Misleading Synonyms Archives

Politicians select language with care to ensure that we hear what they want us to hear, even if the language doesn’t reflect their candidate’s actual record. Nowhere is this axiom truer than in discussions of taxes, a word incumbents shun. The benign synonyms that result include words such as “fees” and “mandates.”

Misleading Synonyms: The Pro-Life Super PAC vs. Mitt Romney

A TV ad by the group calling itself The Pro-Life Super PAC uses the tactic known as expansive definition to attack Governor Mitt Romney’s (R – MA) policies.

Misleading Synonyms: Restore Our Future on Romney and Taxes

When this ad says that as governor Mitt Romney did not raise taxes, it invites the false inference that he did not raise revenue. In fact, he did raise substantial new revenues for the state by imposing new fees.