Political Dictionary

To “Akinize” is to try to diminish a political foe by likening his or her words to remarks on “legitimate rape” made by former Missouri Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) while seeking a U.S. Senate seat in 2012.

As

A “money bomb” is an intense grassroots online fundraising effort over a brief fixed time period to support a candidate for election.

This technique is often used by political candidates or organizations in order to raise a significant amount of money quickly, typically for a specific purpose or campaign.

In modern politics, it can be much more effective than

A “Sister Souljah moment” is a public repudiation of an extremist person or statement perceived to have some association with a politician or his party.

It’s a strategy designed to signal to centrist voters to show that the politician is not beholden to traditional, and sometimes unpopular, interest groups associated with the party.

Origin of “Sister Souljah Moment...

A stump speech is a speech that a politician makes again and again as they travel to different places during a campaign.

The speech might change slightly depending on the audience – for example, the candidate might add a few words to the speech to mention local politicians, or to refer to a local specialty.

Origin of “Stump Speech”

The expression

Psephology is the scientific study and statistical analysis of elections and voting.

Through employing various quantitative methods and data analysis, psephologists seek to understand the underpinnings of electoral dynamics and provide insights that can inform political strategy and public policy discourse.

Origin of “Psephology”

The term was coined in 1952 by O...