Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech
By Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark
ForeEdge / University Press of New England
Reviewed by Karl Wolff

The eighteenth century satirist and moralist the Marquis de Sade began The 120 Days of Sodom with these words, "The extensive wars wherewith Louis XIV was burdened during his reign, while draining the State's treasury and exhausting the substance of the people, none the less contained the secret that led to the prosperity of a swarm of those bloodsuckers who are always on the watch for public calamities, which, instead of appeasing, they promote or invent so as, precisely, to be able to profit from them the more advantageously." If this hadn't come from French fiction, one could see it as an accurate description of the United States Congress, K Street lobbyists, and the Beltway media punditocracy. (Pundit being Greek for "dingbat.")

It should come as a surprise to exactly no one that politics anger people. It leaves people exasperated, bored, and frustrated. Part of this stems from the behavior of our elected representatives. Another part of this frustration has to do with the language they use. Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech by Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark seeks to make plain what usually is not. And like related slang dictionaries, it becomes necessary to write new ones every few years, simply to catch up. Language changes over time, but slang and jargon change at a much faster rate. In the ensuing years, we have the seen the explosion of the Internet, YouTube, and social media. This has made incumbents and aspiring candidates hyper-conscious of gaffes. It has also made people more aware of where the money is coming from to fund these cash-bloated acts of public glad-handing.

McCutcheon and Mark, both veteran political reporters, have divided the book up into six sections: personality types, only-in-politics expressions, people, places, and things, the legislative process, campaigns and elections, and the media and scandals. The comprehensive overview gives the reader a wide range of words and expressions. The authors sought to limit the scope, throwing out words either too common or too jargony. There isn't a definition for cloture in here and the majority of terms are of recent vintage, although a few trace back to the nineteenth century. Despite my abhorrence of modern political reporting, I'm currently watching The West Wing on Netflix. Dog Whistles was useful on those occasions when the dialogue or plot mystified me. Making the legislative process entertaining presents a challenge to both fiction and non-fiction writers. Aaron Sorkin and Robert Caro can spin the everyday monotony of bill passage into high drama.

As a reader, Dog Whistles leaves me conflicted. I'm no fan of politics, especially the social media variety. Nothing is more insufferable than having your Facebook page smeared with an endless stream of daily outrages, endless scandals, and commonplace corruption. This is set against my love for language, languages, and the English language. Politics, like Hollywood and many other industries, has systemically degraded the English language. But unlike the perpetually outraged on social media, I understand the simple fact that language is not static. It reflects the times. What characterizes our particular time is a hyper-mediated, information-addicted, prurient-leaning but easily offended, social media aficionados who can't seem to get our eyes unglued from our smartphones. Every scandal is amplified, every microscopic gaffe is turned into a scandal, and the political class tries its hardest to stay relevant and hip.

I'm giving this a lower score, not for lack of craft, but due to its status as a dictionary for specialists. While I would recommend this highly to anyone purporting to be an "informed voter," it remains a challenge to actually derive pleasure from a book about political speech.

Out of 10/8.0, higher for political junkies, journalists, and voters.

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2015/07/book_review_dog_whistles_walk-.html ( )

Ever wonder where we get some of the language and words that are thrown around in the political arena? Then this is the book for you. It is a fun read to learn the origin of some of the slang that gets thrown around, especially in politics. Impress your friends with your new found knowledge whenever politics comes up in conversations!

Fun book to read and recommended for everyone!

***I received this book through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway. The opinion is solely my own.*** ( )

Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs and Washington Handshakes; Decoding the Jargon, Slang and Bluster of American Political Speech is pure delight for the political junkie. That many words in the title may seem a bit much. But face it. Since politicians love to talk, it would follow that a book about their unique language has a long-winded title. Chuck McCutcheon and David Mack cover a range of linguistic terms the average person would not likely comprehend without reading the book.

This is a good book to keep close to the television remote that is used to switch back and forth between CSPAN and CSPAN2. In addition to defining inside the Washington beltway jargon, the compilation is highly entertaining. McCutcheon and Mack sprinkle definitive explanations with snippets of things that have happened in the District of Columbia over the years.

It would seem to be an appropriate read for anyone who might benefit from a crash course in Washington lingo. The book is strikingly non-partisan. Harsh criticism of politicians on the left is balanced with equal treatment of those on the right. It's difficult to perceive any political leanings that might be harbored by the authors. There doesn't seem to be any agenda here other than to expose silly speak. ( )

This book is for those who enjoy fascinating stories about word origins as well as those who follow Wasington politics. Even if you don't follow politics, this is an excellent jumping off point if you'd like to know the slang politicians use as well as the subtext. This book is surprisingly entertaining and doesn't read like a glossary or a dictionary. The terms are woven into a larger narrative, marked in bold, and illustrated with examples which are denoted by asterisks. This allows the reader to read it straight through as well as easily use it as a reference. I also found that the authors made a concerted effort not to treat either the Democratic or Republican party with any particular bias and were able to focus on exposition rather than partisan politics. This is the best book of it's type I have read to date. ( )

This is a fun book to randomly flip through and read entries from. The authors have done a nice job tracing the history of many of the BS speak terms and language used in Washington today. The tone, while informative is kept light and I can only assume the reason being if you didn't laugh you would cry.
I seriously suggest not pondering to long on which politicians etc. any given term may remind you of because if you follow the mess that is Washington today it will only make you furious at how our nation is run. If you like House of Cards you'll definitely like this book. ( )