'Under the Bus' and Other Offenses

One of the many negative aspects of an especially long campaign season is the endless repetition of phrases and clichés that spring forth from the mouths of candidates and the pundits who cover them. After an entire year of political sparring, during which our prospective leaders winnow complex policy questions down into catchy sound-bite phrases, it sometimes feels like the whole country has contracted the virus that reduces language into bumper-sticker mantras.

Here, then, is a top five list of the most annoying turns of phrase of our current campaign season:

1. "Under the bus." This, of course, is the place where you throw those people or ideas or whole countries whose use you have outgrown. Reverend Wright threw Barack Obama under the bus, so Obama had to crawl back out and throw Reverend Wright under his own bus.

2. "Wake up, America!" This frequent taunt is most often found in the comment section of blogs. Those righteous few who have woken up from their nap in the Matrix are quite fond of letting you know that you, America, are still sleeping.

3. "The American people want change!" Maddeningly vague, this sentiment can be expressed, and has, by the supporters of any of the candidates currently running. In a year in which an incumbent is not seeking re-election everybody's blabbing on and on about change.

4. "It's 3 a.m." Ever since Hillary Clinton released her famous 3 a.m. ad, it feels like this campaign has been one long, sleepless night. McCain and Obama quickly fired up their own versions of sugar plumb ferries dancing in dreams of cute white kids while insomniac presidents fielded phone calls about imminent terrorist attacks. But the 3 a.m madness didn't end there. No, then came the endless YouTube parodies. Everybody, please, back to bed.

5. "Time for a little straight talk." This catch-phrase has been around for almost ten years. Maybe it even meant something once. Now, whenever you hear it, you have to brace yourself for just the opposite. It's also an odd construction that implies that whenever the user does not presage remarks with that qualifier, he or she is probably lying.


















Think of any other overused phrases? Drop them in the comments below...