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With help from The Swamp, the political blog from the Chicago Tribune's Washington bureau, here's my list of the 10 top terms evoked this election season. Do you agree or disagree with the ranking? What are some other election terms that are popular?
10. Jeremiad: An angry or mournful sermon that calls for repentance. Evoked in the Jeremiah Wright flap. H/T: Swamp.
9. Swiftboating: When an opposition group launches a smear campaign that the target feels is unfair or untrue. H/T: Swamp.
8. Red-phone: Hillary Clinton's famous television ad that asked if the Batphone rings, which candidate is best prepared to take the crisis call? The ad, which played on national security concerns, helped focus voter attention on the candidates' resumes.
7. Superdelegate: America's VIPs. This group of dignitaries may help decide who gets the Democratic nomination for president. Their influence could be compared to the influence of the judges on "Dancing with the Stars." Besides votes from the public, judges' scores play a prominent role in who wins DWTS.
6. Huckaboom: The surge in popularity Mike Huckabee experienced late in 2007, thanks in part to an ad featuring manimal Chuck Norris. The boom eventually faded and the former Arkansas governor exited the race in March 2008.
5. Fred Man Walking: Used to describe Fred Thompson's lackluster campaign. Thompson dropped out the race in January.
4. Billary: The one-two Clinton punch. Used to describe the presence of both Hillary Clinton and her hubby, former President Bill Clinton, on the campaign trail.
3. McBush: The Democratic Party's way of labeling Republican nominee John McCain's election a third Bush term. H/T: Swamp.
2. Obamatopoeia: Words, such as Omentum, to describe Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's campaign success. Obamania describes the Barack craze. In their Encyclopedia Baracktannica, Slate Obamafied several terms including Barackstar and Baracktoberfest (parties and rallies leading up to the general election).
1. Change: Usually a verb in its transformative mode, it became all-purpose noun, adjective and mantra. On the trail, candidates said they were "of change" or they would "bring change." The Onion finally got the last laugh with its Obama-inspired headline: "Black Man Asks Nation for Change." H/T: Swamp.
Other words I'd like to see gain prominence:
>> McCane: Used to describe McCain's senior status. If he won the presidency, he would be 72 at inauguration
>> Omance: Oprah's everlasting affection for a presidential candidate, specifically Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Oprah has helped raise money for Obama and featured him on her wildly popular talk show, based in Chicago.
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