10 political words we should use more often

last updated 11 January 2015

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.

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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

Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won â€” Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.