The Democrat Bogeyman

Have you heard people refer to the "Democrat Party?"
They drop the "ic" from the Democratic Party - even though "Democratic Party" is the name of the party.

Maybe you dismissed this as a mistake -- or as D.C. slang from folks in the know.
But it's actually childish namecalling.

Pay attention to who uses the shortened, harsher sounding, ungrammatical "Democrat Party." It's primarily conservative commentators, along with a few of the conservatives working in government.

It's not an accident or accepted slang. It's a cheap shot that, according to NPR's Ombudsman, started in the 50s when a conservative decided he didn't like the opposing party's name because it includes an adjective with positive connotations.

Now, if I have an acquaintance named James who has told me he prefers to go by the name "James," but I insist on calling him Jimbo, there is not a lot James can do. He can explain to others that I am a petty and small-minded person who does things simply to make others uncomfortable, but he can't make me stop.

In fact, taking a stand on such a small thing should be beneath a guy like James.

So, I normally take a cue from this hypothetical James and try to ignore it when I hear conservatives use their disparaging nickname.

But it is an effort to ignore it. I always hear it - of course, that's the point.

Recently, I heard Stevie Miller use "Democrat Party" in an interview about the Administration's plan to shut down the government if Congress doesn't fully fund a wall building project. In the interview, he said, "The Democrat Party has a simple choice. They can either choose to fight for America's working class or to promote illegal immigration. You can't do both."

That's when I found a new way of hearing that name, "Democrat Party."

Stevie Miller is not talking about the actual Democratic Party. He's talking about an imaginary group of horrible people who want to destroy the country. The fake party he's talking about is made up of policymakers who would gladly watch this country burn. He gave this imaginary party a name - a name no actual political party has. His monstrous political party is the Democrat Party.

Of course, there is no such party. He (and others) made it all up. It is a horror story used to make sure Trump's base doesn't ask too many questions.

You want proof, look at his quote from that interview:
"The Democrat Party has a simple choice. They can either choose to fight for America's working class or to promote illegal immigration. You can't do both."
Wait... What? That doesn't make any sense.
Unless!
That is the logic of a man trapped inside an imaginary fantasyland where the villains of an evil political party are working to destroy America.
The name Democrat Party is an exercise in imagination by people who need make-believe villains to justify the actions they are taking in reality.