Chuck McCutcheonReseñas

A good book to read a little at a time, otherwise it will seem overwhelming.

I just finished DOUBLETALK: THE LANGUAGE, CODE, AND JARGON OF A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION by Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark. The book was sent to me by the University Press of New England in exchange for an unbiased review.
Access points include an Introduction, Doubletalk (an alphabetical list of words, terms and phrases - a table of contents if you will), Notes and a List of Terms (index). The Notes section is (for me) a book in itself - the references and sources of all the ‘Doubletalk’ was as fascinating as reading the book. I accessed many of the references and was fully engaged in the articles, speeches and web sites. The index was helpful.
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was interesting, humorous (although this is not a ‘comedy’ book), well-documented, a satire of sorts, an etymology lesson, and a crash course in presidential election politics, history and ridicule.
Some of my favorite ‘Doubletalk’ terms are:
Bateson candidate is a term “coined by political scientist/columnist Jonathan Bernstein to describe politicians who are ‘oddly out of sync with normal time’. Bateson candidate comes from Star Trek and refers to Captain Morgan Bateson of the starship USS Bozeman, which encountered a time warp that trapped it 90 years ahead of time.”
Box Canyon is “a Wild West metaphor which describes a political situatiion from which you can’t easily extricate yourself and are vulnerable to attack.”
Inspector Javert is “the primary antagonist of Victor Hugo’s LES MISERABLES, now applied to any investigator of a politician whose probing is perceived to be overzealous.” Hillary Clinton has faced several ‘Inspector Javert’.
Schrodinger’s cat is a quantum physics term which “is a famous thought experiment describing a cat that might be both alive and dead in a box; in politics, shorthand for someone or something in a strangely paradoxical situation.”
I could continue and ‘copy the entire book’ for this review, but I will stop and hope that you pick up the book yourself. It is so interesting and funny and intriguing - all rolled into one. Please look through the Notes and read as many references as you can - it is a fascinating look at out political system.

A small collection of word gems that spice up an election race - the essential phrases that contort, distort, and even belie. So we learn about 'adults in the room', 'autopsy reports', 'cuckservatives', 'earned media', a 'rope-a-dope' or what it means to 'poke the bear'.

But when the author discusses the phrase 'job killing' and quotes arguments that try to tell us that 'regulation is not a significant factor affecting overall employment' or even better: 'environmental regualtion creates jobs!' then it is clear - he has not the slightest idea of economics.

However, I read it to the end and enjoyed a few phrases.
So: Three stars, not more, not less.

Chuck McCutcheon’s and David Mark’s ‘Doubletalk’ is a timely addition to the political conversation.

With Presidential Primary and Caucus elections currently taking place in the USA, this small ebook (148p at the resolution I used reading the book in iBooks on an iPad Mini) gives the casual, and more intense, observer an interesting insight into what the candidates and the spin doctors mean when they utter certain phrases.

This reviewer lives in Australia where the Westminster Parliamentary system is used to elect a government. Hence, Australians don’t actually get to vote for the Head of Government (Prime Minister) nor for Head of State (that’s an English woman called Elizabeth II). However, much of the language explained in this book is certainly part of the electoral discourse in Australia.

For some unknown reason, I thought this was going to be a funny read, and while there was the occasional chuckle at some of the phrases, the tone is far more explanatory than comedic.

I was most impressed by the extensive notes included in the last quarter of the book, and took some time looking up (via hyperlink) the original texts where particular phrases had been used.

I have not read the authors’ previous work on political speech, ‘Dog Whistles…’ but will now be on the lookout for it.

Anything about language is worth a look in my book so I clicked on this primer of one hundred words of political jargon with a few rarities from the arcane pollsters lexicon with anticipation. I was not disappointed, for besides being useful as a basic primer the authors enquiry mines into stuff that stimulates thought.
How America manufactures its language, or languages, is a source of continual wonder and envy for this Englishman - even though in this book's examples the object is to conceal, to muffle, to dampen rather than aim for George Orwell's "clear pane of glass". From Ad Hominem Attacks to Zugzwang the examples show how language can be woven, knotted and tightened using all kinds of shreds, the brighter colored the better, of source material: television, wild western mythology, german science-speak, touchy feely group speak and so on. It is the kind of enrichment and condensation of language that Shakespeare did for English. The question remains tho: outside the Beltway and the screen filled newspaper and television workspaces - is this a spoken language for the many?
I loved Bateson Candidate: "A term coined by political scientist/columnist Jonathan Bernstein in A Plain Blog about Politics March 3 2011 to describe politicians “who are oddly out of sync with normal time,” having disappeared from the public eye for years, if not decades, only to reappear to run for president as fringe candidates. Bateson candidate comes from Star Trek: It refers to Capt. Morgan Bateson of the starship USS Bozeman, which encountered a time warp that trapped it ninety years ahead of time"
Each word or phrase picked out from political discourse (at least the overheard public side of it) gets a neat, well referenced exposition with that lightness of touch we have come to expect from these authors. They also give us lovely, resonant snippets like the news that President Obama travels with a "tent of silence" with opaque sides and noise making devices that give him a pop-up secure area for sensitive conversations. So like the the hidden host! So like the traveling King of medieval times, willfully blinded by his retainers. And one wonders, seeing Trump, whether America is yearning for the monarchical system; the people shouting for his crowning and then (as happened just before democracy came to Greece) shouting for his ritual sacrifice.
The book tracks the path words take. Weaponize crawled out of its cold war bunker and, released for other duties, spread in the 1990's. McCutcheon and Mark quote Conservative pundit Guy Benson "What we’re seeing now, especially in an age of social media, is that a lot of this craziness is being born on campus but then it’s being weaponized in the media, weaponized in Washington, D.C., and it’s proliferating across the country and it’s sort of seeping into all elements of American life"
This is a book to dip and skim for pleasure and then click for reference. The profusion of sources mean you can get straight into the heartlands of the language making landscape of political America and make whatever extended journeys you wish.

Matthew Hilton is the author of Heavy Waters & Tap Once if Human

Doubletalk is an encyclopedia of political terms. The authors then explain each term with examples of the context in which the term was used (because all communication is contextual). The authors use bipartisan examples, so as not to offend readers. At 105 pages, readers can knock the book out in an hour or two.½

Really interesting encyclopedia or dictionary of political terms. It's a funny look of the political speech being thrown around, at the same time is written is the vein to be used to fit into the conversations going on on social media and physical media. I feel like there is a huge missing piece here, a political jargon drinking game bingo at the end. (just a suggestion) #feelthebern!

Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech
By Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark
ForeEdge / University Press of New England
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

The eighteenth century satirist and moralist the Marquis de Sade began The 120 Days of Sodom with these words, "The extensive wars wherewith Louis XIV was burdened during his reign, while draining the State's treasury and exhausting the substance of the people, none the less contained the secret that led to the prosperity of a swarm of those bloodsuckers who are always on the watch for public calamities, which, instead of appeasing, they promote or invent so as, precisely, to be able to profit from them the more advantageously." If this hadn't come from French fiction, one could see it as an accurate description of the United States Congress, K Street lobbyists, and the Beltway media punditocracy. (Pundit being Greek for "dingbat.")

It should come as a surprise to exactly no one that politics anger people. It leaves people exasperated, bored, and frustrated. Part of this stems from the behavior of our elected representatives. Another part of this frustration has to do with the language they use. Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech by Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark seeks to make plain what usually is not. And like related slang dictionaries, it becomes necessary to write new ones every few years, simply to catch up. Language changes over time, but slang and jargon change at a much faster rate. In the ensuing years, we have the seen the explosion of the Internet, YouTube, and social media. This has made incumbents and aspiring candidates hyper-conscious of gaffes. It has also made people more aware of where the money is coming from to fund these cash-bloated acts of public glad-handing.

McCutcheon and Mark, both veteran political reporters, have divided the book up into six sections: personality types, only-in-politics expressions, people, places, and things, the legislative process, campaigns and elections, and the media and scandals. The comprehensive overview gives the reader a wide range of words and expressions. The authors sought to limit the scope, throwing out words either too common or too jargony. There isn't a definition for cloture in here and the majority of terms are of recent vintage, although a few trace back to the nineteenth century. Despite my abhorrence of modern political reporting, I'm currently watching The West Wing on Netflix. Dog Whistles was useful on those occasions when the dialogue or plot mystified me. Making the legislative process entertaining presents a challenge to both fiction and non-fiction writers. Aaron Sorkin and Robert Caro can spin the everyday monotony of bill passage into high drama.

As a reader, Dog Whistles leaves me conflicted. I'm no fan of politics, especially the social media variety. Nothing is more insufferable than having your Facebook page smeared with an endless stream of daily outrages, endless scandals, and commonplace corruption. This is set against my love for language, languages, and the English language. Politics, like Hollywood and many other industries, has systemically degraded the English language. But unlike the perpetually outraged on social media, I understand the simple fact that language is not static. It reflects the times. What characterizes our particular time is a hyper-mediated, information-addicted, prurient-leaning but easily offended, social media aficionados who can't seem to get our eyes unglued from our smartphones. Every scandal is amplified, every microscopic gaffe is turned into a scandal, and the political class tries its hardest to stay relevant and hip.

I'm giving this a lower score, not for lack of craft, but due to its status as a dictionary for specialists. While I would recommend this highly to anyone purporting to be an "informed voter," it remains a challenge to actually derive pleasure from a book about political speech.

Out of 10/8.0, higher for political junkies, journalists, and voters.

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2015/07/book_review_dog_whistles_walk-.html

Ever wonder where we get some of the language and words that are thrown around in the political arena? Then this is the book for you. It is a fun read to learn the origin of some of the slang that gets thrown around, especially in politics. Impress your friends with your new found knowledge whenever politics comes up in conversations!

Fun book to read and recommended for everyone!

***I received this book through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway. The opinion is solely my own.***

Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs and Washington Handshakes; Decoding the Jargon, Slang and Bluster of American Political Speech is pure delight for the political junkie. That many words in the title may seem a bit much. But face it. Since politicians love to talk, it would follow that a book about their unique language has a long-winded title. Chuck McCutcheon and David Mack cover a range of linguistic terms the average person would not likely comprehend without reading the book.

This is a good book to keep close to the television remote that is used to switch back and forth between CSPAN and CSPAN2. In addition to defining inside the Washington beltway jargon, the compilation is highly entertaining. McCutcheon and Mack sprinkle definitive explanations with snippets of things that have happened in the District of Columbia over the years.

It would seem to be an appropriate read for anyone who might benefit from a crash course in Washington lingo. The book is strikingly non-partisan. Harsh criticism of politicians on the left is balanced with equal treatment of those on the right. It's difficult to perceive any political leanings that might be harbored by the authors. There doesn't seem to be any agenda here other than to expose silly speak.

This book is for those who enjoy fascinating stories about word origins as well as those who follow Wasington politics. Even if you don't follow politics, this is an excellent jumping off point if you'd like to know the slang politicians use as well as the subtext. This book is surprisingly entertaining and doesn't read like a glossary or a dictionary. The terms are woven into a larger narrative, marked in bold, and illustrated with examples which are denoted by asterisks. This allows the reader to read it straight through as well as easily use it as a reference. I also found that the authors made a concerted effort not to treat either the Democratic or Republican party with any particular bias and were able to focus on exposition rather than partisan politics. This is the best book of it's type I have read to date.

This is a fun book to randomly flip through and read entries from. The authors have done a nice job tracing the history of many of the BS speak terms and language used in Washington today. The tone, while informative is kept light and I can only assume the reason being if you didn't laugh you would cry.
I seriously suggest not pondering to long on which politicians etc. any given term may remind you of because if you follow the mess that is Washington today it will only make you furious at how our nation is run. If you like House of Cards you'll definitely like this book.

This book is a wonderful addition to anyone's bookshelf who studies or has a career in current politics. While it is possible to read straight through, and it might be amusing that way, it is a book of definitions of jargon or slang that politicians/political analysts/reporters use today. The introduction was very amusing and interesting, and I highly suggest reading it, even if you don't want to buy the book.

This slang guide to (often humorous) political terms (often humorous in origin) was perfect to have around for the recent election.

Since it's not an in-depth or scholarly look at how political language has evolved since the founding of our country a reader can choose to read it cover-to-cover or flip through reading whatever catches the eye.

Whenever I was feeling bogged down by negative campaigning I would dip into this book and roll around on the floor laughing after reading an entry. The entries are also fun to read aloud if you are near a person interested in the topic.

This would be a great book to recommend (or gift this upcoming holiday season) for political junkies and word-lovers.

There is no doubt that political speech and jargon is all to frequently used to misdirect and obfuscate the public. In addition we are all inundated with a virtual barrage of over worked political cliches. Often we turn away from our radios and TV sets scratching ours and muttering, "What did he/she just say?"

Well now, thanks to Chick McCutcheon and David Mark (both experienced observers and writers about our political process), we have a ways to penetrate such off putting jargon. With equal parts humor, irony and depth of insight we get a compendium of what passes for political speech. Each chapter has quirky titles such as "Having to Explain Blowback on the Tick-Tock: The Media and Scandals" and ""Bed Wetters, Sherpas, and Other Personality Types".

Each chapter begins with some historical and current background and proceeds to an alphabetized list of jargon. Both major parties are equally represented as the authors play no favorites. I only wish that all those radio and TV interviewers would take a little time to challenge the politicians and their PR handlers when they dish out inane lingo and jargon. As for me I intend to have it handy as I watch our current political process. Maybe the authors could have provided a handy checklist in the back for those of us who want to play along.

This is a comprehensive and non-partisan look at political terms, some familiar, some obscure, but all have been relevant at some point. Having the definitions separated into categories, rather than list them alphabetically is a nice touch as was having a real-life and current example for almost all. This is definitely a handy guide for the political junkie or linguists.

While I don't agree with the forward or introduction that Washington language is impenetrable to outsiders (how did any of us learn language at all, if not through context), Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, & Washington Handshakes does a good job of presenting the set phrases, slang, and jargon of U.S. politics. The entries are organized in alphabetical order within six broad themes and cross referenced as appropriate. The real beauty of the book is its nice mix of definition and real life examples of the phrases in action. Even readers who are familiar with the terms may not know where and how they originated, and McCutcheon and Mark present this background concisely and enjoyably. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the development of modern political vocabulary.