by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
Yglesias comes out against the phrase "the American people". I'm not so sure. You'll notice that Barack Obama almost never uses the phrase "people" even when it is the most natural word, preferring "folks". I'm not sure if this is an attempt at being down-home or an attempt to avoid "people" because onomatopoetically it might sound pejorative (cf. Perot, Ross at the NAACP). "Americans" and "America" do seem like acceptable alternatives, and certainly better ones than "the public", which Matt also left out. The use of "people" also helps identify the Dems as the more populist party.
If we're looking for other constructions to eliminate, I also vote agaisnt the use of "State-ans" when residents of State don't ever use the term. I don't know anyone out here in the woolly northwest who refers to themselves as a "Washingtonian" or "Oregonian". "Nevadans" made an appearance during the most recent debate, and while I don't know if that word appears in common parlance, it sure sounds like it doesn't. Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI) even uses "Michiganian", which in addition to sounding silly isn't even the preferred term! So unless the residents of your state actually use this construction (as in "Texas", or as a stretch "New Yorker"), drop it. Prefer "the people of State" or "the good people of State".
Use this as an open thread for phrases you hear only in politics that you wish you never had to hear again.
Update: There are several worthy candidates in the comments, but I wanted to hilight the suggestion of banishing "homeland" and especially "the homeland" from our political lexicon, considering it was fabricated out of whole cloth in the wake of 9/11 ,
—Signed, not Ezra Klein
