Scourge
15
What a ridiculous man with his "Thumbs Up."
16
Thank you. Keep up the great work. Now at least I can try to get into the Christmas spirit...
14
I've not yet heard Trump or his followers offer up any comeback words for:
Impeachment, traitor, collusion, groper, rapist, tax cheater, tax evader, crooked, conman, flimflam, criminal, deviant, creep, loser, ... I mean this list is massive!
2018 will be a wild ride through the reckoning for all as we cast our votes come November 6th. Hoping that will a comeback for Democracy.
27
To quote the old Ray Charles song, my comeback words for Trump (and the GOP) in 2018 would be:
Hit the road Trump and don't cha come back
No more no more no more no more
Hit the road Jack and don't cha come back
No more!
25
Brilliantly written and so true.
Trump's gibberish, vacuous thoughts, and insipid
use of language are truly Orwellian.
He is an autocratic out of a nightmarish 1984.
52
This is the third cycle of trickle down destruction of our economy and our nation. But this time it's being lead by a morally, ethically and intellectually bankrupt fascist dictator wannabe and aided and abetted by a hypocritical, morally, intellectually and ethically bankrupt GOP congress. The only good news is that it has energized this country. The Democrats must be united in gaining control of the government by putting forth strong, qualified candidates and no more Bernie-Hillary in fighting that resulted in trump's win. The GOP has provided them with a perfect "to do" list platform. Get united, get a platform, get tough, get strong and get ready for 2018 and 2020. Please Democrats, don't snatch defeat from the jaws of an easy and clear victory ahead.
95
A few words I would like to share with my fellow Americans as we begin the new year by taking our country back from Trumpism......
Remember, this is your fifteen minutes. Don't waste it!
27
i wish i could be so sanguine about the prospects of a defeat for the forces of evil in november, but i dont think the american voting public has it in them.
26
I really miss the Hippy Dippy Weatherman.
10
Sorry, but the only realistic comeback words for Democrats in 2018 will be "here is the Democratic proposal for a jobs program" and "here are the reasons why voting Democratic will be better for small businesses."
30
Shameless, Shameless J. Trump. Smiling all the way to the bank.
29
Let's all hope, and pray, that in late November, 2018, the Fake Media will be reporting that in the just concluded Fake Midterm Elections the Fake Party of Trump, our Fake President, sustained Fake, but nonetheless devastating, Losses throughout the land. There will be great toasting amongst the Fake Citizenry imbibing, of course, bottles of Fake Trump Champagne while dining on Fake Trump Steaks. MAFA!
55
Wonderful :)
13
I would think that Covfefe would be the word of the year but I guess, like Trump, it is just made-up, has no real meaning at all, and engenders snickering whenever it is uttered.
105
All the best words strung together fit T. to a T: “lying,” “incompetent” “moronic”"idiot.”
Thanks Tim. Your sharing the words of the collective voice on T made me laugh with delight and amusement.
We clearly get it when it comes to 45. The would be emperor is unclothed.
That's as good a way to end the year as any I can think of.
19
The Brits have always had a gift for excellence in the descriptive use of words,
thus: daft twerp......President Daft Twerp.....lovely
28
The behavior Trump has exhibited during his presidency is not that of a mature, responsible, thoughtful, intelligent adult. It does remind us of why we don't let toddlers make important decisions however. Because toddlers are not capable of making them: that's why they aren't allowed to make them. It's why toddlers, and children in general cannot give consent to anything.
We don't have a Commander in Chief. We have a Toddler in Chief. Maybe we need to appoint a governess to make the more demanding decisions.
49
I nominate Nancy Pelosi. She'll terrify him -- deservedly, of course.
11
My dear Timothy Egan, I love your words.
33
I am hoping Trump gets to add two more words to his vocabulary in 2018: impeached and convicted.
64
How many people out there have seen the disgusting ad the Trump people are putting out -- a little girl -- 4, 5? says “Thank You President Trump For Letting Us Say Merry Christmas Again.” trump and the republicans have no soul, no decency whatsoever.
71
From your lips to God's ears.
18
In simple words "Trump is a failure as a human being."
66
All the best words: complicit, feminism, youthquake, etc. that the "daft twerp" would not know if he's hit in the head by a volley of such like words.
23
I still cannot believe this man was elected by sane people, no matter how much they hatred liberals and democrats. So I am loathe to underestimate these people in the depth of their hatred - I do not think they are blind to the fact that this man is demonstrably unfit to be the president; I don't think they are that stupid. I think, however, that as we incessantly ridicule him, they feel themselves ridiculed, and many are pining for revenge.
So I would not count any chickens. The presidential election is a long, torturous process. Yes, this man is destroying our country. But he was elected once. If he and his party retain power for a sustained period of tie, the damage to our country may be beyond repair.
61
Timothy Egan, from your mouth to God's ear. Let us smite them at the ballot box.
18
Bull's eye again for Mr. Egan. In pointing out Trump's affinity for taking credit for positive outcomes unrelated to what he's done, it's well to recogjize that these may be more damaging than the outright lies themselves. Trump will blather on and on about how great the tax bill will be and how much he's done to make it happen. However, since this simpleton knows nothing about tax policy, law, or economics, the only thing required of him was to write his name on it spelled correctly. If, as seems likely, the tax bill accelerates the tanking of the economy, his hands will be in the air like the basketball player who just flattened an opponent.
8
Great pep-talk, Mr. Egan. Love the whole youthquake vibe and absolute positivity about elections in 2018. Still, history matters.
I am yet to be convinced this country isn't striding across the threshold into the Fourth Reich. I'm waiting for Pumpkinhead to declare martial law and suspend the mid-term elections, probably in response to the chaos caused by his decision to shut down the Russia investigation. With millions in the streets and less than 30% popular support--the heavily-armed segment--violence is inevitable, nationwide. Perfect spot for an authoritarian takeover.
It's true this is not Europe in the late 1920s, but all of the factors and forces are there--the polarization; the assault on democracy, free press and truth itself; demonization of Others--we're one good stock market crash away from WWIII, not counting North Korea. And Pumpkinhead would LOVE to attack Iran.
As Tom Robbins once noted, the world situation is desperate as usual. Somehow, though, something about this feels different. Not sustainable. And when it comes unglued it will do so faster than anyone can follow.
Maybe.
23
Yes, Timothy, but we just better hope that Democrats have learned that a good ground game--outreach to people on a personal basis, phone banks and carpools and door knocks (or bell ringing)--still gets a lot more people out to the polls than TV ads or email fundraising blasts.
This is the lesson of the Alabama senatorial election (though yes, it does help to run against a wackadoo pedophile)--and it's the one thing that can overcome the gerrymandering and voter suppression the Republicans deploy. Each one reach one--get people registered, and on election day, get 'em to the polls.
The time is long past when we can hope to frown these authoritarian oligarchs out of office; people have to consider it their own personal responsibility to vote them out.
Without turnout, nothing turns out well.
21
Please, let's not forget "dotard."
24
y
You forgot "sad" which is what "I" am.
12
I have reviewed hundreds of resumes in my career, and Trump's would have never reached my desk---HR would have filed it, well you know where. Yet, the American people hired this guy and the Republican party gives him bonus??? I hope Mr. Egan is correct---that the American people will fired this guy and and with him, all those who were responsible for giving out bonuses to their friends.
23
The book of Proverbs tells us, "Words fitly spoken are like apples of gold in bowls of silver."
I know words like this when I hear them. I know the sound and the feel of them upon my skin and the echo and texture of them as the move through my mind. Words such as,
"Out, out brief candle. Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets itself upon the stage, a tale full of sound and fury told by an idiot, signifying nothing. And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusky death." (Shakespeare - "Macbeth")
Yes, Mr. Trump, I know the best words, and you don't have them.
15
It's unfortunate that today's columns that use facts to explain why this president is a boob are read by the amen choir exclusively. This fool was pushed into office not by the voters, but by the Electoral College. Let's hope there are enough of us willing to go to the polls to boot this embarrassment out of Washington.
17
Mr. Egan's analysis is, at best, superficial. I know, I know, there's a lot of superficiality to President Trump, but Mr. Egan, who isn't given to deep political commentary, just to the superficial stuff, ignores what's going on "behind the scenes."
The GOP tax bill is yyyuuge! Really! And his administration's reigning in of federal agencies turned progressive liberal activist organizations is real. Very!
His speeches overseas defend "Western Civilization," and are some of the more nuanced on the state of the world and the US's place in it in recent memory. Democrats' "comeback" about all this is "White Privilege" "White Supremacy" "Racism!" blah d blah d blah.
Babble on, Mr. Egan, while the Trump parade and all the good things about it pass you by.
1
I wonder if you know the difference between "reigning" and "reining"?
18
Two words for Trump and his disastrous presidency: Malignant Narcissism.
14
Better print this column in leaflet form and drop it from low flying airplanes over the Red States. There is no hope unless more Democrats vote.
17
Well said!
2
Trump IS a slimehead, among many other nasty things.
And the entire Republican Party has been slimed by him to the point that no decent American ought to associate with it.
No more talk about "decent Republicans" please, they no longer exist except in the history books.
It's the Trump party now, as mean spirited, lying, and despicable as Trump himself. MAGA.
14
Loved this column, Timothy, but luckily for you it was not graded by my high school English grammar teacher (yes, there should to be such people), Mrs Locke. This column would have earned you a red line from the bottom left to the top right of the page with the comment "0/10 I mark no further."
Mrs Locke had an abhorrence of all grammatical errors, but four or five were singled out as being particularly egregious. One of these was describing an adjective as modifying instead of qualifying a noun. The unprintable word used by Tillerson to describe he of the orange comb-over qualified "moron", not modified it.
To be fair, I'm sure Mrs Locke would give my comments the same treatment for some reason, but thanks for bringing back fond memories of an early teacher!
2
The American people are slow to be awakened, but they will awaken and drive this inept, unhinged, dishonest administration and its sycophants into the ash heap of history, No decent people can allow this mess to continue.
8
I wish I had your confidence in the American people. I believe a major part of America has "dumbed-down."
9
Calling Fox News state run television saps all credibility from Egan complaining about alternative facts.
It’s not?
11
Around my house, the one word description for HIM: smegma.
Just saying.
11
I know that folks must keep up with the news in order to offer informed resistance, but the daily bulletins have become so deeply depressing that I, for one, think I'll take a holiday break from all things Republican, for it *is* Republican, not only Trump, as evidenced by the astonishingly sycophantic language emerging from senior GOP "statesman" whom we once took seriously such as Orrin Hatch.
Hatch declared that Donald Trump might just be the greatest American president in history. Really, he said that. Either he believes it, or there's some profit in sucking up, or Senator Hatch is losing a few shingles from his roof.
Whatever the disease, it is contagious and America is getting sicker by the day for it.
13
How often did the word "fascist" come up in that Quinnipiac survey?
6
“Everything Trump touches dies”
"the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Trump, the most common reply was “idiot.”"
Our leader. Where's my anxiety meds?
Can't wait for November to thin the herd of sycophants and criminals.
12
Some of the words missing from Timothy Egan's 2017 collection should include "superdelegates", "rigged", "anointed" and "Russophobia".
Let's hope the "Comeback Words for 2018" include "socialism", so that Americans finally understand what that means and not conflate it with "communism".
America could use a good dose of socialism right about now, like universal healthcare, infrastructure repair, free college, paid maternal/paternal leave etc.
Let's also add the word "policy" to the mix, because that is all that counts in politics.
Time to vote on policy, not personality or party affiliation.
And "accountability", so that lawmakers know that if they don't deliver what they promised campaigning, we will come for them and vote them out.
10
Zero respect left for any Republican members of Congress. Yes, and that includes the two or three who have spoken publicly against Trump, but still vote with him and have not demanded his resignation. Party over Country is their mantra!
In 2016, before the election, many GOP Senators and Representatives spoke out against Trump. Senator Mike Crapo from Idaho publicly declared, in the pages of The Spokesman, a leading newspaper in Idaho, that he could no longer support Trump after the disgraceful crotch tape came out, and said Trump should withdraw from the race! Totally supportive of Trump now! How a bit of Power changes things!
13
My descriptor is filth, with or without the quotation marks he favors.
6
I nominate "sociopathy," which encompasses most of the behavior of Trump and his lackeys. "Deplorables" remains a close runner-up.
6
We can match our "Great Leader" word for word. Let's start with "plutocracy" and "oligarchy" for the GOP. We can add "bigoted", "malevolent" and "uncharitable" for 45 himself. Thanks to Kyle Swenson in the Washington Post, who recognized dictionary.com for restoring the word "sycophant" to our vocabulary as a description of the VP. It's more fake news when the Moron-in-Chief says he has the best words, since we, the "opposition", can easily match the 4th grade vocabulary of the Playground Bully.
6
Pretty dumb of me to leave out "despotic", "authoritarian", "needy", and "perfidious" for the Man with the Long Red Tie, and "obsequious" (for Mother's husband).
3
"Trump, the most common reply was “idiot.” That was followed closely by “liar,” “incompetent” and “moron.”
My choice would be, "boneheaded nincompoop".
3
The number one word for trump in 2018 will be: TRAITOR! It will be closely followed by the word: convict.
Happy New Year to the rational people!
PROSECUTE RUSSIAGATE!
6
The C.D.C. mistakenly missed a few words:
bananas
bonkers
certifiable
cuckoo clock
meshuggah
postal
unhinged.
I would also have banned insane-in-the-membrane.
6
Propagandists know truth matters to people, but that the use of words, language, images, and symbols can be a potent way to subvert and perhaps override both reality and truth--particularly in receptive minds. Minds can be made more receptive if they have had years of the proper conditioning that prepare them to reject reality in favor of the propagandists' contrary narrative. Even better, they need to feel they are not alone and "belong." Potent
As has been the case in our country, with Murdoch's revisionist news approach on Fox, and a tightly scripted alternative and conspiratorial narrative supplied (and well funded) by right-wing media and internet outlets.
When Macron beat Le Pen in the French election. he was asked why he managed to win. His answer: "No Fox News"
One of the interesting observations I just heard was from journalist David Neiwert, who has been studying the alt-right and white supremacist movements for decades. His recent book is on the rise of the alt-right in America.
We saw an interview with Neiwert on CSPN this past weekend. He noted that one of the dynamics of these authoritarian, racist, and alt-right members is that they hold a lot of incompatible and wrongheaded ideas, but it doesn't really bother them--unlike many people experiencing such cognitive dissonance.
I thought Neiwert had a lot to say and that he connected the dots better than most and in a number of interesting ways.
See: https://www.c-span.org/video/?436059-1/alt-america
3
Dear Mr. Egan, I wish you would extend your coverage of right-wing vocabulary to the include the emotionally charged words they use to scare people. Plus, the different meanings behind such words as "Freedom". Republicans usually use this word when talking about getting rid of regulations, as in freedom to exploit. Democrats use the word to mean that regulations are freedom from exploitation. And on and on.
JD
8
With a president who craves instant gratification, who has no interest in past or future, we are dealing with the mind of a child. The bull is in the china shop and the carnage cannot stop until he is removed. Good luck America. The world is watching. “Of the twenty-two civilizations that have appeared in history, nineteen of them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in now.” (198?) Arnold Toynbee
9
"Daft twerp"!!! Gotta love the people who invented English.
6
Sadly, The Deplorables embrace fascism and authoritarianism. All Trump has to do is wake up in the morning and they'll vote for him. We need to stop having conversations with this hateful, aged racist minority. Just vote the bums out in 2018 and let's see how tough your redneck neighbor is with his big truck and stupid Trump flag
10
We have the "best words ever" too! "Election...ballot box...fed up voters...righteous anger...return to democracy
...treason...indictment...impeachment...prison"
14
Liar, tax-cheat, sexual assaulter, con artist, adulterer, ignoramus, anti-Christian, undemocratic, unpatriotic, unAmerican.
14
Trump a twerp? Of course, best expressed when translated into plain American english: imbecile! And not just any imbecile, as Trump's is a choice, when what is in front of him (reality, facts) does not favor him or the fake news he is allowed to spread with the complicity of Twitter (unfiltered, they seem to sell well, right?). We have elected, by sheer stupidity, a remarkably vulgar "ugly American" (ignorant, arrogant and stupid). So, how can we now claim innocence of this 'fait accompli' (done deal), a rich reversal of all we used to hold dear? The crying has began; no ending date however.
5
Is 'homunculus' a permitted word?
2
Lordy, Tim Egan, whoever thought we Americans would call our president "a slimehead"? "an ugly fish"? Mind-boggling how that ugly man with the never before seen coif of furry orange hairs ("fake hair"?) has become the leader of our United States, and the free world? Trump has nothing on Josef Goebbels from the Third Reich, who spoke demented authritarianism fluently.
Hats off to you for your optimism during these frightening times. The adjectives describing our 45th President are horrific - liar, idiot, incompetent, moron . How long will we live with the tyranny of Trump? Go figure.
4
How long? About seven more years. #winning
1
Worst "president" ever
6
The high level appointments that accept limitations on words, certainly can't be accepted by us as qualified to lead.
What logical person would accept limits on thoughts or positions based on truth. If no resignations comes from this, it is proof that they are all gutless.
4
A reckoning at the ballot box - a good thought to lift our spirits as the year from hell comes to a close. Thank you.
12
A three-credit course titled. literally, Calling Bullshit: Data Reasoning in a Digital World, was initiated this year at the University of Washington (UW) (INFO 198 / BIOL 106B), and it is perfect for combatting the dis- and misinformation that characterizes not only the Trump Administration, but so much of what is coming out of The Congress. The course was developed by UW Professors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West. The home page is posted at http://callingbullshit.org/index.html, with syllabus at http://callingbullshit.org/syllabus.html. Thank you Drs. Bergstrom and West, and the UW.
11
For the past year, not a single step taken by Trump and consorts has been in a direction that would America better or more respected.
Trump by himself would already have been discarded into the dustbin of history were it not for a sycophantic and cowardly genuflecting GOP and a vicious propaganda machine that spreads lies after lies via outlets such as Fox News, Breitbart and unchecked social media. One can only hope that America's civic institutions are strong enough to uphold the law and the constitution.
14
If we can be certain our elections are not hijacked by the Russians. Trump and his cronies in Congress are making no effort to prevent it. In fact, they are resisting any effort to get to the bottom of it. I am skeptical.
4
Call him what you like but he will be remember for becoming our 47th President, so give it a rest and get over it.
It's too bad that Trump wasn't on Amtrak's inaugural trip to Portland this week...
12
An orange crush. Bigly.
4
Trump on a train? When pigs fly.
4
I am a long term fan of Mr. Egan's Irish eloquence and rancher simple truths (the old time stereotype, not the real modern Feedlot Moguls) and I share his hopes — fervently — for GOP timely interment, dumping Trump.
Yes, there is no doubt that the majority, a large one, of Americans want them and him replaced. But, Mr. Egan, don't forget that these troglodytes will stoop to any means (and have in Florida, Ohio, and the Old Confederacy) to not only suppress votes, but to erase, invalidate, ignore, and subvert them at each step of the electoral process. The Judicial Outrage in Virginia is instructive.
So the corks may stay in the Champagne magnums.
The DNC must have junk yard dog packs of lawyers ready to eradicate these
shameless and depraved attacks on the US Constitution. Do not bring just a subpoena to a knife fight. Fight fair, but hard, rock hard.
18
I think Mr. Egan should go back to writing about the land and the people. The mean-spiritedness of the Trump administration is doing invaluable harm to his mind, and his writing is suffering as a result. After a while, the repulsiveness you are obsessed by becomes your own repulsiveness. He is certainly doing an excellent job of putting off this reader. Everything he writes about we already assume. Unless he can find a more indirect angle on the problem that reveals some unknown factors involved in the Trump triumph, move on!
2
Wellman: Don't be silly, He needs to keep reminding us, over and over again, of the disaster that is this administration. And then...we shall overcome the orange monster and his complicit congress.
8
Fabulous article, Tim. But your premise is shaky. You assume that the election in November 2018 will be fair and will accurately represent the will of the American electorate. That is what I assumed when I voted in November 2016. It didn’t work out that way.
What has changed? We still have Republican gerrymandering of districts across the county. We still have voter suppression laws in many states. We still have the Bernie Bros who are ready to stab Democratic candidates in the back by demonizing them or voting for spoilers or staying at home. We still have Fox News and Alt Right Radio spewing out lies and slick propaganda. We still have a huge population, mostly Democrats, who whine but are too lazy to bother to vote. We still have the Ruskies to contend with. And just like the steel workers who voted for Trump and are now about to be sacked, there is a large population of foolish workers who believe their taxes will go down under the Republican tax law, that corporations will now raise wages, and that coal production will now boom since those pesky environmental regulations will no longer be enforced.
Why are you so sure the Republicans will lose?
14
Because you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
5
"For in 2018, the youthquake, aided by the roused forces of feminism, are going to have a reckoning at the ballot box for those who are complicit with the tyranny of this president."
I hope you are right. I do so hope you are right.
11
I wish I could be as optimistic as you about the next election. I don't like "slimy fish" any more than you do, but somehow the slime on the fish keeps his barbaric lies from sticking to him. And his base doesn't see the slime for what it is, so after miscalculated predictions from the 2016 presidential election, I'll gladly go again in following years to vote against the slime, but I'll be more skeptical of prognosticators and wait for the votes to be counted.
4
If Trump insists on banning terms like "climate change," "vulnerable," and, "science-based," I'd love to see him banned from using superlatives like "sensational," "terrific," and other abused terms he uses to describe how "great" things will continue to be under his watch.
10
We won’t make it to the 2018 elections. If we are not traumatized by a thermonuclear attack from North Korea, federal elections will be postponed by the new GOP autocrats.
8
After passing their tax bill, with a razor-thin majority in the Senate and a do-over in the House, Republicans in Congress celebrated a Victory Slap in the face to most Americans before heading home for the holidays. Their bill is horrendous, an egregious power and money grab, which will cost middle class wage earners and tax payers dearly in the long run.
After accomplishing almost nothing for the past year, except trashing the individual mandate and stiffing children and young people in the CHIP and DREAM programs, they will probably head for the exits again over the summer rather than run for reelection in November. They've helped no one but themselves; watch for them in the future as lobbyists, right-wing think tank guests and commentators on Cable TV. And remember who is responsible for rising health care costs, loss of income tax deductions, and still stagnant wages.
9
Unless we figure out how to get through to Fox viewers the resistance isn't going to get as far as they're expecting. When you try to engage these people they respond with Fox talking points. There's no thought process just fear and disgust towards the lazy moochers which generally means anyone who is foreign or a minority.
I hope that seeing our country the worlds eyes thanks to this presidency will be enough for meaningful change but I suspect that we're going to have to feel more pain before that happens. In the meantime we need to make sure that we're as truthful as possible so that when people come to their senses they can find out what is really going on within their country.
6
Fortunately there are a lot more of us than there are of them. But it won't mean anything if we don't show up at the ballot box in November.
10
Or if elections are cancelled, which is likely. Do you think the Republicans will just let power go, knowing that they'll never get it back? The pretext will be national security and liberals will be labeled anti-American and enemies of the State. I envision reeducation and forced labor camps.
The Republicans are fascist fanatics - they absolutely don't care if you live or die. Since fanatics have no internal brakes on their behavior they never stop. The non-violence of Democrats is considered a gift. Until the Democrats lose their self-righteous morality and learn to fight dirty, this blitzkrieg will continue to roll right over them. Often might absolutely does make right. Ask the Ghetto Jews about that.
2
"A regime" indeed! The Trump/GOP administration has led America closer to an autocracy/plutocracy/oligarchy rule in less than a year than any other administration in history. And, they haven't even tried to veil it!
The Newspeak that comes out of this administration and Republican congress would be hilarious if it wasn't so appalling and scary. American democracy is under attack. Period. When falsehoods and blatant lies are actually believed by nearly half of the country, and facts are discounted as "fake news", America as we have known and loved it is truly at risk.
As others have asked, why aren't we the people in the streets defending our country? I'm afraid my pink kitty hat is not enough to protect our democracy!
8
Let's don't focus overly on Trump. He is the culmination of a long swerve of the conservatives toward inanity and insanity.
Scratch a Republican, you get an authoritarian. And what does authoritarian follower want most? An authoritarian leader. There will always be someone to step into the void, and I mean void, of authoritarian mentation.
Con Man Don has finally gotten Congressional Republicans to expose themselves for what they are — sycophants. Viz., their disgusting performance when giving a "tongue bathing" to Trump during their ceremony marking the passing of the tax bill. Watching them kiss up to their Glorious Leader, what came to my mind was the Reichstag's passage of Hitler's Enabling Act in 1933. (It enabled Hitler to pass laws for the "protection" of the "republic" without the Reichstag's approval.)
So these Republicans who, just a few months ago, were "having some doubts" about Trump have now joined the cult. The bad news is, we're that much closer to a fascist dictatorship. The good news is, to the extend that we still have free elections, the Republicans, virtually all Republicans, can be tied to Trump…to his failures and popularity ratings.
So I have a word to ad to the mix: Trumpublicans.
It's yours for the taking…if you promise to take it to the polls.
19
Deplorable !
Trump-GOP 2017
24
Radical Republican extremism or treason. These people took a solemn oath and they have betrayed the bible they swore upon, treason is the only word that applies to anyone who betrays a sworn promise.
65
Terrific column. If I'd been asked the one word to describe Trump - dangerous!
57
My word for him: despicable
3
Another word that warrants resurrection is Orwell's "newspeak." from "1984," defined by Merriam-Webster as "propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings."
69
Newspeak was designed by socialists and to be implemented by writers themselves, people like Mr. Egan. My namesake Winston Smith worked at a newspaper as he conspired to rob the people of their ability to think clearly and engage in fruitful political discourse. This so called "opinion" really a diatribe and the worst type of propaganda is designed so that Mr. Egan can accomplish his expressions of contempt and employ every crime against journalism and morality that he accusing Trump of and the innocent reader is left with that dastardly scapegoat to hate while Egan wins the Pulitzer prize for his oh so pure hatchet job.
1
"For now we see in a mirror, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." 1 Corinthians 12
America is learning who we want to be by seeing clearly the darkness of a loveless heart. Without that mutual attraction, atoms fly apart.
25
And flying apart they clearly are. Well said.
4
Tim Egan may be overlooking what is sure to be a major issue in the 2018 elections: abortion. This pandering Administration and sycophantic Republican Congress simply must have a divisive issue to drown out criticism of the tax plan, Trump's sexual misconduct, and his giveaway of American strength and respect.
Abortion perfectly fits the bill. Which is why the CDC was instructed to ban the word "fetus" from its budget documents. The word Republicans and their right wing Christian evangelists will be using in 2018 is "baby" or "unborn baby," to convey the thought that a living organism within the mother's womb is a wholly-formed person -- a baby -- not a fetus that is incapable of living on its own, or has a fully formed brain, or limbs, or facial features. I would not at all be surprised if Trump begins campaigning against Democrats as the party that kills babies.
Would you?
30
I wish I could be optimistic but sadly every person I know who voted for him (generally older, white, educated and financially comfortable) is still for him. No change in heart. Plus we have not addressed the systemic flaws which allowed him to take the presidency in the first place. And now tax change gives the the high end even more money and incentive to keep this clown in office.
I would love to draw a rosy picture from Alabama electing a democrat but I can not ignore that nearly half the population was willing to vote for a child molester over a decent and experienced candidate. This is not rational thinking, this is entrenched us vs them mentality. The only chance I see of democrats making serious gains is if we can educate democrats on the need to vote. (Cheaper than getting the DNC to subsidize people to live in red areas) I really don't see 2018 as being anything but more fighting.
Prove me wrong.
56
Catherine, I wish I could prove you wrong, but there are no facts to support,Tim's optimism.
3
The battles between feminists and men, this constant division of human beings into genders, sexual orientations, and this perception that each group's interests are in conflict with those of others: that needs to go if the opposition to Trump must work. Hillary's candidacy was her appeal as a historic first female president, and it made her followers blind to her faults, her being too much a member of the Establishment to work for the common people. And still the war between various factions continues. It is a recipe for a second and a third failure.
8
I think it only needs to go for men over 50. Everyone else is fine with it.
2
Richard, HRC won-- by a landslide. In every country of the world other than this, we would have her as our president. I for one am not blind to her faults-- for I too am flawed. But had she rightfully become president, I would have spent the year we have been through as a much more well rested person-- able to sleep better at night-- and be my normal self who enjoys reading something other than the daily dangers and disappointment emanating from the WH.
5
If Trump doesn't blow up the world, he will go down in history as the worst president in the history of our country----- and that says a lot when he would be in contention for that spot with George Bush Jr.
18
Unless, one year from now when we encounter the Trumpcult which now constitutes the Republican Party, painting the roses red, and they hand us a brush, we take it. In this scenario America is truly lost.
9
'You can call a slimehead by the better known name of orange roughy, but it's still an ugly fish.'
I see what you did there, as they say on the intertubes.
27
We are living, at warp speed, through the Hegelian (or Marxist) principle of "Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis". The Thesis was Obama, the Antithesis is the Donald, and the Synthesis will be someone named Elizabeth, Kamila, or Kirsten.
Barring a nuclear Third World War on a global scale, or things that actually cause people to die on a less universal level (like not funding health care) can, and will, be undone. If, and that is a big if, we all stay focused on every election between now and 2020.
The operative words are "resist" and "vote."
28
Let's hope this is not just wishful thinking.
9
The resistance better be a whole lot stronger this year than last. Otherwise, we're toast. My fear is way too much normalizing has gone down. And way too many middle-class fools will be all a-twitter about their meager little tax cut. Prove me wrong, America.
33
For years I have declared conservatives at the far right winners of the war on words, and only recently did I find an authoritative source on it far preceding my embedding with the word troops: "Don't Think of an Elephant!" by George Lakoff, a cognitive scientist at UC Berkley. It's more of a handbook of how not to lose the word war but explains why the right has prevailed. He strongly and I believe rightly cautions about falling into the traps the words they use set, and I see it happening over and over.
They grab pro life framing the debate that if you disagree you are anti life (pro choice fails miserably); they talk about tax reform instead of tax cuts; they talk about Obamcare instead of the ACA; they talk about white minority rights instead of affirmative action; they talk about welfare queens and free loaders instead of poverty. What used to be deficit hawks and federal activist judges has disappear from the lexicon as no longer valid.
Words matter, Lakoff explains, because they set a frame of reference that our brains can't exclude. It's especially powerful when it is cast as a negative frame: bad people taking your rights or freedom, stop doing bad things to the country, bad people are coming here. Hence the title of the book: are you still thinking of elephants? I am.
What is critical in 2018 is not ranting and raving about Trump et al. It is about getting all the voters who can't be bothered to the polls. Just do it.
27
All the best words:
Traitor comes to mind.
Anti American is another.
Swampy also comes to mind.
My favorite lately though, especially when he is talking to or about Putin: Squishy
Who would have thought that it would be harder to determine who would be more shocked at the use of "words" by these people: George Orwell or Lewis Carroll.
13
Mr. Egan, I enjoy your columns and admire your non-fiction books about the West, but as a fish biologist, I must protest: no fish is ugly. Homely, perhaps, weird definitely, but not ugly. Perfected over millennia, the more than 30,000 species of fishes are exquisitely adapted to their environments, which range from the deepest oceans to streams in the highest mountains on Earth; from desert springs more than 100 degrees F to Antarctic waters below freezing. Fishes are the most successful vertebrates and I stand in awe of them.
Take the slimeheads, named for the mucous canals on their head. The family (Trachichthyidae) comprises about 50 long-lived species found in deeper areas of tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. The orange roughy is the largest of the slimeheads and can live up to 150 years, making it one of the longest-lived fishes known. The National Marine Fisheries Service named it orange roughy in the 1970s, which it thought would be more appealing to consumers than slimehead.
As for Trump euphemizing his first year in office, I stand with George Carlin: “The more syllables a euphemism has, the further divorced from reality it is.” And the more euphemisms Trump spouts, the further he is trying to divorce us, the public, from reality.
19
There's one word, in my opinion, that describes Trump best - bilious - from his color to his behavior.
The guy with the "best health, ever" epitomizes "spiteful, and bad-tempered".
And everything is queasy with Trump.
Trump can denounce everything and anything but Trump's own name will become a word to describe everything dishonest, slippery, and crooked. We can and will use his words against him and all those who support him.
18
Trumps speaks the way his constituents, what's the left of them, think. Their wavelengths match. Tim, my word resign. Resign is the best battle cry. May it be ever repeated by all.
10
Mr. Egan,
Here's another word for you, "remora". While my spell checker doesn't like it, it refers to a kind of fish that attach themselves to sharks. And while the shark ravages an animal, the remora scoop up the tidbits of flesh the shark misses.
Remora is the term I use for all his friends, aides and direct enablers.
34
The writing was on the wall the day after Trump's inauguration when resisters filled Washington D.C. for the women's march, erasing all traces of Trumpian triumphalism.
3
Greed, corruption, ignorance, amoral, opportunistic and arrogance. These are nouns and adjectives that should be added to our summaries when thinking of the current republican party and its leader - the current president of the US. These forces are always lurking. It takes a determined effort and a fortitude of knowing and doing the right thing to overcome the powerful influences of money and power. God's speed in righting all the wrongs and undoing what has been done in 2017.
6
Best word for 2018: "VOTE!"
Exclamation point included.
26
I've bween dreaming up euphemisms. 'research based' and 'empitically grounded' come to mind. Or we could just go for 'incontrovertible truth'.
2
Keep blowing your trumpet Timothy: “A call to votes. A call to votes!” Hopefully the silent, albeit decent, no-shows in 2016 have heard the call and are starting the long march to take America back from the “Trumperica” we’ve become, where narcissism, xenophobia, bigotry and greed threaten to destroy everything good about who we are.
6
The film "Darkest Hour", may give us our headline for today ,and what we are
experiencing in America. During and after the film ,which I recently saw, the audience applauded and cried out in appreciation of churchill's voice and the
strength of it. We are having our own darkest hour and as shown in the film,
people found the strength to overcome the Nazi evil, with Churchill leading them. Who will lead us out of our darkness? We have an oppressive bully in the
White House, in our very midst. We need strong voices, powerful words and inspiration to shed our own tyrannic figure. The Republicans are complicit with him - a disgrace to behold. That's what is so scary - no statesman in sight to
voice the truth and speak of justice. Somehow we'll have to purge this darkness
from our country and find democracy again.How will it all end.....
12
Best comeback word for 2018: “impeachment”.
11
His incompetence as our Chief Executive is indisputable. The effects, those remain to be seen. You won't like it...
5
Wishful liberal "group-think" at best here. When we assume that the opinions of people who disagree with our "group" are all wrong and reflect stupidity or ignorance in the opinion holder, we once again offend a large, passionate voting block. Ad hominem attacks on Trump's appearance or vocabulary demean the attacker as petty and foolish. Denying Trumps actual accomplishments for those who support his policies makes the denier appear to lack credibility. Asserting that there is a coherent Democrat Party message that can resonate with the electorate is just feel-good wishful thinking.
2
Trumps words matter, and they should be attacked when they are wrong, reckless, or as so often they are outright lies. This whining from trump supporters doesn't serve you'll. If you want to be seen as knowledgeable and intelligent, start engaging with the rest of us in intelligent, knowledgable ways. You can start by enumerating, with specifics, Trump's actual "accomplishments". And empty Republican talking points don't count.
3
Best opening sentence ..... EVER.
4
I certainly hope that Mr. Egan penultimate sentence is correct, and in a rational world it would be. Of course, in a rational world Donald Trump would not have been elected president and Republicans would not control congress. Republicans have spent decades constructing their base with appeals to various bigotries that have little to do with actual government action. Those voters are not likely to abandon the Republican Party; they have demonstrated a remarkable ability to reinterpret Republican policy as somehow in their interest. We will have to wait for them to age out. The critical issue today is how the Democratic Party is going to insure the youthquake and not concede another generation to their opposition. So far, I'm seeing nothing from Democrats.
8
“We will eliminate the penalty on returning future earnings back to the United States, and we will impose a one-time low tax on money currently parked overseas so it can be brought back home to America where it belongs" ... "My council of economic advisers estimates THIS CHANGE ALONE will likely give the typical American household a $4,000 pay raise."
- Donald "Pillsbury Doughboy" Trump
Readers can bank on that of course. Pillsbury Doughboy is a master of the art of the deal. Would he lie to his supporters, let alone other citizens?
7
Trump lies as if it were his job description. The truth is not in him and perdition awaits.
2
I just hope, Timothy Egan, that we actually hold elections a year from now.
With the way things are going, one could be forgiven for not fully trusting any regularly scheduled event will occur as expected, even one as important as elections.
I’m predicting a very rough year ahead, where American institutions will be tested as never before.
In the end, the words people choose to use will hardly be Trump’s, but we’d better make sure that enough of us are speaking the same language.
55
Bold talk, Rooster Cogburn. That's from True Grit, and I don't see John Wayne about to shine here.
7
I would like to think Mr. Egan is correct. I am afraid the situation is similar to that in "Huckleberry Finn", when the two charlatans, the King and the Duke, were posing as English preachers, uncles of some young ladies they were attempting to cheat out of their inheritance. Dr. Robinson, a friend of the girls' dead father called the charlatans out as frauds before the whole town. The Duke pulled the King aside and proposed that they grab everything and run. The King's response was, "Don't worry about that doctor, ain't we got all the fools on our side, and ain't that a majority in any town?"
When you are betting on the American People to make the wrong choice, you have a very good chance to win your bet.
291
If the American public has good information on which to base their decisions, Jack, I have faith that they will collectively make good decisions.
Trouble is that there are way too many "alternative facts" muddying the water and our news media is far too enamored with running sensational stories than reporting on substantive issues.
4
I always find solace in good ole Sam Clemens.
5
Actually, the American People gave Hillary Clinton 3.2 million more votes than they gave Trump. Kind of important to stick to the correct vote count. It was the improper apportionment of the Electoral College that stuck us with Donald Trump. I hope and pray the next election will not be tainted by similar mal-apportionment.
3
"This, after he took away two million acres of national monument designation..."
I would modify this statement. I would say "This, while he is attempting to take away two million acres of national monument designation..." There's very good reason to believe the President's actions are illegal and Bears Ears will survive the rescission in court.
That said, Trump doesn't know words very well. You'll notice this when the President mindlessly repeats himself for what seems like an interminable length of time while he is trying to think of the next thing to say. I honestly have to deploy a serious will of effort to genuinely listen to the President speak. That's how bad he is with words. I think this is partially an intentional strategy on his part. He wants people to tune out. Coherent thought, or even sentence structure, is not his forte.
He doesn't seem to realize people have recording devices. Reporters tend to use them on high profile figures like the President. This is not a bankruptcy press release for a lousy casino. People pay attention to what the President says. When some poor unfortunately soul actually reads the President's statements and distills them down into some semblance of logical thought, well, the President sounds like an "idiot." There's really no way around that one.
107
Even if we win in court and the monuments are restored, two house resolutions are working their way through commitee that will gut the antiquities act. HR 3990 and HR 4239 are the numbers (I think). These are wholeheartedly sponsored by the likes of Orrin Hatch and other Utah representatives. A reminder that Congress is working hand in glove with the administration to destroy our public lands. Resist.
16
The "reckoning" is not going to come from Republicans, who voted 92% for Roy Moore. There is no sea change of opinion for Trump within his supporters, who revel in him sticking it to the "liberals", the educated elites, and even to themselves, in a macabre act of self flagellation. They are going nowhere, and they desperately want everyone else to feel the exact the same way.
Of course, Trump got a lot of help from Republicans in blue states who may not share the same schadenfreude that our fellow citizens have for us in, say Alabama.
And, by the way, given the squeaker of the election results down there, it's a good thing Hillary was not running against him because Moore, would be measuring his Senate office windows for new drapes right now.
We all know how bad Trump and the Republicans are, it's just that the Democrats look so weak in comparison. The Republican message and wedge issues prevail in conservative low education regions. The same regions that have a constitutionally protected, disproportionate influence in government.
So, really, it has to get really, really, bad, before the other side comes over to the promised land of progressive governmental leadership. Trump, is leading the way! Go Trump. He may actually, (eventually), make America great again.
10
Agreed. The dems seem to be constantly backing up at the angry advance of the Republicans. Dems need to build a solid, well thought out platform and march forward. Particularly toward those that have felt disenfranchised for so long.
5
And let's hope whatever platform the dems come up with does not include transgender bathrooms, "free" college for all, or women are better than men baloney.
The fate of the nation will be decided by the division between two sets of people who hear Donald Trump's words differently and always will.
Some people hear Trump's empty superlatives as the hot air of a fraud. Others hear them (apparently; I'm not inside those people's heads) as the effervescence of a winner.
Some hear Trump's tag line "FAKE NEWS!" as an impotent attempt to make us forget that his own campaign and its supporters inspired that term. Others do forget and enter into Trump's narrative of a malicious mainstream press.
These are two sets of Americans, living in two mental Americas. Never the twain shall meet. However, it's not necessary for them to meet; only for the first set to outnumber the second and wrest the national steering wheel from them.
National unity would be nice, but what is essential now is a resounding victory of truth and sanity over falsehood and the World of Donald Trump.
51
Trump's presence in the White House is a an embarrassment to decent people everywhere and an indelible stain on the honor of the United States. In eleven months people will have the opportunity to partially right the wrong, the awful historical error, of 2016 by replacing the toadies and sycophants of the Republican party with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Recent elections give us some reason for hope in 2018, but hope alone will not save us. As citizens, we have responsibilities as well as rights, and this coming year those responsibilities will have historic importance. We will have to remain informed, motivated, and vigilant and go to the polls in November in record numbers. Our future is in our hands. God willing, we will save ourselves and our Republic before it is too late.
76
Thanks, Mr. Egan! Your words gave me some hope on this dark winter day in Maine. I remain stupefied, however, by how willfully blind Trump supporters remain. Here’s to a tide of righteousness washing over them in the New Year and in November 2018!
25
Here’s an apt word should your declaration of voter turnout in 2018 cause the Trumpian comeuppance you predict:
Hallelujah!
16
Just concerning facts and lies, and forbidden words, like climate change, and invented words like so-called judges, and fake news...
Mr. Trump, every lie you tell is weight you carry around, until you sink under your own devices. Shakespeare said it best: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." The trouble is, these lies put innocent people at risk from nuclear war and climate change disasters. It is never easy to admit mistakes, but this national nightmare must end before we all end. Think of your grandchildren, for God's sake.
And those who believe the lies, please, you are responsible for this potential endgame too.
15
Don't be too sure about new elections. Seems unthinkable that our 230 year-old democracy could be overthrown, but Trump and his GOP enablers are already thinking (some consciously, others subconsciously) about how to rule in perpetuity. Any way they can. Don't say "it can't happen here." If Muehler or Rosenstein get fired, and if there are then no repercussions by Congress (dems keep saying there will be, but they are a party devoid of power, and filled with wishful thinking), we'll know we're doomed.
12
I would add "believe me" and "monumental". Anyone who constantly ends "sentences" with "believe me" is usually lying. The huckster in DT just can't utter anything less than superlatives and there is no doubt that their constant repetition is the foundation of how the meaning of truth and facts get changed for many in that over used word called "base."
25
This is just wishful thinking unless those who are opposed to this corruption of our society stay angry enough to go to the poles regardless of the obstacles put up by the Republican Rich Royalists. This is a fight for the survival of our democracy and the wealthy elite know how to buy off politicians and Madison Avenue hucksters to spread false messages.
Women, youth, and people of color better be meeting weekly from now on in kitchens and family rooms organizing a get out the vote campaign for 2018. It cannot be done in a week or two. It has to start now and be aggressive. It is good for political pundits to continue to point out the utter ruthlessness of these monsters of wealth, but it is going to take votes to take them down.
Resist, organize, educate, vote.
35
The consistent, sustained lying is not a deliberate strategy or a considered political tactic. It is the result of an impaired mind with the goal of manipulation, a persistent self serving greed, and a contempt for for law, democracy, and the US Constitution. Trump has a seriously limited intellect, and a dangerous belief that he can make good decisions on a gut level assessment and within a 30 second time span.
To complicate this profile is Trump's extreme self reference and narcissism. Our President is an emotionally fixated ( at 12 years old) 71 year old who sees the world as a play yard with an abundance of appealing victims to bully, hurt, and torment. He is at least psychologically sadistic with hyper sensibility to perceived slights that in his mind require aggressive retaliation. Always vigilant and suspicious he launches malicious rumors and conspiracy theories in the hope of damaging, harming or eliminating perceived enemies.
With the power he has over our democracy, government agencies, armed forces, and nuclear arsenal Trump has already endangered our government institutions, our international relationships, and has escalated tensions with Iran and North Korea, both with nuclear capacities.
He will remain a danger to all that Americans cherish. He cannot be impeached soon enough. J.
54
I await with great pleasure Mr Egan's column from the West and joyfully read his prose. I can only hope his crystal ball is as good as his writing but I do bear in mind how poor a job we do predicting the future
7
We pray you are correctly predicting a more clear-eyed and democratic future. For America is poised near the culmination of a 45-year-deep, remarkably well-organized and financed right-wing drive to oligarchy and authoritarianism. These are forces of darkness that are deeply invested in the pervasive propaganda best exemplified by Fox News who continually refines the playbook first developed by Goebbels. They are deeply invested in a vision of and celebration of denial of both science and free will. And far too many religious evangelicalists, who purport to love their fellow man, have instead found common purpose with an underlying authoritarian version of God to submit to any Kool-Ade the plutocrats and propagandists feed them. And the leaders—McConnell, Ryan, Kochs, Trump, Pence, my God how could we have all these and so many more all in place and lined up at the same time—executing s massive con on their their followers, smirking and sniggering all the while they bask in their perceived superiority.
The moderate and left wings of America have failed to recognize the seriousness of the danger of this synergy of retrograde political forces.
Can we mobilize enough will, political force, and courage to turn back this deep tide? We must, or the consequences for our society and our land will be a grave.
20
The comeback word for me is mid term election so the DEMs can put the breaks on this farce of a president. The very sad thing, and the one I can not fathom, is how some 30% of America believes all trump and the GOP have to say!!
11
And yet, Egan, the vast majority of Americans will receive a tax cut next year -- just in time for the elections. The Left and their supporting cast will attempt to explain that more dollars in workers' pockets are bad -- lots of luck with that Leftie logic.
1
a very little tax cut, its temporary, and the big cuts to popular and essential programs will already be happening and more looming. As Paul Krugman pointed out in his column today, middle class voters got a bigger tax cut from Obama and the Democrats in 2009 and nobody even noticed.
1
If nobody noticed the tax cut Obama and the dems gave us, then the blame for that falls squarely on the democrats. Never have I seen a party so insecure about the great things we have done (Obama actually considered the simpson-bowles cuts to SS). Never have a I seen a party so eager to destroy some of its very best people. (Al Franken) Never have I seen a bunch of chickens run for the hills from a wildly popular president (Obama in 2010)-- the result being the lopsided house of reps that has led to our present day disaster.
1
If one is dumb enough to be bought off by this horrible "Tax Bill" which is a clear quid pro quo given to very rich Republican donors...one can only hope such persons are in the minority. Opinions seem to be turning, in a surly sort of way. Are we really dumber than Donald? Let's hope not. He's no Einstein.
Let's not forget who they are, that did this... ok?
2
How evocative of the descendant of Winston Churchill to coin a moniker to describe the antithesis of his grandfather’s character and leadership: the 45th president of the United States of America is a “daft twerp.”
I am complicit!
11
Always Grateful for the presence of Timothy Egan in his use of Words.
PLEASE....someone bring to bear the diagnostic term "Sociopathic" or even
"Sociopathic Personality Disorder" (etc.) n connection with this "President's" active (and power-bestowed) personality. Only one given
symptom of such diagnosis is his 24/7 demand and occupation of
Our daily TIME. (The documented discussion by a gathered number of Psychiatric and Psychological specialists was published and, basically,
Ignored by the "News" World. "President" Trump is Diagnosable.....We, the People, May be in Need of Treatment. As Egan states, so well, Trump's
chronic Lying is monumental....It is also one of the Other Symptoms of
His Sociopathic Presence.
7
When it comes to describing Trump, the clueless cultists who voted for him, and the GOP that promises religious monitoring but delivers social irresponsibility, I think that unprintable modifiers should henceforth be included.
10
And you think the movers and shakers of the GOP are not aware of it? And of the political dangers Trump poses? It's not Trump we have to worry about so much as what they will (might do) to prevent that electoral probability.
7
Let's hope the business community and the states continue to have many leaders who recognize climate change is real and urgent business.
And Tim, when aiming for accuracy: Let's not go overboard and called Fox a " state run" broadcast group. Let's stay factual and call them a biased organization that intentionally distorts, misinforms and forfeits journalistic standards.
11
It's troubling that the word "regime" is used to define America. How much this man has hoodwinked 38% of Americans is frightening. He is dismantling America brick by brick with the eager assistance of his Republican posse in Congress. They looted the Treasury the other day and the president calls it a win for America, saying it hurt him more than it'll hurt the middle class when the bill is signed into law. in 2018, the voters can vote for an alternative assemblage of Senators and Representatives, a fact that will put American back on track to normalcy.
9
I hope and pray you are right Mr. Egan. What gets me through the day in this sad time for our country, is a scene I keep replaying in my mind of Trump being run out of DC, tarred, feathered and tied to a rail.
8
The NYT and its commentariat are just as facile with alternative facts as Trump, although quite a bit more elegant in doing so. I prefer to observe what he does and rarely listen to his statements.
As for ridiculing the "resistance", it does that well enough on its own. If indeed the Democrats gain control of Congress next year, the comeback word will be a liberal favorite: obstruction. But I think that unless the market takes a tumble, a lot of voters will like their 401k balances enough to not rock the boat.
1
kwb: Do you have any idea how many in the electorate actually have 401Ks???
4
And even those that do have very small accounts. Krugman's column today pointed out that the "lowest" 80% of American earners owns only 7% of the stock.
False equivalence is all you have, and it is false. Liars think everyone is lying.
1
I don’t think there is amole evidence to assume that, somehow, there will all of a sudden be a backlash against Trumps lies and general misuse of language.
His tactics worked once already, in getting him elected president.
The tactics he uses take time; you can’t reframe an argument with lies overnight. Lies build momentum over time.
So, sadly, I genuinely think between Trumps lying and overall distortion of reality, and the republican held congress (and gerrymandered districts helping to keep it that way), we could be looking at a second term of Trump.
This could get MUCH more ugly before it gets better. IF it does get better.
1
There are many, many actions and policies taken by the Trump administration that I abhor, but few alarm me more than the censorship that's being conducted.
These days, we have both hard copy books on the shelf and equally substantial electronic resources on line. When, for example, Trump's minions scrub "climate change" from the National Park Service website, they are essentially "burning books" without a fire. The White House website, the EPA website, the CDC website, and more are all being censored to erase various topics. CDC workers have been told not to use 7 particular words in budget documents and that list of 7 shockingly includes "science based" and "evidence based." Do Trump and his followers think that contemporary medicine is based on something else, like "faith" or "prayer" or "God's will" or "voodoo?" They do not understand that science is an all or nothing proposition that cannot be "cherry picked." Even when these words and topics are scrubbed from the .gov websites, all of them are easily found elsewhere on the internet, but this administration supports replacing "net neutrality" with "net bias for profit." We are now beyond "abhorrent" and into "aghast" territory.
7
One word that seems to have been left off the list:
Blowfish. Looks just like Trump on their best days. Known, too, as the Pufferfish, Its poison -- tetrodotoxin -- is deadly for humans and has no antidote.
Also called a fugu. Pronounce that as you will.
3
Trump's hand picked Secretary of State nailed it.
Hopefully he'll write a tell-all once he's fired.
2
It's always darkest before dawn. You have infused my present darkness with eagerness for a new day. Thank you.
2
Youth that is quickly perfected will condemn the prolonged old age of the unrighteous. (Wisdom 4:16) Can I get an "AMEN"?
I wouldn't get too dreamy about the great wave we're supposed to see in 2018. The suckers and takers among us - that is, at least 99% - won't yet see the erosion of the programs that benefit us, and may still be enjoying our pitiful little tax breaks and the pre-crash economy. Now that the fraud is passed, there's plenty of time for the right media to kick in gear and FOX people into thinking their unaddressed hardships can be blamed on Mexicans, Muslims, the war on Christians, and above all, the government which is still on their backs in the form of Medicare, Social Security, public education ("government schools") that need urgent "reform." 2018 is very much up for grabs, and further damage rather than repair is a distinct possibility.
"Trump" will make it into Words of the Year. But not with a definition he likes.
Ponzi, Madoff, Trump.
3
Let it be. Let it be. Speaking words of wisdom. Let it be. Long live the resistance! Democracy shall rise again. Hold strong Progressives and lovers of Democracy!
2
Unfortunately, Mr. Egan, you're preaching to the choir -- a figure of speech Mr. Trump hasn't yet defiled, but only because two of the words are unknown to him.
Unbeknownst to him, but knownst unto us, is the ultimate outcome of all this lying: people will realize that he and his abettors are slaughtering not only the language, but reason itself. People, despite Trump, have a regard for truth, and when they realize that there is no truth in the Trump mode of "telling it like it is," they will be revolted, repelled and repulsed, and revoke his man-date (and isn't that just about the right word for his flirtation with Billy Bush?)
Won't they!
Won't they?
3
Add "revolting" to the list. I'm using this adjective more and more these days.
2
Timothy, you have forgotten the best admonition of all from the serial liar. "Believe me." We should all howl when he delivers this line.
5
Speaking of words, consider those 7 the Trump administration doesn’t want the US Centers for Disease Control to use in its budget: If “fetus” is banned, what do we call an animal or human being in its later stages of development before it is born? What exactly is the problem with having a name for that and why isn’t the government discussing it? If saying “evidence-based” and “science-based” are taboo, that’s throwing facts and empirical method to the dogs. What then, outrageous lies? The end of “diversity” implies everything must be the same. So boring. No “entitlement” means the end of rights. That’s negating a lot, especially in a so-called democracy. If we can’t be “vulnerable” what can we feel? If the word “transgender” is taboo, does that mean that men who feel more at ease as women and vice-versa can’t feel the way they do? Words describe things and feelings and permit abstract discourse. Prohibiting them makes them extinct, while what they identify remains, even if nameless. The only winning words in Trumpland are confusion, ignorance and stupidity.
3
Yes, words have meaning and power. A carefully placed adjective or descriptive noun or phrase can have a history altering impact. Think of Neville Chamberlain's "Peace in our time". Our own "elocutor-in-chief" is going to contribute his own words to the vernacular...which may well be his only contribution. But I still like the term "deplorables" as a descriptor of both the times and the people who contributed to it.
3
"From your lips to God's ears."
1
Trump's constant lying proves he is a psychopath and his fear of Muller's probe proves that he has something to hide. Also his supporters fears prove they are also afraid of what the probe may turn up.
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Any GOP candidate who wants my vote needs to learn how to say "impeach".
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Banning words they don’t like is the grammatical practice of political correctness. It’s sad and embarrassing.
Hard to believe this is the same country that put a man on the moon.
2
Progress on all fronts. Merry Christmas!
1
I have only Two words for HIM, and all his Collaborators. And they are NOT Merry Christmas. Just saying.
4
Tim let us all,hope that the electorate has had a year to sober up and that clear thinking decent people every where get out to vote.
1
Steve, many may be decent people, but clear thinking....I don't know.
All that you write is true only if we go out and vote... and get everyone to vote who is as mad as you and me about trump's trajectory ably abetted by Republicans without a conscience for their fellow Americans.
3
I can wait until November of next year to see the House and maybe the Senate change hands to Democrats. However, if Trump fires or tries to get rid of Mueller and his investigation personnel, it's time to march on the White House and make the women's march in January of 2017 look like a PTA meeting.
It's so disgusting to see the cabinet and Republicans in Congress offer up their fawning compliments like a bunch of cult members adoring their great leader. What good leader would want that or need that kind of praise? The answer is insecure, lying Trump.
3
There are many words to describe trump, but most of them are unprintable here in the comments section of the NY Times.
There are also many words to describe this presidency, beginning with travesty, disgrace, and laughingstock.
My favorite metaphors from last year to describe this presidency have been associated with train wrecks, the Titanic, horror shows, and natural disasters that leave nothing but devastation behind.
Finally, the only words to describe how I've felt following the election of this clown to the presidency are embarrassed, disgraced, and incredulous. I never thought I'd see something this horrid happen to our government.
3
I think a better surname for him would be "turnip" instead of trump. Because he's as dumb as!
All the best words, eh? How about this one: *Gone*.
3
Thank you. I needed that.
2
REGISTER and VOTE will be the 2018 words of the year.
We all know what happens when we don't:
Tyranny of the Russian-Republican Reverse Robin Hood oligarchs and their regressive religious retrogrades championing greed, guns, white supremacy and forced pregnancies as the solution to healthcare, education, transportation, technology, diplomacy and national infrastructure.
56% of the US voting-age population cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election, well below turnout levels typical in developed democracies.
The highest turnout rates among OECD nations were in Belgium (87%), Sweden (83%) and Denmark (80%).
Only 70% of American voting-age citizens were registered in 2016, compared with 91% in Canada and the UK, 96% in Sweden, and 99% in Japan.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/15/u-s-voter-turnout-trails...
The Republican strategy to 'winning' elections the last 50 years has been:
1) Prevent non-whites and the poor from registering to vote
2) Gerrymander voting districts so Republicans can pick their own voters
3) Use the undemocratic Senate and Electoral College structures to overthrow democracy and the will of the people
4) Gaslight: Up Is Down; Down Is Up
5) Stop or rig the counting of the ballots when necessary, e.g., Florida 2000, Ohio 2004, computerized 'black box' voting machines programmed by large private corporations.
https://www.rockthevote.org/register-to-vote/
REGISTER and VOTE in record numbers in 2018, America !
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A recent conversation with an Australian friend included his wonder at our abysmal voter turnout...Australia levies a fine for citizens who do not vote! Elections should be held on Sundays (sorry, so-called Christians), too.
REGISTER.
VOTE.
We may not have a monetary penalty for staying home, but we have been subjected to a much harsher penalty over the last year.
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And let's hope that the NYT's more prolific commentators will support a viable candidate this time around.
2
A small child, as every parent knows, thinks he can change reality simply by putting his hands in front of his eyes. Trump's lies represent the verbal equivalent of a toddler's hands attempting to alter a disagreeable reality. Like the little boy or girl, the president believes the world orbits him, giving him the power to shape events.
If conventional facts indicate that Hillary Clinton won a larger share of the popular vote than he did in last year's election, Trump can nullify that information with a claim that her plurality depended on voter fraud. If journalists challenge his depiction of 2017 as the most successful in presidential history, he can erase their criticisms by labeling them "fake news." The Amazing Donald, abetted by Fox News, wields the extraordinary power to reshape reality with a wag of his tongue or a flick of his twitter finger.
Parents find the antics of their offspring amusing, but Trump's lies debase the level of political discourse in this country. Egan seems confident that the adults in the room will convince the electorate that the president's fantasies exist only in his own head, that in the real world his administration has inflicted serious harm on America. I share BerkshireBoy's concern, however, that sometimes a comforting illusion appeals to alienated voters more than a harsh reality.
In contrast to the fairy tale, we cannot depend on a small boy to expose the emperor's nakedness. In our case, the tyke is the emperor.
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Securing the right to vote, which is more powerful speech than money will even be, is the most fundamental threat in the coming year. If candidates who can truthfully swear allegiance to the Constitution are on the ballot and if all citizens are encouraged and assisted to exercise their right to vote we all can share in Mr. Egan’s optimism.
3
In response to The Conman's attacks on science & to Congressional gutting the funding for science & research, I support a "brain-drain" where the top scientists & researchers leave the U.S. & head to western European countries or Canada, where they can continue to work & benefit our world. The U.S. no longer deserves their brilliant minds.
83
This is already happening. That clever M Macron is wooing away some of our top climate scientists and providing them prestigious fellowships in France. And I'm sure Macron is doing this for at least partly pragmatic reasons. Jobs of the future will follow from the work of these scientists.
2
@June
Agreed, there is likely going to be a brain drain. As China will likely surpass the US within a decade, and are willing and able to invest truckloads of cash into scientific research, I would guess that scientists & researchers leave the U.S. & head to China. I'm retired now, so whatever which way this goes, it has little impact on me personally. BUT, I would advise any young scientist starting out today to start learning Mandarin. The green revolution is going to occur in China, not in this godforsaken stupid country.
1
Whether or not it is a comeback word or not (since most of us had to look it up), dotard deserves mentioning in this article.
200
Speak for yourself, I knew what dotard means. Perhaps you and the people you know had to look it up but then being from Missouri I assume grew up in a republican run school district.
I hope for your sake and ours you are right to be optimistic, but it is a big ask.
Your expectation hinges on a sufficient number of Congressional seats changing sides, either by a change of heart of those who voted GOP the last time around or by a significant number of former abstainers casting for the Democrats.
How plausible is the first option? It too has two options. Either the sitting member is re-elected, but no longer supports the Administration's inane policies, or he or she is replaced by another GOP candidate, who would then also need to oppose (or at least not support) Trump or by a Dem. Likely? Theoretically, certainly, but in practice? And in sufficient number to bring about real change? Not so very.
Then there is the increase in the absolute numbers of voters. For this to work, the new voters would overwhelmingly need to support the opposition to Trump. That supposes this opposition has something positive and credible to offer. Hoping that the disgusted would actually get up, go out and vote for "anyone but a Trump acolyte", when they have the option to fume quietly and sink deeper into disgust, is more than a bit of a stretch.
In other words, unless the Democrats get their act together pronto and actually present the irate anti-Trumpers with a project for the future of America (and the world), disgust isn't going to do it. Besides, don't underestimate the numbers of non-consulted voters who are ignorant enough to actually like what Trump does...
83
Another scenario is an incumbent R primaried from the right by a winning candidate so toxic, he/she alienates the reliable R voters, and they stay home, sitting on their thumbs.
1
"Democrats get their act together."
That is a big stretch. I have seen very little to indicate that they will. There are a lot of commentor's posting about the need to get people to register and vote. That will only happen if democrats nominate viable candidates that excite people enough to give them a reason to vote. "Trump blows" is not enough. Ask Hillary Clinton.
A full year into this fiasco and I am STILL waiting for a meaningful plan and message from the democrats. Bernie Sanders cannot carry all of the weight by himself. All I have seen from Pelosi and Schumer is complaining, and of course, fund raising. Then there is Gillibrand and her politically expedient and ridiculously transparent attempt to promote her own (certain to fail) presidential pipe dream.
If I sound like I don't have much faith in the democrats, it's because I don't have much faith in the democrats.
While we know that words have meaning and that elections do matter, the reality is that it makes no difference to Trump’s base that he uses alternative facts while he prods them to go vote in November.
The question for 2018 will be how democrats actually mobilize a voting resistance to this president creating a turnover in the House while achieving a Senate majority after having to defend some 25 seats.
62
In the Trump world, there are only alternate facts. And, only in that world, the new tax plan will help middle class.
13
Maybe I would vote for “sugar high”. 2018 will probably see a rising stock market, and an economic uptick which might raise boats enough to squelch this wave you speak of. And it needs to be a BIG wave.
6
Donald Trump’s misuse of the English language, both intentional and unintentional, is a source of concern to his opponents and a comfort – or sometimes an embarrassment – to his supporters.
One thing is clear. Donald Trump has absolute disdain for democracy when people criticize him. Skin as thin as his is a medical wonder. Beyond his narcissism, Trump is an authoritarian, through and through.
The phony populism of the campaign trail was abandoned long ago. The people who cheered him wildly at those rallies either never got the memo to forget the populist angle or they were unable to read it.
All of which brings us to the subject of the 2018 off-year election. Too many of us, Timothy Egan included, place too much faith in the coming election results giving Donald Trump and his Republican friends their comeuppance.
It may not happen.
Everyone except right-wing extremists will be disappointed, unless we start right now to prepare to fight a prodigious Republican effort at voter suppression.
179
Thank you for this, Tim Egan. There have been so many assaults on facts and the English language, and of course on democracy and the rule of law, that it's become exhausting to try to keep up anymore. But we must not forget, come next November, that we have to upend Trump's control. It's the only way out of the darkness he's visiting on this country.
19
2018 is not a presidential election year. It's a mid-term election for Congress -- the House and part of the Senate. Thanks to aggressive gerrymandering on a scale never seen before, there's a better than even likelihood that the House remains in Republican hands. Because most of the Senate seats up for grabs are now Democrats, it will be very difficult for Democrats to win all of them, but there's a better chance Dems can take a majority which would stop the monumental tax breaks just given to billionaire Republicans and the companies they control.
8
"That’s why I’m optimistic, as we crawl out of the darkest days of the year, that the words Trump has tried to erase, or change the meaning of, will come roaring back to haunt him next year." But what if this doesn't happen? He has defied all odds thus far. If I don't fit in this new America, where do I go?
21
My daughter went to Canada. Would like to follow, but my other daughter is in US. And it is too danged cold there for an old guy. Oh, well, not long to go for me, the political light at the end of the tunnel: to escape Trumpland, die. It works for me.
1
Please vote in the mid-terms before you go...
1
Bravo, Mr. Egan. Vocabulary to the Voters! We are ready for the next Exam.
7
A reckoning will only occur if the Democrats can put forth strong, unifying candidates that speak to the issues of all Americans. A fragmented message catering to special interest groups will ensure a continued era of Trumpism.
26
And if the media can cover all candidates equally and fairly and accurately.
5
You have done it again, Timothy. Words do matter, and we cannot hear that truth often enough. I hope you are also right about rejecting the complicit in 2018. My fear is, at our present rate of duplicity and rejection of normal international relations, November will arrive too late
12
His big business move was to inherit well, and his big political move was to cut his own taxes. Why aren't both of these getting top billing? The Republicans understand simple messages, while the Democrats give lectures. There will be no comeback in 2018 unless this changes.
63
Still unable to grasp the central fact of Presidential elections, and the genius of the drafters, that STATES matter, not individual voters. This was the intention, for those who wish it otherwise, in that the framers insisted geography matter as much as numbers. They had the genius to envision days just like this one - deep, ideological AND geographic divisions among the electorate - and put in place the mechanism that would elect a President favored by a majority of States, despite a minority of individual voters. And a quick glance at the map reveals this is indeed a geographic schism when 84% of US Counties voted for the Republican candidate; in fact, take away the California vote, leave every other "blue" State in, and the Republican wins the popular vote as well. So-called "resistence" may be loud, and it can run up it's margins in the 16% of the country still in toxic shock, but in the end it will have been "...full of sound and fury signifying nothing".
2
Their genius was designed to give slave states an advantage, it is an artifact of the eighteenth century that has to go. Remember that within the "red" geography there is a lot of blue. It was only 70,000 votes spread over four states that gave Trump the electoral vote.
3
Sending a copy of this today to my Republican Senator and Congressman with a note "Happy New Year". Thanks Tim for making the darkest day a little brighter!
12
Well, I'll be darned! 4% of Trump's statements are true? Well, there's that. Merry Christmas to all!
80
The true liar lies even when what he says is true.
Let's hang tough and all do our part to get out the vote. If people vote, they cannot win, no matter how much they try to rig it. Help your friends and neighbors get to the polls, educate people, and volunteer if you have time. We will get through it - together.
12
Most, if not all, of my friends and neighbors in Florida are staunch Trump fans. Wish they wouldn't vote.
1
Among the terms used to describe El Presidente in 2017, my favourite (amongst the ones that can be used in mixed company) continues to be "the angry Cheeto".
45
“And what happens when a disgusted majority finally gets a chance to exercise the most powerful tool in a democracy?”
Authoritarians do not allow elections, unless they're rigged.
63
By my reckoning, Obama via his executive orders was a good deal more authoritarian than any Trump has done to date.
2
I know where you live, kwb! If Obama was white, you would be singing a different tune. BTW, which executive orders are you referring to?
9
The Republican President who delights in calling others losers fails to understand the difference between losers and winners.
We Americans love winners and are quick to call anyone who has won any competition a winner. We lavish our attention on the winner as we ignore and forget about the one who has lost. We don't waste our time thinking about competitions that have already been decided. We move on and focus on the next competition.
When The Republican President focuses on 2016 and spends his time calling every Democrat a loser, he's separating himself from the American people who have moved on and are thinking about 2020 and sewing the seeds of his own defeat.
7
One can only hope that the word of the year for 2018 will be "avalanche," as in avalanche of voter disdain against the deepening snow job that is the spawn of the Trump presidency and a bought and paid for Republican congress.
28
So in 2018 the only way for trumpism and Trump to win is to keep the ballot box out of reach of the opposition. Expect that to be the focus of his administration's judicial appointments and republican Congress, state and local governments.
28
The importance of the 2018 and 2020 elections cannot be over emphasized because the future of our democracy is at stake. With every day that passes, it becomes more apparent that the real goal of Donald Trump and his new Republican party is to replace government "of the people, by the people and for the people" with government "of the rich, by the rich and for the rich."
Our democracy is no less at threat now than it was then. It is as simple as it was 154 years ago when when Abraham Lincoln first framed the issue 154 years ago in his address at that terrible battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
6
Timothy notes that Agent Orange from KAOS " does seem to understand the authoritarian axiom that repetitive political language can make “lies sound truthful,” as George Orwell wrote in the definitive essay on the subject. "
Which reminds us that Ivana Trump's lawyer shared that the guy who would one day become Putin's Poodle POTUS, kept at his bedside a copy of My New Order, a collection of Hitler's speeches:
https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/07/donald-ivana-trump-divorce-p...
If anyone is aware of any other tome ever referenced as being kept at djt's bedside (other than his own book, or one by a Faux Noise personality) would you please share that information with the rest of us ?
Our democracy faces a clear and present danger; it's not a foreign power.
105
I, for one, am encouraged by and thankful for Tim Egan's optimism and resolve as America approaches its first trump "administration" Christmas. Hopefully its last such Holiday season.
118
Yes, 2018 is shaping up as a great opportunity to begin steering our country back onto a sane path, both at home and abroad. But I do worry about voter complacency. The resistance is starting to sound like a team that is over confident before the big game, as though the result is preordained. To use a football metaphor, we have to stick to the basic blocking and tackling of political organization. We have to fight for every yard. We have to dig deep to win every point. If we don't get this done in 2018, we might not have another chance for a long time.
413
The comeback words I have heard most often from Trump supporters when they are presented with facts or data that contradict the president's statements is "I believe".
78
When a person lacks the will to think, their default option is to simply "believe" what they're told.
And isn't that what got us into the mess in the first place? A high percentage of voters that found it easier to simply believe the loudest person in the room, than to think?
10