10 political words we should use more often

The U.S. Senate held a vote-a-rama last weekend. The word describes how lawmakers dispatched with 101 amendments over 13 hours of consideration of the federal budget. But we haven't heard it very often because this is the first budget the Senate has passed in four years.

It's a great word unique to politics, and there are dozens more that should be used more often.

Here are 10 examples from my political dictionary:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

snollygoster — A politician who will go to any lengths to win public office, regardless of party affiliation or platform.

dummymander — A gerrymandered district drawn by one party that over time looks like it was actually designed by the other party.

Election Administrator’s Prayer — “Please, please, please let the winners win big,” or “Lord, let this election not be close.”

frugging — An unethical fundraising tactic where a telemarketer falsely claims to be a researcher conducting a poll.

money blurt — A strategy of using a politician’s controversial statements to attract a large number of campaign donors.

mugwump — Someone who is independent or who remains undecided or neutral in politics.

psephology — The scientific study and statistical analysis of elections and voting.

roorback — A false, dirty, or slanderous story used for political advantage, usually about a candidate seeking political office.

turkey farm — A government agency or department staffed primarily with political appointments and other patronage hires.

Washington read — When a book is not actually read but is nonetheless absorbed into the Washington atmosphere