anti-government governance: government by those who hate the government they, um, are; see Reagan.

astroturfing: the fabrication of phony grassroots concern by PR firms

bafflegab: jargon, particularly jargon meant to confuse, astound, and impress

Capra-corny: see Tom DeLay's Mr Smith Goes to Washington spin on his conversion to politics from his previous calling (bug murderer)

corporate personhood: the legal fiction that your grandma and General Motors are similar entities

death spiral: as insurance policy pools age, healthy members opt out, causing premiums to go up and coverage to go down; presto, a death spiral

euphemese: the language of spin; translates harsh realities into pleasant verbiage

increased productivity: business-speak for getting rid of the people who produce things

kakistocracy: government by the worst citizens; see also plutocracy, Republican revolution

the Lady Hal: the recorded female voice that says things like "Your call is important to us"

marketeer: one who firmly believes that capitalism will solve everything, and that the public sector sucks

media maxima culpa: the media's abject apology, in the wake of September 11, for covering silly stories; a short-lived phenomenon

no-think: active stupefaction achieved by steeping ourselves in things that tell us what we want to hear; see advertisements

reinsurer: the insurer that insures your insurer

think-of-the-childrenism: the ultimate equal-opportunity piety; see No Child Left Behind Act

virtuecrat: a politician who invokes moral values in the pursuit of power, whether or not he or she embodies those values; see Newt Gingrich, John Ashcroft, Lynne Cheney

The War on Some Drugs: the prohibition of venerable old substances for the benefit of the manufacturers of newfangled patented ones

The You Times: documents produced by PR flacks for the aggrandizement of their clients

yackity-yack: insincere, insignificant speech; see also blah-dee-blah