You Name It

I was just thinking of the phrase "compassionate conservatism," popularized by George W. Bush not that long ago.  I guess a lot of people felt conservatism was too harsh, so putting the word "compassionate" in front of it would take the edge off.

I also recall many conservatives not liking the phrase.  They felt conservatism was already the most beneficial political stance, so it didn't need to be made compassionate--it already was.  But I guess the phrase worked (no matter what it meant) since Bush got elected twice.

(You've got a similar problem with socialism.  While plenty of people on the left like it straight, the word does scare a lot of people in the middle.  On the other hand, "democratic socialism" doesn't sound quite that bad, so some use that phrase, regardless of what it means.  On the other hand, "national socialism" sounds awful, so don't expect it to make a comeback.)

To keep people on board in a political campaign, you want to make sure they're "happy campers." I once had a friend ask me why campers were so happy.  I said he was missing the point.  You'd think campers would naturally be happy--they're having fun on vacation.  But no.  If they were automatically happy, you'd just call them campers.

So someone had to invent the phrase happy campers.  Campers are apparently a volatile bunch, so you've got to work to keep them happy.  Especially if you own the camp.