Definition

The practice of professionally pestering politicians until they do what you want, which is basically what children do but with more expensive suits and fancier dinners. It's free speech for people whose speech comes with a corporate expense account.

Example Usage

"The candy lobby spent millions convincing Congress that chocolate is a vegetable, and honestly they're more persuasive than my nutritionist."

Related Terms

Intermediate

impound

The legal power to seize and hold property, funds, or vehicles, usually exercised by governments or their agents when someone hasn't paid their dues—literally. It's the official version of 'we're keeping this until you sort your life out,' whether that's your illegally parked car or appropriated federal funds. The bureaucratic timeout corner for inanimate objects.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

frontrunner

The candidate leading in polls, fundraising, or both, thereby earning the privilege of being everyone else's favorite target. It's being king of the hill while everyone else practices their shoving technique.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

primaries

The preliminary elections where political party members select their candidate for the general election, essentially a brutal pre-game tournament before the actual championship. These democratic bloodbaths force candidates to campaign extensively, spend ridiculous amounts of money, and occasionally say things they'll later regret when trying to appeal to the broader electorate. It's democracy's way of making sure politicians are thoroughly exhausted before they even get to the real race.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

running mate

The vice presidential candidate chosen to balance the ticket and deliver a key demographic or state, then spend the campaign attacking the opponent so the presidential candidate can seem above the fray. They're the political equivalent of a plus-one who has to do all the talking.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

cabinet reshuffle

When a head of government rearranges their cabinet positions, either to refresh their administration or to punish ministers who've become inconvenient. Musical chairs for people who control nuclear weapons.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

democrats

Members or supporters of the Democratic Party in the United States, one of the two major political parties that have dominated American politics since the 1850s. These left-leaning politicos advocate for progressive policies, social programs, and regulations, while conservatives insist they're secretly socialists and moderates wish they'd just get along. The term also applies to democracy advocates generally, though American political discourse has made this its primary meaning.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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