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Washington Speak

The Daily Rundown decodes some of the Washington Speak from the Beltway.
/ Source: MSNBC

Check out some of the keywords below:

  • 547A section of tax code; Political organziations that under IRS rules can accept unlimited donations and spend that money on political advocacy, these groups must disclose their locations monthly
  • 99ersLong term unemployed who have exhausted the 99 weeks of eligible unemployment benefits
  • AAFBAndrews Air Force Base, the home of Air Force One.
  • AFSCMEAmerican Federation of State, County and Municipal employees; the largest public employee and health care workers union in the U.S.
  • Anti-trust exemptionHealth insurance companies do not have to comply with federal laws that regulate trade and prevent monopolies. They are regulated by states. In a majority of Metropolitan areas, a single health insurer controls at least 50 percent of the market.
  • Armistice AgreementA formal agreement signed by the U.N., China and Korea to end the Korean War in 1953.
  • Armistice DayNovember 11, 1919 — Marked the first anniversary of the end of WWII
  • Baked inA predetermined outcome
  • BarnstormingWhen a political candidate hits the campaign trail, making stops across a state or country
  • Beat Sweetner ** Special Journo SpeakWhen reporters write a flattering "profile" on an official they cover on their beat
  • Bend the cost curve
    Lower costs over time
  • Big GulpA barge that has been converted into a large capacity skimmer.
  • BilatShort for bilateral; a one-on-one diplomatic meeting
  • 'Bottle Noise Bombs'Per Secretary Gates -- Designed to affect the security climate and intimidate people not to vote in Iraq elections.
  • Bottom KillOpposite of "top kill," drilling mud and cement blown into the well from relief wells under the leak to seal it off
  • Brush passThe clandestine, hand-to-hand delivery of items or payments made as one person walks past another in a public place
  • CablesInformal written communication between government officials
  • Cadillac tax
    A nickname for the president’s plan to tax the most expensive “cadillac” plans to help pay for reform. It would tax insurance companies and critics say the cost would be passed on to consumers.
  • Cap and Trade
    Environmental policy that sets a cap on the amount of pollution and allows companies to trade credits that permit pollution.
  • Carbon neutralBalancing the carbon released in pollution by sequestering an equal amount, or buying carbon credits to make up the difference.
  • CaucusA group of people in the same political party who decide on policy or select a political candidate
  • CDO or Collateralized Debt ObligationThe repackaging of loans and other debt into a single security that can be sold. The higher the risk of those loans defaulting, the more the CDO pays.
  • Circling the wagons
    Gathering around to defend and protect
    Washington likes its Western talk! To use in a sentence: Democrats are circling the wagons around Harry Reid so he survives.
  • Close holdDon't tell anyone
  • Cloture
    A vote taken to end debate: 60 are needed in the Senate. Cloture is the only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit to overcome a filibuster.
  • CRContinuing resolution
  • CodelShort for congressional delegation; a visit abroad by members of Congress.
  • COLACost of living adjustment
  • ColloquyA formalized, scripted discussion on the House floor that helps demonstrate the intention of lawmakers as they craft a bill.
  • CommuniqueA document released at the end of a summit outlining the achievements of the summit and the road ahead.
  • ConfirmableCandidate for appointed office whose known positions and background set off few or no alarms
  • Cross tabs or Cross tabulation
    The breakdown inside polls of political affiliation, self-described ideology, age, sex, income bracket
  • Curtain raiserA TV or print story that previews a certain event
  • Cuts cameraThe camera that shows the other angle, the reporters, the unexpected closeups that the main "head on" camera misses
  • Dead cat bounceA politician or party sees a brief bounce in poll numbers after a period of decline.
  • Debt ceilingMaximum level of national debt the government can take on
  • Deem and passThe House can "deem" certain parts of the health care bill as passed, without having to vote on them.
  • Deep regretDiplospeak for I'm really, really sorry
  • DeliverablesTerm associated with foreign policy; what are the concrete outcomes especially in meetings with foreign leaders?
  • DerivativeA way to buy insurance against some risk or to bet on some financial outcome
  • Discretionary spendingSpending set by annual appropriations made by decisions of Congress, optional spending as opposed to mandatory funding for entitlement programs
  • District work periodTime set aside for members of the House to visit their home districts
  • Donor maintenanceWhen a politician meets with his donors to say hello and raise some money
  • DREAM ActDevelopment, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act
  • Document dumpRelease of large quantities of requested information.
  • Donor maintenanceFundraising term for keeping your big donors happy with perks.
  • Doomsday planeThe modified Boeing 747 designed to serve as a backup Pentagon and Air Force One in case of attack.
  • DOSDenial of Service Attack
  • Doughnut holeIn a Medicare drug benefit, coverage ends at a certain dollar amount, and patients must pay for drugs themselves until they reach a second very high deductible.
  • DoveOpposes military force to resolve conflict
  • DPRKDemocratic People's Republic of Korea
  • Down ballotRaces below the marquee races on ballots, like dogcatcher or coroner or judge
  • Dual trackingTrying to pass two different bills at the same time
  • EarmarkA Congressional provision directing funds to be spent on specific projects, typically inserted by a lawmaker to benefit his or her state.
  • East WingIn the White House, home to the First Lady and her staff
  • Echo chamberTalking points repeated over and over
  • EEOBEisenhower Executive Office Building
  • Emergency declaration How local and state governments as for federal funding in a crisis; funding is capped at $5 million
  • Exit pollA poll of voters as they leave the voting place
  • Express advocacyPolitical ads that explicitly ask voters to elect a candidate or defeat a candidate
  • Evergreen ** Special Journo Speak LookA news story that can be aired at any time, it's not time sensitive or tied to a news event
  • Family photoGroup shot at G20 or other big diplomatic gatherings
  • Fannie MaeFederal National Mortgage Association
  • FATAFederally administered tribal areas
  • Fat fingerSlang for a typo where you hit the wrong key, or two keys instead of one key
  • Fence mending
    An attempt to try to repair icy or broken relations with the leader of another country or a fellow politician
  • Final statusCommonly understood to be the key issues that need to be resolved before a final peace deal can be reached: how to share Jerusalem, the borders of two states, the future of Palestinian refugees and Israel's security
  • FirewallSeats that must be held in order for one party to retain the majority
  • FlotelaFloating hotels; housing for BP workers in the Gulf.
  • FloatercadePresidential motorcade, but on boats
  • Food securityHaving a reliable source of food and sufficient resources to purchase it
  • FrankDiplomatic code for contentious
  • FrankingPrivilege allowing a member of Congress to use his signature in lieu of a postage stamp.
  • Freddi MacFederal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
  • GaggleInformal, off-camera briefing with Press Corps by the White House Press Secretary
  • Gang of eightEight members of Congress who must be informed by the White House and CIA about any covert intelligence orders signed by the president.
  • GDP or Gross Domestic Product
    The market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year.
  • GOTVGet Out The Vote
  • Government in a boxGen. McChrystal coined the phrase to describe the U.S. backed Afghanistan administrators and police who set up the civilian government in Marja right after the offensive.
  • GrandfatheredTO be exempted from new regulations
  • Green RoomOn the first floor of the White House. Historians claim its been a presidential favorite for its "intimate scale and distinctive decor."
  • Grip and grinWhen a politician shakes hands and smiles, mostly for the cameras
  • Ground gameThe strategy used by a campaign to get voters to the polls.
  • HawkFavors military force to resolve conflict
  • HazwoperHazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response — a certification standard for Hazmat cleanup jobs
  • HotwashMilitary and government term describing discussions and evaluations of an agency's performance following training or a major event
  • HoyaGreek for "what" or "such"
  • HUMINTHuman intelligence
  • HypotheticalWiggling out of an answer
  • IAEA or International Atomic Energy AgencyThe UN Agency in charge of monitoring nuclear activity around the world
  • I'm just sayingA passive way of telling others I'm right and you're not
  • IEIndependent expenditure
  • InteragencySharing ideas across different branches of the government
    Investiture ** Court speakFinal, formal step to becoming a Supreme Court Justice
  • JawboningThe use of public appeals to influence a business
  • JirgaPashto word, a gathering of a few or a large number of people
  • Joint Base AndrewsNaval Air facility in Washington, D.C.
  • Judicial fifthNominee not answering a case question during confirmation because he or she might have to decide that case
  • Junk stopInjecting debris into a well as a stopper
  • Lame duckElected official holding office during the period between the election and swearing-in of a successor
  • Liberal leaveAllows government workers to leave early or call out on bad weather days
  • LidWord used by the White House to say, "no more open press events," like travel lid or photo lid.
  • Likely voterVoting record, level of interest
  • Loop currentWarm ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico
  • Magic wordsVote for, elect, support, defeat, reject
  • Major disaster declarationNo cap on how much federal money a local government can get
  • Man up!Don't be a wuss
  • Margin of errorThe maximum possible error rate of a given poll
  • MicromanagingUsing political polling and consumer data to shape a message
  • Mistakes were madeWhen officials acknowledge errors, screw-ups or wrongdoings
  • 'My friend'Loosely translated, it means: I totally and fundamentally disagree with you but let's keep it collegial, shall we?
  • NEOBNew Executive Office Building
  • NIMBY
    Not In My Back Yard
  • Nothingburger ** Special Journo Speak Look
    A derisive term to describe a story or event that doesn't have a lot of importance/significance — but is hyped as though it does
  • Nuclear Posture ViewProcess determining the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. Security strategy
  • OBEOvertaken by events — a military term; when a situation changes so rapidly that a proposed plan or course of actions is no longer possible or relevent.
  • OEOBOld Executive Office Building
  • Ohio clockClock that stood in or near the Senate Chamber ever since it was purchased in the early 1800s. No record explains how it received its name.
  • Omnibus billBundles together several measures into one
  • On MessageWhen a politician sticks to his talking points
  • Open sourceInformation available to the public
  • OPSECOperations Security. It means to keep sensitive information about a mission or operation from your enemy.
  • OpticsThe way a decision or actions looks to observers, especially as it pertains to the actions of elected and government officials.
  • OTFOff the record, on the run
  • OTUS"Of the United States" as in:
    POTUS — President of the United States
    FLOTUS — First Lady of the United States 
    SCOTUS — Supreme Court of the United States
  • OVPOffice of Vice President
  • P5 Plus OneThe group considering sanctions against Iran. The "P5" stands for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: The United States, Britain, France, China, Russia. Germany is the plus one because of its long-standing dealings with Iran.
  • Pat-downA pat-down inspection complements the hand-wand inspection. In order to ensure security, this inspection may include sensitive areas of the body. Security officers are rigorously trained to maintain the highest level of professionalism.
  • Pebble BeachNickname for the White House North Lawn area used for television stand-ups
  • Pen and padAn off-camera briefing for reporters
  • PickupOne party takes a seat away from the other party
  • PIIGSPortugal, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Greece
  • PlenaryFull attendance
  • Pocket vetoPresident does not sign the bill; Congress must be adjourned
  • Point of orderMade during floor proceedings to say the rules are being violated; proceedings stop and presiding officer decides if it's valid
  • Pool holdThe place where the reporters and photograhers stay while the president's at an event.
  • Pooled PressA media arrangement where the major TV networks "pool" their resources and one network covers an event for the others. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC are in the network pool rotation.
  • Pool sprayMedia is allowed into an event at the White House for a quick minute or so and photographers are "spraying the room" — shooting from left to right, quickly, to capture the scene.
  • PrebuttalA preemptive rebuttal
  • Predator droneUnmanned aerial vehicle
  • PrejudgeTo judge beforehand, usually without sufficient evidence. In Washington, it means — "No, I'm not going to answer that question. Next, please."
  • President's Daily BriefingTop secret document containing highest level intelligence on threats to national security.
  • Presidential findingA highly classified presidential order authorizing covert action
  • PrivilegedSpecial measures that cannot be filibustered from coming to the floor
  • ProductiveA safe throwaway word that means nothing and offends nobody.
  • Proprietary Trading
    Wall Street language that turns into Washington Speak: Investments made banks using their own money, not the money of clients
  • PushbackOpposition or resistance to a plan and in this case — a reporter
  • QuartetUnited States, United Nations, Russia and European Union
  • ReadoutA briefing of a meeting delivered by a top official who is in the meeting
  • Read-inTo be briefed on a piece of intelligence, or intel program or any secret that is closely held
  • RecidivismThe repitition of criminal or delinquent behavior, especially after one has been punished or served time for said behavior
  • ReconciliationA procedure that would allow one party to bypass a potential filibuster and pass a bill with a simple majority vote. The rule was created to allow Congress to pass budgets in extreme circumstances and is rarely ever used.
  • Red MeatWhen a politician plays to his base
  • Red NoticeInternational wanted persons alert
  • RedundancySystems in place to catch other systems' errors
  • Resolution of ratificationFormal consent by the Senate to ratify a treaty
  • Responsible party As it relates to the BP oil spill in the Gulf, the "responsible party" is the person who pays the bill for the clean-up. It comes from a law passed 20 years ago after the Exxon Valdez disaster.
  • Retail politicsWhen a politician seeks votes one-by-one, in person.
  • Ride herdTo supervise someone or something
  • RiderA clause added to a legislative bill having little to do with the subject matter of the bill.
  • RobocallsAn automated phone call that politicians use in a campaign
  • RobosignWhen a document is signed without being reviewed
  • RobustStrong, healthy or hardy
  • ROKRepublic of Korea
  • RONRest overnight or remain overnight
  • SALTStrategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • SCIFSensitive Compartmented Information Facility
  • SherpaPeople that lead the way and make sure everyone reaches the Summit safely
  • ShellackingLosing 60 or more seats in the House
  • ShortTo bet against an investment long; to bet that investment will do well
  • SitrepSituation report
  • Solicitor GeneralAmerica's lawyer - responsible for representing the United States before the Supreme Court
  • SORTStrategic Offensive Reduction Treaty
  • SOUTHCOM or  U.S. Southern Command
    The military divides up the world into nine regions. Southcom is the region that covers Haiti and is now coordinating the U.S. military response in Haiti
  • Special relationshipThe alliance between the U.S. and the U.K.
  • Spike **Special Journo Speak LookTo cancel a story a reporter is working on
  • STARTStrategic Arms Reduction Treaty
  • State Work PeriodAka Senate Recess
  • Statuary HallOne of the most historic chambers in the U.S. Capitol
  • StemwinderA rousing or stirring speech
  • StopgapA temporary substitute for something else
  • STSSpace Transportation System — original tame for the space shuttle program
  • StumpYou often hear about a politician or a surrogate out on the "stump" or giving a "stump speech." Quick history — It began in the 19th century when politicians actually spoke from sawed off tree stumps.
  • Super pacA political action committee that may raise unlimited sums of money
  • SVTCSecure Video Teleconferences
  • TelemetryBallistic Missile Test Data — Key Variables recorded and transmitted back to ground stations for analysis
  • The BaseA group of voters devoted to a single political party or ideology
  • The DietJapanese parliament composed of 242 members of the House of Councilors, and 480 members of the House of Representatives
  • Tick tockThe play by play of how a major decision is made
  • Think tankOrganization involved in policy advocacy and research in areas such as political strategy, economics and science
  • Threat streamA series of terrorism threat reports from a particular group or aimed at a specific target.
  • Thumbsucker ** Journo Speak LookA big, philosophical "what does it all mean" story
  • Top killPumping heavy drilling fluid or "mud" into the well to stop the flow, then sealing it with cement
  • Top lineThe basic findings of a poll; the bullet point endings of take away
  • Tracking pollA poll conducted daily, usually part of a three day rolling sample, to track voter trends
  • TriangulationPolitician presenting ideology as above and between the left and right side. Coined by Dick Morris during Clinton's re-election campaign.
  • Two minute warningNotice given to Press Corps before briefings and news conferences
  • UNGAUN General Assembly
  • "Up or Down" voteAnother word for reconciliation or as Republicans would say, "jamming it through."
  • Vessel of opportunityProgram incorporating fishermen and local boaters to help in the cleanup in the Gulf
  • VettingBackground check on a candidate for a political appointment
  • VIP poolWhen the five networks "pool" their coverage of a very important person's travel
  • Walk it backTo try to refine, clarify or minimize a statement to undo the damage
  • Ways and Means Committee
    The chief tax-writing committee in the House with jurisdiction over social security, unemployment and Medicare. It is also an English Parliamentary term referring to methods of collecting money to meet the requirements for the state.
  • WMDWilliam M. Daley
  • WinnerA candidate who has clearly won the race, beyond the normal margin for a recount.
  • "With all due respect"
    The words politicians use just as they're about to lower a boom on an adversary. Loosely translated it means — "I'm about to say something you don't like."
  • WoodshedBeing in trouble and getting chewed out
  • WonkExpert who studies a subject or issue thoroughly or excessively; associated with "policy wonk"