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鈥淚t鈥檚 just politics.鈥�聽A politician鈥檚 blanket dismissal of any trouble befalling them by labeling their aggressors鈥� motivations as mere point-scoring.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just politics鈥� has been, and always will be, popular because it plays on the public鈥檚 monumental disgust with, and distrust of, elected officials. Paul Stob, a communication studies professor at Vanderbilt University who examines political language, describes it as 鈥渁 political maneuver that hinges upon the deprecation of politics.鈥� He added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 playing politics by seeming to remove oneself from the political fray.鈥�

鈥淚n rhetorical studies, we often deal with a similar issue,鈥� Professor Stob said. 鈥淲hen people say things like 鈥榬hetoric versus reality鈥� or 鈥榃e want action, not rhetoric,鈥� they鈥檙e making a rhetorical move that hinges upon the deprecation of rhetoric itself. So 鈥榠t鈥檚 just politics鈥� is a way of playing politics that seems to dismiss politics.鈥�

The expression long has been one of President Obama鈥檚 And recently, Hillary Clinton and her supporters the 鈥渋t鈥檚 just politics鈥� card to describe the controversy over her use of a private e-mail server when she was secretary of State. That, of course, has enraged her conservative critics, who contend the strategy has enabled her and her husband to sweep far too many substantive things under the rug.

鈥淏ill and Hillary Clinton have for years looked into the nearest camera and said, 鈥業t鈥檚 just politics,鈥� 鈥欌�� RedState.com editor-in-chief Erick Erickson . 鈥淓very attack from every direction has been deflected with that. Even now, as more and more information comes out about Hillary Clinton's email server, the standard Clinton talking point has returned: 鈥業t's just politics.鈥� 鈥澛燘ut, Erickson added, 鈥� 鈥業t's just politics鈥� does not work when the public realizes it is actually about national security.鈥�

The phrase also was used recently when New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the likely next Senate Democratic leader, came out in opposition to the Iran nuclear arms deal. MSNBC鈥檚 Mika Brzezinski accused Schumer of making a purely political calculation, prompting conservative commentator Bill Kristol 鈥� no fan of Schumer鈥檚, but also a vociferous critic of the Iran agreement 鈥� , 鈥淵ou think it鈥檚 just politics? You don鈥檛 think Chuck Schumer in terms of his foreign policy views has problems with this deal?鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 just politics鈥� also can be used in a broader context, as a pox-on-both-your-houses dismissal of career elected officials. Witness Donald Trump鈥檚 surge to the top of the GOP heap by strafing them across the ideological span as incompetent, dumb, and ill-intentioned 鈥� in other words, just politicians.

At a focus group put on by Republican messaging guru Frank聽Luntz,聽, participants 鈥渞ailed against Washington politicians who hire consultants, and sang their admiration for the one presidential candidate who promises to go his own way.鈥�

Christy Setzer, president of New Heights Communications and a veteran Democratic campaign operative, suggested Trump鈥檚 been strategically smart in lumping together all of his White House rivals as conventional politicians.

鈥淟ook, politics is a team sport like any other 鈥� your guy can do no wrong; the other guy is cheating, playing dirty and a loser to boot. Hillary鈥檚 email server or Jeb Bush鈥檚 鈥榓nchor babies鈥� are serious issues to their opponents, but 鈥榡ust politics鈥� to the maligned campaigns,鈥� Setzer said. 鈥淭rump gets this better than most, and lucky for him, his supporters are only too happy to oblige in cheering on his every move, and dismissing the loser-dom of his rivals.鈥�

Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley said voters have good reason for tying together Republicans and Democrats.

鈥淭hey pick up the newspapers or go on their computers every day and read fresh stories of government corruption and yet nothing is done to prosecute them,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey know there are two sets of rules and the elites get away with what the rest would go to jail for.... The American people know the fix is in and they don鈥檛 like it.鈥�

But the 鈥渋t鈥檚 just politics鈥� dismissal of the Republican and Democratic fields only goes so far, as voters eventually will demand to hear more than just that sweeping criticism, predicted Christopher Hahn, a syndicated radio host and former aide to Schumer.

鈥淚 am not sold on Trump鈥檚 staying power,鈥� Hahn said. 鈥淲hile his blunt talk seems to be winning over voters now, eventually people want to see concrete plans on how this candidate will improve their lives.聽Trump is big on bluster and small on specifics.鈥�

Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark write their "Speaking Politics" blog exclusively for Politics Voices.