The West Virginia Democrat candidate who was dragged away for calling out gas-money-dependent lawmakers has raised record-breaking sums

I’m making assumptions here, but if she is a member of the Democratic party, then she is a Democratic candidate, no?

IIRC, the use of the term “Democrat” as an adjective, as in “Democrat senator,” is a fairly recent thing introduced by the GOP, and is often said in a somewhat pejorative tone.

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According to WIkipedia, the OED traces it back to a British magazine in 1890.

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Interesting! I do recall suddenly hearing Goppers use the term that way early in W’s tenure, I thought they had invented it but maybe they just revived it.

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Annoying your political opponents by coining new names for them (or reviving old ones) is an ancient tradition. The popular name for the British Conservative party, the Tories, is apparently derived from an Irish word for outlaw, and dates back to a pejorative term for the supporters of James VII & II in the 17th century. The modern Conservatives have almost no connection to that group (all three main UK-wide parties are descended from the Whigs of the late 18th century), and yet the name persists.

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Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing! :+1:

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The modern use is certainly an epithet used by assholes. Or, as this discussion suggests, attention-seeking children:

Sounds like a distinction without a difference :wink:

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