Anchorage Daily News editorial writer "gets it"

re DemocratIC party...

Name games

In Washington and Alaska, Republicans rule the roost. They control all three branches of national government. They control Alaska's congressional delegation. They control the Legislature. They have the governor's mansion.

They also want to control the name applied to the opposition party. In case you haven't noticed, when Republicans refer to their opposition, it's always "the Democrat Party." Not "Democratic Party." It's "Democrat Party." Republicans are dissing the D's by stripping the "ic" suffix from the party's name.

Well, I say, fair is fair. If one political party is going to be involuntarily stripped of its two-letter suffix, the other one should be too. Henceforth, the media ought to start referring to the GOP as the "Republic Party." (Although, with President George Bush claiming the Constitution gives him the power to do whatever he wants to "protect" the country, I'm not sure we really have a republic any more. A better name for the R's would be the "Monarchy Party.") (Emphasis added.)

But enough of this petty name-calling game. Let's have a truce and call each party by its rightful name. C'mon, exalted poobahs of the all-powerful Republican Party, show a little class. Cut those poor Democrats a break. After all, what's in a name? A minority party by any other name would be as weak.


-- Matt Zencey