Change: the empty word

LA Times ^ | January 13, 2008 | Timothy Noah

[don-o]

If every Hillary, Mitt and Barack promises it, how can it mean anything?

It's hard to think of a more meaningless political watchword than "change," but "change" is what the presidential candidates are promising.

Barack Obama's endless repetition of the word won him the Iowa caucuses, prompting other Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to make it their mantra too. Hillary Clinton and John McCain won in New Hampshire by arguing that they too wanted change and that they had the experience necessary to bring it about.

In a Fox News interview Jan. 8, Mitt Romney, who seems less a candidate than a human weather vane, got into the act as well. He managed to utter the word "change" four times in response to a single question. "Change," reported Time magazine's Michael Duffy after the New Hampshire results came in, "is the undisputed theme" of 2008.

snip

Change can obviously be good or bad. Jonas Salk was a change agent. So was Pol Pot. But where Dukakis at least specified that he wanted "positive change," today's candidates usually call just for "change."

[don-o]

From L.A. Times. Honest.

[Leisler]

Well, Mittens did change. He was Mr. Conservative, uber conservative, a direct channel to the dead Reagan. And now he is in Michigan, populist, industry subsidizing, recession-be-gone promising change agent.
That’s a change.

[Brilliant]

I would not say it’s an empty word. We’ve got the greatest economy in the world, with the best health care system. So that means they’ve got to change it.

[mirkwood]

Isn’t there an old joke about politicians and diapers?

[Young Werther]

Change! I want change. Tell ‘em to meet me at the laundramat!

[Wil H]

Change! I want change. Tell ‘em to meet me at the laundramat!

Be careful what you wish for, change may be all you have left after the Dems raise taxes..

[BuffaloJack]

> Isn’t there an old joke about politicians and diapers?
Don’t know, but there are lots of old jokes about muzzies and diapers.

[Moonmad27]

The pols using Change reminds me of the South Park episode where the town was taken over by bums wandering aimlessly and muttering “Change....change.”

Go Fred!

[webschooner]

Money being the mother’s milk of politics, obviously they’re all just begging for campaign donations.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Bob Parks - Beyond the Wire - "Change"

[JACKRUSSELL]

[lowbridge]

bump

[lowbridge]

Hillary Clinton: I want to make change, but I’ve already made change. I will continue to make change. I’m not just running on a promise of change, I’m running on 35 years of change.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/us/politics/05text-ddebate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin