Definition

The structural skeleton or foundational support system of any constructed object, building, or even a persuasive narrative. In politics, it's the interpretive lens through which the public sees an issue—whoever controls the frame, controls the narrative.

Example Usage

The opposition framed the healthcare reform as a government takeover, which dominated the entire debate.

Source: Political communication and rhetoric terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

jerrymander

Redrawing voting districts in hilariously partisan ways to guarantee your political party wins—gerrymandering with extra awkwardness. It's the electoral equivalent of moving the goalposts.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

kingmaker

A person or group with enough influence to determine who wins office without holding the position themselves. They wield power without accountability—the ultimate political puppet master.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Advanced

poison pill amendment

An amendment deliberately added to a bill to make it unpalatable to supporters, forcing them to vote against their own legislation. Legislative sabotage disguised as participation.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

cloakroom deal

A backroom negotiation or compromise hammered out in the private lounge areas adjacent to legislative chambers, where politicians can speak freely away from cameras and constituents. Think of it as Congress's VIP section, where the real horse-trading happens over lukewarm coffee.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

grandfather clause

A provision that exempts people or entities already engaged in an activity from new regulations, often creating two-tier systems. Originally designed to disenfranchise Black voters, now mainly used to protect existing businesses from inconvenient rules.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Beginner

Flaming Liberal

A politically charged, often derogatory term conservatives use to describe Democrats or liberals, implying they're excessively progressive or outspoken about their views. The "flaming" prefix adds dramatic flair, suggesting these individuals are not just liberal but aggressively, flamingly so. This is political discourse at its most subtle—which is to say, not at all.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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co-requisite

A course that must be taken simultaneously with another course, usually because some curriculum committee decided you ca...