Have you ever watched a politician being interviewed and observed that when the interviewer asks a question, the politician answers with a response that has nothing to do with the question? Maybe a better question would be when was the last time you saw a politician give a straight answer to a question being asked of him/her? Politicians seem to be the masters of one-way communication at the expense of two way discourse.

For the next couple of years the American Public will be exposed to the not so artful practice of “political speak”, somewhat akin to speaking in tongues in terms of meaningful content. Politicians are very much like actors. They are judged on their performance on stage. Even Joe Biden thought Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill was a nice clean-cut black guy. (So much for substance.) The politician’s credo: Stay on message no matter what the question and “stick to the talking points of the day.” It’s like watching two kids playing catch with each other, except on every third toss one kid throws the ball at the manure pile. The manure pile is exactly where most political speak belongs.

Political speak is not limited to the campaign trail (we could only wish). If you enjoy political speak, turn on C-SPAN any day of the week and you’ll get your fill in the first ten minutes. For example, when was the last time you watched a Congressional hearing. In Congressional hearings the questioner gets to use political speak in hopes that the respondent will give a straight answer, assuming he can cull out the question from a three minute run-on statement. By the way the proper abbreviation for political speak is BS.

You can also find political speak on the floors of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Listen to speeches on the floor of either chamber. I defy you to articulate the point being made in less than one minute, assuming there is a point. I am really surprised that these chambers have yet to install methane gas detectors.

From time to time Common Sense Times (CST) will cheerfully call attention to various example of Political Speak, so be prepared to hold your nose. Another of our favorite topics is that not so artful use of hypocrisy. We look forward to taking both a serious and humorous look at your government in action or inaction.