Raaaaacism or Raaaaacist (“There are five A’s in ‘raaaaacism’”)
"Racism!" and "Racist! are politically charged terms, often used after other factual arguments fail. The political right has often charged that the political left uses the "race…
Racer (race + -er)
The term "racer" (race + -er) follows such terms as "truther," "tenther" and "birther." Radio host Tony Katz coined "racer" in April 2011 to…
Radish Communist (red on the outside, white on the inside)
Russian politician Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was heckled by workmen in Kiev in 1919, He said the town was like a radish -- red (communist) outside, but white inside. "Radish" was cited in…
Raging Moderate
"Raging moderate" is a political term that appears to be an oxymoron. Tennessee Senator Al Gore, Jr. was running for the Democratic presidential nomination in April 1987 when he described…
Rainbow Jihad
American talk radio host and author Steve Deace popularized the term "Rainbow Jihad" in 2014 and 2015. The term refers to what other conservative writers have called the "gay…
Rapefugee (rape + refugee)
The European migrant crisis of 2015 saw European countries admit many refugees. News of these refugees committing rapes resulted in the name "rapefugee" (rape + refugee).…
Raw Dog Oxygen (breathing without a face mask)
"Raw dog" usually means sexual intercourse without a condom. The 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic resulted in requirements to wear face masks, and "raw dog oxygen" (or…
Re-Re-Elect (third term election)
A politician is sometimes "elected" to a first term in office, "re-elected" to a second term, and "re-re-elected" to a third time. New York City's two-term mayor…
Realville (a town in the real world)
"Realville" isn't any actual city or town, but it's an expression for a place that exists "in the real world" and has real world problems. Politicians and economists…
Reasonoid (Reason Magazine reader nickname)
The libertarian Reason monthly magazine started a "Hit & Run" blog in 2002. Reason readers have been called "Reasonoids" since at least 2004. The nickname…
Red Diaper Baby (child of Communists)
A "red diaper baby" is a child of Communist parents (and one who presumably inherits their political leanings). Barack Obama was called the "red diaper baby president."…
Red Friday (Remember Everyone Deployed)
"Red Friday" is a tradition that people should wear red on Friday to support the military, with "RED" standing for "Remember Everyone Deployed." The tradition began in…
Red State/Blue State
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Red state and blue stateThe terms "red states" and "blue states" came into use in 2000 to refer to those states of the United States whose…
Redwash (communist red + whitewash)
"Redwash" (communist red + whitewash) is similar to such terms as "greenwash" (about the "green" environmental movement) and "pinkwash" (about the…
Redwash (redskin + whitewash)
"Redwash" (redskin + whitewash) is similar to such terms as "greenwash" (about the "green" environmental movement) and "pinkwash" (about the "pink"…
Reformicon (reform conservative)
"Reformicon" (reform conservative) has been used since at least 2010 in Canadian politics. The American use of "reformicon" was popularized by liberal American political…
Reformocon (reform conservative)
"Reformocon" (reform conservative) has been used since at least 2008 in Canadian politics. "Extremely well-positioned to be the leading reformocon in the Senate, but hasn't…
Refusenik
A "refusenik" originally was someone (usually Jewish) was was refused a visa to leave the Soviet Union. The term was based on the Russian "otkaznik" (one who refuses). Soviet…
Reich-wing (Third Reich + right wing)
"Reich-wing" (also "reich wing" and "reichwing," with or without capitalization) is an epithet from the political left wing directed to the right wing.…
Religitics (religion + politics)
"Religitics" (religion + politics) is when religion and politics combine. The word "religitics" has one citation from 1988, but has been in steady (but infrequent) use since…