Political gaffe

A political gaffe is an error made by a politician that is reported to the public.[1] When made by a politician who is campaigning for office or party leadership, gaffes can affect standings in polls.[2] While in office the opposition can refer to them in governmental debates over policy.[3] Gaffes can be classified in different types.[4]

Gaffes can be overplayed by the media as side stories to more important issues at the time.[5]

Gaffe is of French origin, originally a 'boat hook' as in 'gaff rig' where the relation is apparent, but the sense association to a blundering remark is obscure.[6]

Kinsley gaffe

A Kinsley gaffe occurs when a political gaffe reveals some truth that a politician did not intend to admit.[7][8] The term comes from journalist Michael Kinsley, who said, "A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth – some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say."[9][10]

The term gaffe may be used to describe an inadvertent statement by a politician that the politician believes is true while the politician has not fully analyzed the consequences of publicly stating it. Another definition is a statement made when the politician privately believes it to be true, realizes the dire consequences of saying it, and yet inadvertently utters, in public, the unutterable.[11] Another definition is a politician's statement of what is on his or her mindthis may or may not be inadvertentthereby leading to a ritualized 'gaffe dance' between candidates. While exhibiting umbrage or shock, and playing on the mistake, the 'offended candidate' must not exhibit anything resembling glee.[12][13] A propensity to concentrate on so-called 'gaffes' in campaigns has been criticized as a journalistic device that can lead to distraction from real issues.[upper-alpha 1] The Kinsley gaffe is said to be a species of the general 'political gaffe.'[4]

Kinsley himself posed the question: "Why should something a politician says by accident automatically be taken as a better sign of his or her real thinking than something he or she says on purpose?"[13]

Steven Pinker says that politicians use vague and indirect language to avoid making concrete statements, and that lazy journalists base political coverage around "gaffe spotting" rather than analysis of political platforms.[14]

The rise of Internet activism has created a new generation of negative campaigning where a political campaign can create attack ads within an hour of a politician making a gaffe.[15][16]

Notable gaffes by country

Australia

Azerbaijan

Canada

Portugal

Romania

The United Kingdom

The United States

See also

Footnotes

  1. ". . . the episode is a perfect gaffe precisely because its content was so meaningless. . ." Chait, Jonathan (June 14, 2012). "The Origins of the Gaffe, Politics' Idiot-Maker". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2012.

References

  1. "Definition for gaffe – Oxford Dictionaries Online (World English)". Oxforddictionaries.com. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  2. "Reagan jokes about bombing Russia — History.com This Day in History — 8/11/1984". History.com. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  3. "CBC News In Depth: Canadian government". Cbc.ca. 2006-10-27. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  4. 1 2 Amira, Dan (June 14, 2012). "A Taxonomy of Gaffes". New York Magazine. New York, NY USA. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  5. "Jimmy Carter explains 'rabbit attack' – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs". Politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com. November 21, 2010. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  6. "Online Etymology Dictionary". etymonline.com.
  7. Webster, Merriam (June 3, 1972). "Merriam Webster definition of Gaffe". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  8. Goddard, Taegan. "Kinsley Gaffe". Taegan Goddard's Political Dictionary. Political Wire. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  9. Kinsley, Michael (April 23, 1988), "Commentary: The gaffer speaks", The Times
  10. Friedman, Nancy (August 22, 2011). "Word of the Week: Kinsley Gaffe". Fritinancy. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012.
  11. McKim, Brian; Skene, Tracy (January 17, 2012). "Brill makes a "Kinsley gaffe"". Shecky Magazine.com. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  12. Smajda, Jon (October 23, 2008). "Michael Kinsley on the ritual of the gaffe". Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  13. 1 2 Kinsley, Michael (March 6, 2012). "Kinsley: Limbaugh and the hypocrisy of the gaffe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  14. Political Rhetoric, Explained - Steven Pinker. 14 October 2008 via YouTube.
  15. "Matthew McGregor Kevin Rudd Attack Dog, Mitt Romney Gaffe Video". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  16. "Rudd flies in Team Obama". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  17. "Abbott's gaffe goes global". ninemsn.
  18. "Oops: Azerbaijan released election results before voting had even started". The Washington Post.
  19. "Making BC a Green Jobs Machine - The Tyee". The Tyee. 21 October 2010.
  20. "ABCBookWorld". ABCBookWorld. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  21. "MacKay denies referring to Stronach as a dog – Canada – CBC News". Cbc.ca. 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  22. Victor Ponta a recunoscut in fata intregului popor roman ca PSD a furat!. 7 December 2009 via YouTube.
  23. "5 July 1945". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  24. "UK | Curse of the open mic". BBC News. 2001-01-29. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  25. Duke of Edinburgh: Five Decades of Prince Philip's Gaffes. 10 October 2013 via YouTube.
  26. M.J. Stephey (2011-06-13). "Gerald Ford, 1976 – TIME's Top 10 Gaffes and Mistakes in Political Debates". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  27. "Rejecting U.S. Support for Palestinian 'Ethnic Purification'". FrontPage Mag. October 7, 2014.
  28. "Jimmy Carter's 'Lust in the Heart' Playboy Interview". The Washington Post. July 21, 1998. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  29. "Dan Quayle's 'Potatoe' Incident – 1992". 1998.
  30. Liberman, Mark (1 February 2007). "Biden's Comma". Language Log. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  31. Lim, Christine; Stephey, M.J. (9 December 2007). "Top 10 Campaign Gaffes". Time Magazine. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  32. ""Top of the Ticket"". Los Angeles Times.
  33. Robin, Corey (March 29, 2015). "Joe Biden's Israel stunner: American Jews should let Israel protect them". Salon. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  34. Prokop, Andrew (September 30, 2015). "A top House Republican was accidentally honest about the Benghazi investigation". vox.com. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  35. "Head of House Benghazi panel says McCarthy 'screwed up'". Reuters. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  36. "Hillary Clinton's Big Debate Gaffe: Bizarrely Linking Her Wall Street Donors to 9/11 Reconstruction". Alternet.
  37. White, Ben (November 19, 2015). "Will Hillary's 'clumsy' 9/11 remark come back to haunt her?". CNBC. Retrieved April 23, 2016..com
  38. Janell Ross (15 November 2015). "Hillary Clinton invoked 9/11 to defend her ties to Wall Street. What?". Washington Post.
  39. Emily Jane Fox. "Hillary Clinton Still Can't Shake Her Wall Street–9/11 Debate Comment". Vanity Fair.
  40. Andrew Freedman (15 November 2015). "Hillary Clinton's 9/11 moment was her biggest debate misstep". Mashable.
  41. Benen, Steve (April 22, 2016). "Kasich makes a mistake by accidentally telling the truth". Rachel Maddow Show. MSNBC. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  42. Aleem, Zeeshan (April 23, 2016). "Health: Maine's Governor Just Said the Worst Possible Thing While Vetoing an Anti-Overdose Bill". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  43. Petersen, Lilli (April 21, 2016). "Maine Governor Blocks Addicts From Buying Lifesaving Drugs". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2016. In his veto letter, LePage, who is a Republican, said that naloxone “does not truly save lives; it merely extends them until the next overdose. ... Creating a situation where an addict has a heroin needle in one hand and a shot of naloxone in the other produces a sense of normalcy and security around heroin use that serves only to perpetuate the cycle of addiction,” LePage wrote.

Further reading

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