Bushism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Bushism is any of a number of peculiar words, phrases, pronunciations, semantic or linguistic errors that have occurred in the public speaking of United States Presidents George H. W. Bush[1][2] and, more recently, his son George W. Bush[3][4] and subsequently used in caricatures of them. The term (a neologism) has become part of popular folklore and is the basis of a number of websites and published books.
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[edit] Characteristics
George W. Bush's uses of nonstandard grammatical constructions have some common characteristics:
- Adding agentive endings to words in unusual ways, such as "suiciders".[5]
- Constructing neologisms such as "tacular"[6][7][8] (a portmanteau of "tactical" and "nucular") and "misunderestimated" ("misunderstood" and "underestimated").[9]
- Occasional use of spoonerisms such as "mexed missages" (mixed messages) and "terriers and bariffs" (barriers and tariffs).[10]
- Use of words that sound similar to intended words but are wrong in the context (i.e., malapropism). "Nucular power pants" instead of "Nuclear power plants."[11]
- Folksy pluralization of, or addition of articles to, familiar terms ("Internets",[12][13] "the Google"[14]).
- Redundant or odd sentence construction, such as "We had a chance to visit with Teresa Nelson who's a parent, and a mom or a dad."[15]
- Change of subject mid-sentence, such as, "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport."[16]
Some columnists, including the late Molly Ivins (the co-author of a book of Bushisms), have suggested that Bush may have difficulty speaking "Washington English", and that he may be trying to cover his accent by over-emphasizing words. Some have hypothesized that Bush is not familiar with some of the words that he feels he must use as a president.[17]
[edit] "Make the Pie Higher" poem
A poem composed entirely of Bushisms titled "Make the Pie Higher" has become popular on the Internet. Each line contains some sort of grammatical error, logical error, or unusual usage and is said to have been uttered by George W. Bush. Although its origin is uncertain, it has been attributed to Washington Post political cartoonist and satirist Richard Thompson. The poem has been criticized as apocryphal. However, the Urban Legends Reference Pages at Snopes.com have verified all but the line "I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity" as having been spoken by Bush at one point or another during his presidency.[18] The site has also noted that the president made reference to "mential losses", and not "mental losses" as the poem claims. This phrase was possibly in reference to missile launches.
[edit] Other Bushisms
- "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?"[19][20]
- "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."[19][20]
- "I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein."[19][21]
- "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."[19][22]
- "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die."[19][23]
- "I think that the vice president is a person reflecting a half-glass-full mentality."[19][24]
- Bush dares us to imagine ourselves as working mothers, "working hard to put food on your family."[18][25]
- "... able to make a living and ... put more money on the table."[19][26]
- "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."[19][27]
- "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."[19][28]
- "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mential losses."[19][18]
- "They misunderestimated ..."[19][29]
- "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says: fool me once, shame on ... (long pause) shame on you? (long pause) Fool me, you can't get fooled again."[30][31]
- "One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps."[32][33]
- "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."[34][35]
[edit] References
- ^ Bines, Jonathan; Editors of the New Republic (May 1992). Bushisms: President George Herbert Walker Bush in His Own Words. Workman Pub Co. ISBN 1-56305-318-7.
- ^ George H.W. Bushisms. About: Political Humor. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ Neria Harish Hebbar (October 10, 2004). Bushism, A New Word in English Lexicon. Boloji. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ Adventures in George W. Bushspeak. About: Political Humor. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ President Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel Participate in Joint Press Availability. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (May 23, 2006).
- ^ Dana Milbank (May 5, 2000). What's on W's Mind? Hard To Say.. The Washington Post. Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
- ^ Nancy Gibbs (Feb 14, 2000). McCain's Moment. Time. Retrieved on April 3, 2007.
- ^ Ben Fenton (Feb 4, 2000). Bush image damaged by his slips of the tongue. Telegraph. Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
- ^ G.W. Bush. Speech Bentonville, Arkansas (November 6, 2000).
- ^ G.W. Bush. Speech Rochester, New York (January 7, 2001).
- ^ G.W. Bush. Speech Chicago, Illinois (September 30, 2003).
- ^ Transcript of the third Gore-Bush presidential debate. Commission on Presidential Debates (2000-10-17). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Transcript of the second Bush-Kerry presidential debate. Commission on Presidential Debates (2004-10-08). Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Bush says he uses “the Google”. Interview with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo.. Think Progress (2006-10-23). Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ President Bush Discusses the "No Child Left Behind Act" in Florida. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (Sept 9 2003). Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
- ^ President Opens Reagan National Airport. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (Oct 2, 2001). Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
- ^ Kathleen Parker (August 23, 2006). Intellectually curious George. Townhall.com. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ a b c Make the Pie Higher!. Snopes.com (2002). Retrieved on October 12, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jacob Weisberg. The Complete Bushisms. Slate Magazine. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ a b Remarks by the President at the Radio-Television Correspondents Association 57th Annual Dinner. Office of the Press Secretary (March 29, 2001). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ President Meets with Iraqis Who Received Medical Care in the US. Office of the Press Secretary (May 25, 2004). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ President Signs Defense Bill. Office of the Press Secretary (August 5, 2004). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ President Bush Meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Office of the Press Secretary (December 7, 2006). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ Insurgents Launch Attacks on Shiite Pilgrims as They Celebrate Holy Day; Iraq Strategy; Story of a Champion. CNN (January 30, 2007). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ George W. Bush. Speech Nashua, N.H., USA (Jan. 27, 2000). Retrieved on 2007-03-28
- ^ President Bush Defends Decision to Send Additional Troops to Iraq. PBS (January 16, 2007). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Office of the Press Secretary (September 6, 2004). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ George W. Bush. Speech LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA (Oct. 18, 2000).
- ^ President Thanks CIA. Office of the Press Secretary (September 26, 2001). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Civic Education, East Literature Magnet School, Nashville, Tennessee. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (September 17, 2002). Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ Bushism Video: Fool Me Once. About:Political Humor. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ Googler-in-Chief. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ Bush says he uses “the Google.”. CNBC (10 October 2006). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ The 50 Dumbest Things President Bush Said in His First Term. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ President Bush speaks at Townsend Elementary School in Tennessee. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (February 21, 2001). Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
[edit] See also
- Strategery, originally a Saturday Night Live parody of a Bushism
- You forgot Poland
- Internets (colloquialism)
- Dead Ringers
- Nucular
- U.S. Presidents IQ hoax
- List of political catch phrases
[edit] Linguistic
[edit] Further reading
- Frank, Justin A., Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President (2004), ISBN 0-06-073670-4.
- Miller, Mark Crispin. The Bush Dyslexicon (2001), ISBN 0-393-04183-2.
- Thorne, Justin. The DubyaSpeak Compendium
- George W. Bushisms: The Accidental Wit and Wisdom of Our 43rd President. Ed. Jacob Weisberg. ISBN 0-7407-4456-9.
- Bushisms/President George Herbert Walker Bush in His Own Words New Republic. Workman Pub Co., May1992, ISBN 1-56305-318-7
[edit] External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
- The Complete Bushisms Updated frequently. By Jacob Weisberg
- DubyaSpeak.com
- "Pie Higher" at Snopes.com
- Bushisms VideoRoll
- Bushism as a figure of speech
- Story in the Guardian
- Dayton Daily News
- About.com Bushisms Collection
- The Google on the Internets - Spoof of Internet related Bushisms
- W Bush Best Quotes Blogspot
- The Complete Bush Quotes Updated frequently by Est Nyboer from The White House website.
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| Life and politics | Early life · Professional life · Military service · First term as U.S. President (2001-2005) · Second term as U.S. President (2005-) · Administration |  |
| Terms and policies | Foreign policy · Domestic policy · Bush Doctrine · Economic policy · Compassionate conservatism | |
| Perceptions | Public perception · Bushisms · Criticism · Movement to impeach · Fictionalized portrayals · As the subject of books and films | |
