Help! Democrat vs. Democratic

[Iris]

I'm about to email NPR and want to make sure I've got this right:

Can someone please inform Mara Liasson that Democratic is the way to describe a pollster who is a Democrat - as in "Democractic pollster Stan Greenberg" NOT "Democrat pollster Stan Greenberg"


Is this correct?

[TheVirginian]

1. NPR will tell you that both are acceptable.

[Iris]

2. oh. Is that like "pregnant woman" and "mother"?

Interchangeable to make everyone happy?

[TheVirginian]

15. No, its that

both are so commonly used and commonly accepted that NPR will tell you that it doesn't matter.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

16. What?

Those aren't interchangeable, are they? I'm fairly sure my mother isn't pregnant at present, and a woman who is pregnant with her first child isn't a mother.

[Iris]

18. but their "pro-life" listeners would not agree with the 2nd half of your

sentence!

[texastoast]

3. I would have to argue with them

Democrat is a noun. Democratic is an adjective.

Usage: Republican politicians have long been in the habit of referring to the Democratic Party is the "Democrat Party," but this usage does not have wide acceptance off the campaign stump.

The American Heritage Dictionary, Rev. ed. of: American Heritage dictionary of the English language.

http://www.answers.com/topic/democrat

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/democrat

[Iris]

6. yep. That's my thinking.

And I looked both words up in AHD as well.

[KitSileya]

17. Ah.

I think I messed that up in some of my earlier posts because I remembered there was some controversy about the use of Democrat vs Democratic, and I ended up using it incorrectly. I guess I figured it had to be the wrong way because why would the Repukes not use the terms correctly? And that would mean that they used them grammatically correctly and we were fighting to get them to switch to the other usage. Ha! I guess I stand corrected on both counts.

[EST]

4. That's correct.

Democrat is a noun, Democratic an adjective.

A noun can be an operator in or a subject in a sentence.
An adjective is a modifier of a noun.
You can have a democratic Democrat but you cannot have a democrat democratic.

Ignorant douche bags, in an effort to slyly show disrespect for democrats, choose to look stupid and poorly educated. That they wind up merely demonstrating their prejudices and their ignorance, placing them firmly in the ranks of dumbass republicans, is of little significance to them.

Their other motivation comes from the fact that they do not believe that democrats are real patriotic citizens and they make an attempt to divide "democracy" and Democrat in the minds of their listeners.

[OzarkDem]

5. Republicans use the term "Democrat"as an adjective

Democrats use the term "Democratic". Not sure, but many feel it's because GOP'ers have an aversion to linking our party with democracy.

[Iris]

8. or an aversion to good grammar?

they're just regular guys, after all! ;)

[texastoast]

9. Don't misunderstandimate them

It will make you crazy.

:crazy:

[texastoast]

7. No, and NPR should know better

[Crunchy Frog]

10. Tell them that you won't ever give them a red cent

until they manage to employ people who know the difference between a noun and an adjective, and are able to employ them correctly in English sentences.

[BadgerKid]

11. The usage is regional, strategic

A political couple with whom I am acquainted said this. Apparently it is useful for establishing a rapport with your base.

[IndyOp]

12. Republican Lee Atwater began the usage of "Democrat" - sounds like rat...

Further, Republicans refer to "Democrat" candidates and "Democrat" Party because the word "Democratic" has positive emotional associations -- and Republicans don't want that.

RESIST - demand NPR and all other outlets use "Democratic" - that is what we demand we be called. This is part of calling a halt to letting the GOP define what it means to be a "D" or to be "liberal" -- for an eye-opening look at this check out Newt Gingrich's "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control"

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4443.htm

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/10/con03215.html

:kick:

[JerseygirlCT]

14. I'm sure many people joined me in pestering Zogby

on his online surveys about that.

He finally changed it to Democratic Party.

I'd argue that the Democrats know better what their party is called.

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Democratic is the adjective, Democrat the noun

I don't understand why so many have taken up the Republican tick.