the laws than we have to follow, more loopholes than we get for taxes, and more and much much larger handouts from the government than any real person has ever gotten or ever will.

When I was a young man I never heard anyone say "the Democrat Party" and I've been active—through my father and then through the radicalization of the movements of the 1960s—with national politics since I was a boy. I don't remember hearing it before Karl Rove, but I suspect it came in with Lee Atwater, the real "Architect" (as Bushie calls Rove) long before Karl.

In my third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary from 1992 there is no reference to it, just "The Democratic Party" and "The Republican Party". But I wouldn't be surprised to learn it has since been included in some dictionaries, including computer and online reference sites.

As I said, it's an obviously not too subtle point that they don't want the Democratic Party thought of as actually "democratic"; and unfortunately retaliating by calling theirs "the Republic Party" doesn't have the same sting to it.

It's been pointed out by others that though Bush Jr. said words that seemed conciliatory in his speech the day after the Congress became "Democratic" he still referred to them as "the Democrat Party" indicating, despite his pretense of willingness to work with them, his disdain for them and what they stand for, and signaling to his core rightwing support that he is still one of them, even if it's obvious to anyone paying attention that a lot of them have pretty much given up on him along with the rest of us.

"The Republican and Democrat Parties"—doesn't that sound kind of stupid? But then, stupid seems to have been the driving force of a lot of developments in our country and in its influence on the rest of the world for quite a while now. Don't even get me started on totally jive gangsta language and posturing and young men wearing pants they have to pull up every thirty seconds. I'll save that for a future post.