I'm starting to collect the words and phrases that the media use over and over again. It fascinates me how these things spread. It gives credence to Dawkins's thoughts on memes. In any case, here are a few of the obvious ones:
"a heartbeat away from the presidency"
"maverick"
"what helps Wall Street also helps Main Street"
The last one is particularly interesting because it's a fine example of metonymy. "Wall Street" might even be synedoche, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I'll try to add more as I remember them.
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I thought "she" held her own quite well, but wanted to count how many times she said "ya" instead of "you".
Not Four Years of the Same
Hope
Change
Do those count?
Maybe, but I would argue that when the Obama campaign emphasizes "Hope" and "Change," it's a conscious effort. McCain has begun to do the same with the word "maverick," but that had been out there for years. I think there are certain phrases and words that permeate thoughts and conversations and are prevalent in the media, and we don't necessarily know why.
Another couple that I thought of were "mortgage giants" and "financial bailout." Both of the ideas expressed by these phrases seem complex, yet there's been a universal acceptance of these simple words to describe them.
Palin was okay, I guess. What for a moment charmed me now annoys me.
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