Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2010

I suppose there have always been hackneyed political phrases.

In my opinion, the most overused phrase (by far) among American
politicians is the phrase "the American people" -- a phrase that is
often used when the simple phrase "the people" would be more natural.

The U.S. Constitution begins with the words

"We the People..."

in bold calligraphy:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html

In Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address he describes "the great task
remaining before us" as ensuring that

"...government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall
not perish from the earth."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_address

"The people" in each case was not a trivial phrase: it was "the
people" as opposed to "the tyrant," "the monarch," "the (arbitrary)
aristocratic class," etc.  I imagine many people felt exhilaration
when they heard the phrase "the people."  It was a call to break the
yoke of despotism!

But at some time (unknown specifically to me) in American history,
this phrase "the people" -- so much a part of that history -- was
supplanted with the phrase "the American people."  As often as you
hear American politicians use that latter phrase, so RARELY will you
hear them use Jefferson's and Lincoln's more elegant "the people."

Why is this?

Well, I've always supposed it is because the phrase "the people" --
sans "American" -- came to be associated with socialism, communism,
and more recently "liberalism" (in the contemporary American sense)
and "the left wing."  This once-patriotic phrase came to be regarded
as distinctly *unpatriotic* if it was unescorted by the safety-word
"American."

I must say, I regret this change (and I am neither a socialist nor a
communist).  "The People" seems so sublime and universal, while "the
American people" seems to stop at the national borders.

Another hackneyed political phrase that is enjoying its cyclic
resurgence in America is "Wall Street vs. Main Street."  Wall Street
is the business world (typically the big-money business world), and
"Main Street" is the people -- oops, I guess I'm supposed to say "the
American people."

What I find particularly annoying about this phrase is that (it seems
to me) it is used when politicians want to appear to have said
something substantive when they really haven't.  Spoken with loud
conviction from the podium: "It's time for Congress to stop putting
the interests of Wall Street above of the interests of Main
Street!!" (Wild cheering is supposed to follow when this profound
proclamation is dispensed.)  And that's usually good enough for the
evening news cycle -- a tidy, safe sound byte spoken with all due
conviction.

Well, enough ranting from me for now.  I'd be interested to hear your
own thoughts on hackneyed political phrases -- from your country or
any country.  Please feel free to provide us with your own
"favorites" (i.e. the ones that annoy you to no end).  I'll be very
interested to read them.

And thanks in advance for anything you might choose to share.

--
Brett (in Berkeley, California, USA)
http://www.electoralmaps.org/
Pictorial election results for every U.S. Presidential Election from
George Washington to Barack Obama.