List of political epithets

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See also Alternative political spellings and the list of pejorative political puns.

This is a list of pejorative political epithets; meaning, words or phrases used to mock or insult certain political views and their supporters. An explanation is also given for each term's intended meaning and original source (where known). The list is not comprehensive, and perhaps never will be, due to the multitude of political epithets that have been and continue to be created. Please note that the majority of these epithets are inherently biased terms and some are considered highly inflammatory.

The list is alphabetical.

Abortion on demand

U.S.: A term used by opponents of legalized abortion to refer to the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. [1]

Activist judges

U.S.: Judges whose decisions are "extra-constitutional," overturn traditional legal interpretations, or who craft decisions to produce a specific outcome. Most commonly described as judges who "legislate from the bench." This term is usually used by conservatives.

Aid and comfort to the enemy

U.S.: A term used mainly by conservatives for people who are perceived as supporting the enemies of the United States, although others use the term against people they see as being overly sympathetic towards an enemy seen by many as being cruel and vicious. This term was often expressed towards liberal members of the entertainment industry. Derives from the definition of traitor within the U.S. Constitution.

Anti-choice

U.S.: A term used by some pro-choice individuals (advocates of legalized abortion) to refer to pro-life individuals (opponents of legalized abortion). They may choose not to use pro-life as an objection to the idea that "life" is legally in question. Those who share this belief may feel that a fertilized egg or embryo does not legally constitute "life"; they may wish to emphasize the view that the issue in question is a woman's right to make choices regarding her own body; or they may feel that the phrase "pro-life" implicitly denigrates pro-choicers as "anti-life" or even "pro-death".

Anti-immigrant/anti-immigration

A political epithet when used to refer to those who support immigration reduction but are not opposed to legal immigration. This is distinct from the correct usage of Anti-immigrant, when it refers to those who denigrate, fear, or oppose immigrants. Anti-immigration is sometimes used interchangeably, although it has a distinct meaning.

Anti-life or Pro-death

U.S.: A term used by some Pro-life individuals (opponents of legalized abortion) to refer to those who title themselves as "Pro-choice" (advocates of legalized abortion). Holding the view that the issue in question is the life of an unborn human being, pro-life individuals may wish to draw parallels between the pro-choice position and advocacy of murder and infanticide.

Apartheid

Sometimes used to describe other societies that the speaker considers analogous to South Africa in the Apartheid Era, such as American segregation before the American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968). See also Segregation.

Apparatchik

From Soviet era Russian terminology, meaning simply a member of the political organizational apparatus of Soviet Russia; it now has a meaning in English which implies a bureaucratic mentality and/or slavish (to the point of mindlessness) devotion to a cause (or a political politician). A recent example from the Washington Times: "Mr. McCain said commission Vice Chairman Ellen Weintraub is an "apparatchik" of the Democratic Party ..."

ASSHOL

Term used by Neo-Nazis and other anti-Semites as an acronym for the Association of Spurious Survivors of the Holocaust and Other Liars. Coined by holocaust denier David Irving to ridicule the testimony of Holocaust victims. [2]

Baby killer

A term used by some members of the left in the 1960s and 1970s, to denigrate military personnel. Later, some in the anti-abortion movement used the same term against doctors who perform abortions, and against other supporters of legal abortion.

Banana republic

A pejorative term for a small, often Latin American or Caribbean country, politically unstable, dependent on limited agriculture, and ruled by a small, wealthy and corrupt clique. Coined by O. Henry, American humorist and short story writer, in reference to Honduras. "Republic" in his time was often a euphemism for a dictatorship, while "banana" implied an easy reliance on basic agriculture and backwardness in the development of modern industrial technology.

Bedwetting conservative

U.S.: Used by liberals to refer to conservatives who favor stricter government controls over civil rights, most especially in the War on Terror. The term suggests extreme fear, and is generally applied to those who suggest limiting Constitutional rights to protect against an unseen enemy. This is the flip-side of bleeding-heart liberal.

Bible basher or Bible thumper

Someone who tries in a forceful or enthusiastic way to persuade other people to believe in the Christian religion and the Bible. Most commonly referring to evangelical or fundamentalist Christians who believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that its enclosed laws and precepts should strongly guide public policy.

Big Business Party

U.S.: A term used to refer to the U.S. Democratic Party and U.S. Republican Party as being two different wings of the same party, implying that the U.S. has a one-party government whose main concern is not The People but corporate profits.

Blame America-Firster

A term used to describe those who consistently place all blame for all socio-political problems on the United States and/or capitalism in general. Usually used to describe Americans, but can also be used to describe those hostile to United States foreign policy, such as the French, Germans or Russians.

Bleeding-heart liberal

U.S.: Used by conservatives to refer to liberals that stress emotionalism over rationalism - most often people liberal on social issues such as the death penalty or the drug war. Ted Kennedy is a prominent example of the type of liberal who attracts this epithet. Conservatives see these people as "soft on crime," thus allegedly encouraging crime and causing harm to society. Liberals have occasionally adopted the term for themselves, noting that a bleeding heart is better than one made of stone.

Bloc-head

CAN: A derisive name used by Anglophones, for members of the separatist Bloc Québécois in Québec, Canada. Interestingly, Quebecois use the term "tête carrée" ("square head") as a derisive name for Anglophones.

Bloody Shirt

U.S.: Used in late 19th Century by Republicans, implying that the Democrats were responsible for provoking the U.S. Civil War. A speaker or writer expounding this viewpoint was said to "wave the bloody shirt." Some claim the term originates from a scene in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in which Marc Antony delivers the eulogy after Caesar was betrayed and murdered by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and other members of the Roman Senate.

Blue-blood

U.S.: Used to refer to wealthy New Englanders with "old money", who are usually of WASP or old New York Dutch descent. They tend to be fiscally conservative, but may be socially liberal (see libertarianism).

Blue Dog Democrats

U.S.: Term frequently used to describe Democrats who maintain their party affiliation, but frequently vote for Republicans or Independents. The Blue Dog Coalition is allegedly a group of congressional representatives who hold this viewpoint; it was a coalition that came into existence in the mid-1990s. Cynical conservatives claim the organization exists only as a cover for liberals serving in conservative districts.

Blue Liberal

CAN: Term for a member of the Liberal Party of Canada who leans to the right of the party as a whole. Not necessarily pejorative.

Bolshevik, Bolshevism

U.S.: Derogatory term applied to members of the far left. It implies a connection with Communism, particularly the Russian variety.

The phrase was also used in Nazi Germany against enemies of Nazism, for example in Nazi propaganda posters.

See also: Commie, Communist, Judeo-bolshevism

Borrow and Spend Republican

U.S.: Used by liberals to label conservatives as favoring a cycle of continually reducing taxes without corresponding restraint in government spending, the result being "deficits as far as the eye can see." Contrast Tax and Spend Liberal.

Bourgeois, Bourgeoisie

When used neutrally, the term refers to the wealthy or propertied classes in a capitalist society. In Marxian political economics, the bourgeoisie is seen as the ruling class in industrial capitalism due to their ownership of the means of production which enables them to employ and exploit the work of waged workers (the working class). Some Communists use "bourgeois" as an insult; those who are perceived to collaborate with the bourgeoisie are often called its lackeys, as in "capitalist running dogs and their imperialist lackeys".

Bushwhacker

U.S, pre-civil war era: Term used by opponents of slavery to denote the various groups of pro-slavery or simply opportunist bandits and militants who raided and killed abolitionists in Kansas and Missouri in the Bleeding Kansas period.

Capitalist Roader

People's Republic of China: Used against Deng Xiaoping by radicals in the Chinese Communist Party (including the Gang of Four) in order to purge him 3 times; he was later rehabilitated into the party thrice and led China in the 1980s and 1990s.

Capitalist Pig

Used by anti-capitalists to refer to capitalists, implying that those who enrich themselves under capitalism are greedy as pigs.

Card-carrying member of the ACLU

U.S.: Used most often by conservatives to insult liberals who may advocate policies similar to that of the American Civil Liberties Union. In the 1988 presidential election, the then-Vice President George H.W. Bush called then-Governor Michael Dukakis a "card-carrying member of the ACLU," which Dukakis proudly acknowledged. [3] The term now serves as a jocular recruitment slogan for the ACLU. [4]

Carpetbagger

Post-American Civil War U.S.: Original usage by white Southerners for the Northerners that came south after the Civil War, viewed as "carpetbaggers" - opportunists and exploiters bent on grabbing economic and political benefits. Term originated from a popular form of baggage carried by these individuals, a type of large bag made from cheap carpet fabric. This type of bag was also often used to transport money in train payroll deliveries.[5]

Contemporary Usage in U.S.: Politicians who move to a new jurisdiction in order to meet a residency requirement for holding public office. Senator Hillary Clinton is frequently decried as an Arkansas carpetbagger in New York state.

UK: Supporters of the conversion of mutual building societies into banks purely for reasons of personal financial gain.

Champagne socialist

UK: The phrase refers to politicians who are perceived as having socialist tendencies in their political views and policies but disregard socialist ideals in their daily life. The term generally is used as an attack by opposing politicians to portray and ridicule their opponents as hypocritical.

Similar terms in other countries include limousine liberal, latte liberal or East-coast liberal (United States), chardonnay socialist (Australia), Gucci socialist, and gauche caviar (France).

Chauvinist Pig

Used to describe a man as having a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his own sex; often extended to describe a man as one who hates women, or to one who believes in different roles and standards for the two sexes. Also Pig, Male Chauvinist, and Male Chauvinist Pig.

The original usage of this term (which is in recent resurgence) refers to an arrogant favorite of Napoleon, his loyal follower Nicolas Chauvin, a French ultra-nationalist.

Cheese-eating surrender monkeys

U.S.: A provocative phrase used to mock France for their famous surrenders in the Franco-Prussian War, World War II, North Africa, and French Indochina, and for their reputation as gourmets. Coined by writers of the animated television show, The Simpsons, the phrase was repeated by the political right in the United States and the United Kingdom in the run-up to the Iraq War, especially by Jonah Goldberg.

Chickendove

U.S.: An epithet used to criticize an anti-war protester who will only protest against "safe" protest targets (usually democratic free countries)--even if the "unsafe" target is truly the one at fault. For example, (at the time) protesting against US or British involvement in World War II but not protesting German or Japanese involvement in the war; or protesting against retaliatory strikes by Israel but not protesting against terrorist actions by groups such as Hamas.

Chickenhawk

U.S. An epithet used to criticize a politician, bureaucrat, or commentator who votes for war, supports war, commands a war, or develops war policy, but avoided service in the military, implicitly by favors from well-placed parents or by lying to draft officials. More pointedly may refer to men who were of draft age during the Vietnam War but avoided service, yet later professed support for that war. Also a sexual term for those persons that desire underaged sexual partners.

Chimperialism

A derogatory term referring to the perceived imperialistic policies of the U.S. president George W. Bush (whom some assert resembles a chimpanzee) and his administration.

Class warfare

In its original meaning, class warfare is a Marxist term referring to the sometimes violent struggle between the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat).

As a pejorative, class warfare is often used by conservatives to attack perceived left-wing hatred of the wealthy, often in relation to left-wing policies of wealth redistribution, which conservatives believe to be "punishing" the rich for economic success.

It is also used by liberals to attack perceived right-wing hatred of the poor, often in relation to right-wing policies of "trickle-down" economics or policies designed to force the poor to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps", which liberals believe to be based on flawed logic or the Puritanical notion that poor people deserve to be punished because their economic status is somehow proof of their inherent "badness" or immorality.

Commie, Communist

This term in and of itself became a slur during the Cold War. Also "pinko commie", or "Commie Pinko Fag", popularized during the Vietnam war.

Communist Sympathizer

A person sympathetic to the Communist Party and/or the Soviet Union during the Cold War but not an outright Communist. These persons were seen as apologists for Communism, or as "soft" on Communism. Probably very similar in meaning but more insulting than "Fellow Traveller". Widely used in the USA and other countries. Sometimes shortened to "Comsymp".

Con

CAN: A term used by opponents of the new Conservative Party of Canada, by its liberal and left-wing opponents and also by former supporters of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada who opposed the merger with the right-wing Canadian Alliance which created the new conservative party.

Conchie, conchy

UK: A common disparaging term in the UK during the World War I for "conscientious objector". Also an ethnic slur used by Caribbean blacks for whites.

Corporate Feudalism or Neofeudalism

A term used to describe policies of various right-wing politicians, particularly those in the United States Republican Party, that are seen as radically increasing the wealth and income distribution gap between the rich and the poor while increasing the power of the rich and decreasing the power of the poor. See also: Neofeudalism and wealth condensation

Corporate-jet conservative

U.S.: A term coined by Joe Conason[6] and used by the left to refer to super-rich conservatives. It implies (like Country-club Republicans) that the main aim of conservatives is to make the rich richer, and is also intended to suggest that they are even richer than the limousine liberals they despise.

Corporate Press

U.S.: A term used by the left to refer to the news media, especially in the United States (where most of it is privately owned; often by major corporations and holding companies), alleging a pro-corporate or conservative bias. Compare with Liberal Press

Corporate welfare

Corporate welfare is a term used by opponents of special privileges given to corporations such as tax breaks or subsidies. It is implied that the corporations are less deserving than the poor, the traditional recipients of welfare. The recipients of corporate welfare are sometimes called corporate welfare bums.

Counterrevolutionary

In neutral use, the term refers to an active opponent of a certain revolution of one kind or another. As an epithet, it is used by communists to refer to both active and passive opponents of a communist revolution. Also used as an epithet against party members who deviate from orthodoxy, or question/disagree with the leadership.

Country-club Republicans

A term implying that the real goal of leaders of the GOP is to make the rich even richer, and that issues such as abortion and gay rights are used to gain political support in order to enact a plutocratic agenda. The term is most frequently used by social conservatives.

Crony and cronyism

Refers to partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to public office without regard for their qualifications. (based on the Greek khronios/khronos meaning long time)

Crony capitalist

Describing a capitalist whose success in business depends on an extremely close relationship with state institutions of politics and government. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, and so forth.

Crypto–

A prefix used to imply that a person secretly holds certain political beliefs. The most common examples of this usage are probably cryptocommunist (a closet communist) and cryptofascist (a closet fascist).

Culture war

U.S.: This term has been used to describe ideologically-driven and often strident confrontations typical of American public culture and politics since the 1960s, but especially beginning in the 1980s. it is more often used by the American right than the American left. The term evokes the 19th-century German Kulturkampf.

DemocRATs, Demoncrat, Dumb-o-crats, etc.

U.S.: Purposeful mispellings and 'witty' takes on party names have been prevalent on the U.S. internet in the past few years, particularly when elections are near. See List of pejorative political puns. "Demoncrat" is also a song by the Anarcho-punk band, Crass.

Democunt

A rather harsh term for members of the Democratic Party in the USA. Suggests that Democrats whore themselves out.

Demoncracy, demonocracy

A term used by opponents of democracy, etymology based on combining "demon" with "democracy" suggesting connection with satanic forces.

Dhimmicrat

U.S.: Conservatives have branded U.S. Democratic Party opponents of the 2003 Iraq War as "traitors" in the War on Terrorism and thus referred to them as dhimmicrats (from the Arabic word dhimmi - a protected class of non-Muslims) — variations include Dummycrat, Demonrat, and Dumbacrat.

Dipper

CAN: A member of the New Democratic Party of Canada. The name comes from the DP in the party's initials. It is used as an epithet, but is also used self-referentially by some NDP supporters in the same manner as "Tory" and "Grit" for Conservatives and Liberals respectively.

Dirty Hippie

U.S., UK & CAN: Used by conservatives to refer to certain liberals. Comes from the poor personal hygiene and mode of dress of many hippies during the 1960s and 1970s, stereotypically perceived as including unshaved beards, long hair, bare feet, obesity or no bras. It is also based on the alleged tendency to wear too much Patchouli oil, the smell of which can be overpowering.

Dittohead

U.S.: Refers to devout listeners of right-wing pundit Rush Limbaugh, typically in total agreement with the talk-show host. Call-in "Dittoheads" say the phrase "Mega Dittoes" in order to avoid repeating everything the previous caller had said. Critics use the phrase to mean a person that mindlessly repeats everything Limbaugh has to say.

Dixiecrat

U.S.: Term used by civil rights activists to describe Southern Democrats who enacted and enforced Jim Crow laws, and obstructed equal rights for African Americans and racial integration. It derives from a Democratic splinter party who opposed civil rights legislation in 1948. They called themselves the States Rights Party, but the popular term was Dixiecrats.

East-coast liberal

U.S.: refers to one or more stereotypes of left-leaning denizens of the Eastern Seaboard, particularly journalists or academics. As used by some, it could be a thinly-disguised codeword for "Jewish liberal". During the 2004 election, John Kerry was called a "Massachusetts liberal", which carried the same connotations as limousine liberal or champagne socialist in addition to negative connotations among conservatives about Massachusetts' gay marriage policy.

Environmentalist wacko, econazi and ecoterrorists

U.S.: Environmentalist wacko, Econazi and Ecoterrorists are phrases often used by talk show host Rush Limbaugh and others to describe extremely radical environmentalists. See also: eco-terrorism

Eurocrat

A play on the word "bureaucrat", applied mainly to those who work in the institutions of the European Union (especially the European Commission). It is overwhelmingly used in a negative sense. The term "Men from Brussels" is a synonym used by the Tories in the United Kingdom.

Extremist

A term designating either of the two far ends of the traditional political spectrum. Often used as an insult to imply that one's opponents hold unusual views that should not receive popular support.

Falangist

Originally, a member of the Spanish Falange, now sometimes used as a synonym for "fascist".

Fascist

This term was initially coined by Benito Mussolini to describe his distinct nationalist and authoritarian ideology. After World War II, fascism as an ideology was discredited throughout most of the Western world (largely due to its perceived associations with Nazi perpetrated war crimes such as the Holocaust). Subsequently, very few individuals describe themselves as fascist today, and the term is generally used mostly as a pejorative political epithet directed against (often right-wing) political opponents of the term-user, whose policies are perceived as resembling those of the historical Fascists (or Nazis), in that they are authoritarian or perhaps racist in nature.

Novelist and political commentator George Orwell argued that "as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless... I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting, the 1922 Committee, the 1941 Committee, Kipling, Gandhi, Chiang Kai-Shek, homosexuality, Priestley's broadcasts, Youth hostels, astrology, women, dogs and I do not know what else." Because of the wide variety of contradictory usages, the word "Fascist" often carries little specific meaning.

Fearmongers

U.S.: Largely used in American Politics by parties describing the election rhetoric of their opponents. It has been used by the Republicans in response to allegations they they wish to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and school lunches. It has also been used by the Democrats, particularly Howard Dean in 2003, in regards to the impetus for the War in Iraq and the War on Terror.

Federast

Europe: A pun on pederast and Federalism used by French politician Jean Marie Le Pen against those who want the European Union to become a federation. The term was originally coined by members of the Bruges Group, a British euro-sceptic think tank founded in the late 1980s.

Fellow traveller

People who "walked part of the way" with Communist parties, without actually joining those parties, and without sharing all the watchwords and ideology of Soviet Communism.

"Europe:" In pre-war and post-war Europe, the term, carrying no pejorative connotations, was used to describe those who, without being card-carrying Communists, had Communist sympathies, and sometimes acted in close connection with the Third International and the Soviet regime: attending Communist meetings, writing in Communist journals, and even fighting alongside Communists in Spain, Greece or Yugoslavia. Many journalists, intellectuals and artists have been described (and sometimes referred to themselves) as fellow-travellers.

U.S.: Term used to describe those who were linked with communists, during the McCarthy Era. Conservative artist Norman Rockwell made a pun of this phrase with a painting of two children walking in the country, entitled "Fellow Travellers"

Feminazi

U.S.: Feminazi is a term made popular by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh to refer to women for whom "the most important thing in life is seeing to it that as many abortions as possible are performed". The term "Feminista" is also used by other political pundits.

Others now use the term more loosely to describe almost any active and militant feminist. The term is also sometimes used to describe politically correct movements, such as those who draw attention to allegedly sexist language in daily life.

Fence-sitter

One who "sits on the fence", i.e., refuses to commit himself to either one side of a political issue or the other, preferring to waver in the middle. (Also a term for bisexuals - see also see List of sexual slurs.)

Fiberals

CAN: A derisive term for the Ontario Liberal Party government under Premier Dalton McGuinty, who were widely judged to have broken a great many election promises.

Fiberal has also been used to describe the federal Liberal Party of Canada after the Sponsorship scandal.

Fifth column, fifth columnist

Global: Term for a group of people who clandestinely undermines from within a larger group to which it is expected to be loyal, such as a nation.

The term is also used in reference to a population who are assumed to have loyalties to countries other than those in which they reside. During World War II, the Japanese American internment in the U.S. was justified on the basis that those of Japanese ancestry living on the west coast would act as a fifth column. Today some on the Right in Western countries see radical Islamists as being a fifth column of a global Islamist movement, with its notion of a transnational Ummah. In Taiwan, some people suspect there is a fifth column from mainland China working to undermine the cause of Taiwan independence.

The term originated with a 1936 radio address by Emilio Mola, a Nationalist general during the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War. As four of his army columns moved on Madrid, the general referred to his militant supporters within the capital as his "fifth column," intent on undermining the Republicans from within.

Flip-Flopper

A politician who is claimed indecisive by his or her opponent based on an allegedly inconsistent or contradicting voting record.

Fourth Reich

U.S., Germany: Used by the political left to refer to Neo-Nazis (in Germany) or political conservatives generally, especially those actually in power (in U.S.). The term is intended to convey the idea that those so characterized share common views, at least to some degree, with the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler. It has also taken on a more broadly pejorative meaning as a description of the European Union used by Euroskeptics, wary of the perceived "Germanocentrism" of the Union.

Freeper

U.S. Term used for active users of conservative blog Free Republic[7]. Also used by liberal bloggers (and others on the U.S. political left) as a generic term to describe right wing political activists (whether associated with Free Republic or not). Much like the term yankee; whether or not freeper is a pejorative term depends on who is using it.

Gang of ....

U.S.: The term Gang of .... (insert number) refers to the Gang of Four, close associates of Mao, who ruled the People's Republic of China after his death. They were overthrown and arrested shortly thereafter. The term can be used to refer to political operatives who are overzealous and ultra-orthodox. In the United Kingdom, the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party were also known as the 'Gang of Four'.

Recently it has been referred to the Gang of Fourteen, a group of Senators, both Democrat and Republican, who negotiated a compromise to avoid the deployment of the so-called nuclear option over the organized use of the filibuster by Senate Democrats in opposition to judicial nominees in the U.S. Senate in early 2005.

Gay agenda

U.S.: Phrase used by conservatives to oppose any new extension of legal rights and privileges to homosexuals, on the grounds that homosexuals are seen as working gradually to abolish all sexual morality.

Girlie Men

U.S.: Term used by then California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger to describe his political opponents as "Economic Girlie Men." This term was first popularized by faux bodybuilders Hans and Franz on Saturday Night Live.

Gloom and Doom Democrat

First used by conservatives during the Reagan-Bush (Sr.) years to chastise the large-scale pessimism expressed by Democratic politicians and question their faith in the American spirit.

Godless communist

U.S.: Used by some religious believers, mostly Christian conservatives, as a descriptive term for self professed communists, based on Marx's famous comment that "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opiate of the masses." [8] Most communist states have actively tried to discourage organized religion (and often persecuted religious leaders), though only Albania banned religion outright. The "Society of the Godless" was an actual organization in the Soviet Union for a time. But see also religious communism, which included a movement in the 19th-Century that sought to establish utopian communities in the United States.

Government cheese

U.S.: Term used by opponents of redistribution of wealth as a synonym for the government's alleged largess. This term is also used by supporters of redistribution of wealth as a synonym for the government's alleged parsimony. Also used in urban slang to refer to people on welfare (surplus cheese is disbursed to the needy in the U.S.). See "government handouts."

Government handouts

Term used by opponents of wealth redistribution to imply that unearned entitlements are unjust. Also used by opponents of corporate subsidies to imply that tax relief and aid to for-profit corporations is unjust. See also: Corporate welfare

Granola

U.S. & CAN: Epithet used to refer to West Coast leftists, based on granola's constituency of fruits, nuts, and flakes. This food was popularized in the U.S. by members of the 1960s & 1970s counterculture, also lending a leftist slant on the term.

Greenie or greeny

An environmentalist or Green party supporter.

Grit

CAN: A colloquial term for a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. In the 1870's, an Upper Canada radical reformist party named the Clear Grits merged with reformers in Quebec to form the Liberals. Clear Grit was a complimentary term meaning tenacious or dedicated.

Gun grabber

U.S.: An accusatory term used by gun owners to refer to gun control advocates or opponents of legal gun ownership. See Gun politics in the United States.

Gun nut

U.S.: An accusatory term used by advocates of gun control or opponents of legal gun ownership to characterize gun owners as irrational and obsessive. See Gun politics in the United States

Harpercrite

CAN: A derisive name given to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper after he, hours after being sworn into office, proceeded to appoint a former Liberal cabinet minister who left the Liberal Party to join the now-governing Conservative Party of Canada to his new cabinet. Harper had openly criticized former prime minister Paul Martin's decision to give former Conservative MP Belinda Stronach a cabinet posting after she joined the Liberal Party months before. The name may also have been coined in protest against Harper's decision to appoint an unelected individual to the Canadian Senate so that he could hold a cabinet position, despite having vowed to implement an elected senate during the election campaign. Both appointments were made at the same time.

Heterophobia, Homosexist

Homosexism is a belief that homosexuality is the only natural sexual orientation; heterophobia was coined by analogy with psychological phobias to mean a dislike of heterosexuality. Both terms are used to disparage persons and organizations who oppose straight rights.

Hitler

Used by virtually all sides of all debates with the hope of discrediting opposing viewpoints. For example, with regards to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, right-wingers claim that anti-war activists are similar to those who appeased Hitler in the 1930s, while left-wingers claim that supporters of the war are similar to those who helped Hitler. Like "fascist," the strong connotations of "Hitler" often obstruct substantive dialogue.

See also Godwin's Law.

Homophobia, Heterosexist

Heterosexism is a belief that heterosexuality is the only natural sexual orientation; homophobia was coined by analogy with psychological phobias to mean a dislike of homosexuality. Both terms are used to disparage persons and organizations that oppose gay rights.

Idiotarian

Used by warbloggers (weblogging supporters of the Iraqi War) to imply that some of their opponents are idiots. It is applied to people who are from both sides of the political spectrum, for example, Pat Robertson and Dennis Kucinich

International Jewish Conspiracy, International Jewry

An idea particularly favored by Hitler, Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, other anti-Semites, and many Arab governments, that said that there was an international conspiracy of Jews to dominate the rest of mankind. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, allegedly written by Jews, has been used as evidence - even though it was actually a proven forgery written by a German agitator and widely used by the Okhranka (the secret police of Tsarist Russia). International Jewry is occasionally used non-pejoratively to refer to Jews worldwide, e.g. [9].

Islamofascism

A term used to suggest that certain variants of Islamist extremism have fascist or totalitarian aspects. It is often used solely to insult or generalize Islam or Muslims.

See: Neofascism and religion#Islam, Islamofascism (term)

JewNazi, Judeo-Nazi, Zionazi

Terms used by particularly vocal opponents of Israel and Zionism and some anti-Semites [10] [11] [12] [13][14] [15] [16] who advocate the view that aspects of Judaism, Zionism, or Israeli government policy towards Arabs and Muslims are fascist or similar to behavior thought typical of Nazis. The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), part of the Council of Europe, has stated that comparing "contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis" is one example of the way "in which anti-Semitism manifests itself with regard to the State of Israel."[17] In 2003, Google News described the term "Zionazi" as a "degrading, hateful slur" and refused to index San Francisco Independent Media Center (SF Indymedia) because it used it; SF Indymedia agreed that it "could be considered hate speech. "[18]

See also: Neofascism and religion#Judaism

Judeo-bolshevism

Term used in Nazi Germany to refer to Jews and communists, implying that the communist movement served Jewish interests and/or that all Jews were communists.

Kangaroo court

International: Pejorative term for allegedly sham legal proceedings where the verdict or finding was predetermined.

Kennedy-Kerry-Klan

U.S.: From the quote "modern-day KKK ... the Kennedy-Kerry-Klan," by Gerald Walpin, at a luncheon of The Federalist Society, on 10 November 2005 .

Knee Jerk

A term used to imply either that the subject is so committed to a political position that they react reflexively without thinking, or, more often of a policy, that the reaction is disproportionate or ill-thought-out.

Know-Nothing Party

U.S.: Pejorative term for the United States American Party, an 1850s political party that was opposed to the United States Free Soil Party, the United States Whig Party, the Democrats, and the Republicans. When asked about its activities or agenda, members were directed by their leadership to answer "I know nothing," providing seed for an insulting double entendre.

Lackey

A term used by various political groups to describe low level functionaries serving the interests of their enemies.

Left Coast

U.S.,Canada: Term used by American conservatives when referring to the many liberals who live on the West Coast of the United States. Also used by Canadian conservatives when refering to persons perceived as being Left of centre politically usually in the Vancouver-Victoria areas.

Liberal press

Term is used by many conservative commentators accusing the press, especially in the United States, of having a liberal bias. Compare with Corporate Press.

Libranos

CAN: Used by Blogging Tories to refer to the Liberal Party of Canada during the sponsorship scandal to depict them as a mob family similar to the one featured in HBO's The Sopranos tv series. This epithet was popularized by a poster issued by the Western Standard magazine and is often used in conjunction with Alfonso Gagliano, a cabinet minister of Italian descent accused of having mob ties by New York Post. Also spelled Librano$

Lieberals

CAN: Derisive term, comparable to Fiberals, used to describe the Liberal Party of Canada and commonly the Liberal Party of Ontario. It has also been used by conservatives in other countries to descri