How candidates 'weaponize' Campaign 2016
Weaponize.聽An increasingly popular word that connotes turning something 鈥� in politics, anything from campaign contributions to fact-check columns to politicians themselves 鈥� into a powerful means of gaining advantage.
Given how political campaigns increasingly have been compared to military endeavors, it鈥檚 hardly surprisingly that 鈥渨eaponize鈥� has joined other national-security words such as 鈥渂lowback鈥� and 鈥渇alse flag鈥� in entering civilian discourse. The word first came into use during the cold war and during the 1990s, according to Google鈥檚 Ngram Viewer.
GOP strategist Mike Murphy, an adviser to Jeb Bush, that the ex-Florida governor鈥檚 campaign is aggressively trying to boost its fundraising total for the first half of 2015, thus demonstrating its strength in an increasingly crowded field. 鈥淲e want to weaponize our [fundraising] number,鈥� Mr. Murphy said, according to The New York Times. 鈥淭he press has set a very high expectation for us, much higher than we would have set for ourselves.鈥�
A recent , meanwhile, found that media truth-squad websites such as PolitiFact.com also are getting turned into tactical tools. 鈥淧olitical actors regularly 鈥榳eaponize鈥� fact checks,鈥� it said. 鈥淐andidates, staff and supporters, including party organizations and independent expenditure groups, cite fact checks in TV ads and debates to refute attacks and undermine opponents鈥� credibility. Political organizations also mischaracterize fact-checkers鈥� reporting or present the journalists鈥� conclusions in ways that are inaccurate or misleading.鈥�
And in the ongoing battle over trade legislation, progressives in Oregon in April brought in Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) of Massachusetts, the darling of liberal Democrats, to use in a mailer criticizing Sen. Ron Wyden (D) of Oregon over the issue. The Daily Beast鈥檚 succinct : 鈥淟efties Weaponize Elizabeth Warren.鈥�
Conservative pundit Guy Benson, promoting his new book 鈥淓nd of Discussion: How the Left鈥檚 Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun),鈥� also this month to decry what he and coauthor Mary Katharine Ham regard as the growing pervasiveness of political correctness in society.
鈥淧olitical correctness has been with us, unfortunately, for many decades,鈥� Mr. Benson said on MSNBC鈥檚 鈥淢orning Joe.鈥� 鈥淏ut I think what we鈥檙e seeing now, especially in an age of social media, is that a lot of this craziness is being born on campus but then it鈥檚 being weaponized in the media, weaponized in Washington, D.C., and it鈥檚 proliferating across the country and it鈥檚 sort of seeping into all elements of American life.鈥� He cited the after two gay businessmen hosted a fireside chat with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), whose tea party-backed positions are anathema to many gay Democrats.
Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark write their "Speaking Politics" blog exclusively for Politics Voices.
