“Money is the mother’s milk of politics”
"Money is the mother's milk of politics" a December 14, 1962 Time magazine story quoted from Jesse Unruh (1922-1987), then speaker of California's state assembly. The quotation…
Red Cent
To have "not one red cent" is to have absolutely no money. The U.S. penny (or "cent") from 1793-1857 was made of reddish copper; the phrase "not worth a copper" was…
“What if your father was a horse thief?” (political affiliation joke)
A classic political affiliation joke involves Theodore Roosevelt or a Northerner. The Northerner asks a Southerner what political party he's a member of and why. The Southerner responds that…
“A politician is someone who will lay down your life for his country”
The greatest form of patriotism is said to be someone who lays down his life for his country. A joke circulated in the American Legion Weekly in 1923 that the definition of an "orator" is…
Political Football
A "political football" is politically divisive issue, something that gets "kicked" around by both sides. The term is cited in English at least as early as 1748 and 1772 -- about…
Love Feast
A "love feast" is a meal eaten by a Christian congregation, as a token of fellowship. A political "love feast" is a gathering to display reconciliation or good feelings; a…
“Politics is show business for ugly people”
"Politics is (like) show business" is a phrase that dates to at least 1954, when it appeared in the headline of political reporter Drew Pearson's syndicated column. When former actor…
“Show business is high school with money” (show business adage)
Martin Mull is credited by other comedians for saying "Show business is (like) high school with money," but he probably originally said "Show business is just like high school,…
“Nutty as a fruitcake” (“Nuttier than a fruitcake”)
"Nutty" has been used as slang for "crazy" since at least the 1890s. Fruitcakes usually contain nuts. "At this point I realized that Henry had become as nutty as a fruit…
Goldilocks Economy (Goldilocks Recovery; Goldilocks Scenario)
The children's story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" had Goldilocks try to eat the three bowls of porridge. One porridge was too cold and one porridge was too hot, but one…
“Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ until you can find a rock”
"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock" means that a diplomat uses flattery until a country has strength and no longer needs such weak…
“Why pay to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you”
Political opposition research can be very thorough. A saying developed: "Why pay money to have your family tree traced? Just go into politics and you opponents will do it for you for…
“George Washington is the only president who didn’t blame the previous administration”
Presidents often blame the previous administration for current failures. In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama was criticized for frequent "blame Bush" (George W. Bush, the previous…
“Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason”
"Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason" is a saying that has appeared on many images, but is of unknown origin. " "Eileen's…
“I used to eat all natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes”
"I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes" is a saying that has been written on T-shirts. The saying is recorded in print since at least…
“The world is run by those who show up”
Filmmaker Woody Allen said in 1977: "Showing up is 80 percent of life." "The world is run by those who show up" has been a slogan of many political activists, recorded in print…
“The evil of two lessers” (voting for “the lesser of two evils”)
An American voter often has to choose between a Democrat candidate and a Republican candidate, neither of whom the voter likes. A vote is cast for "the lesser of two evils" -- the least…
“The most dangerous food is wedding cake”
"The most dangerous food is wedding cake" is an old joke. Wedding cake usually doesn't cause food poisoning, but it might cause other problems (if the marriage is bad). American…
“One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress”
"One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress" is attributed to John Adams (1735-1826), but he never said it. The real authors are the people behind the…
“When you put ‘THE’ and ‘IRS’ together, it spells ‘‘THEIRS’”
Several people have noticed that when you put the words "the" and "IRS" together, it spells the word "theirs." The joke has been cited in print since at least 1984,…