Background

When the right-wing Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 1992, among the things that changed was the political discourse in America. Language that was used by a few conservative backbenchers now became part of the public dialogue. Among things that gained currency was using "democrat" derogatorily as an adjective. Reflecting on how the Republican Party has evolved since the end of World War II, it is clear that GOP(f)er serves as a metaphor for members of the Grand Old Party -- working underground, unaware of what's going on outside; institutionalizing dirty tricks; destroying well-designed landscapes of the owners of government.

Structure

• GOP(f)er refers to a member of the Grand Old Party
• GOP(f)er is an adjective, roughly equivalent to the use by the extreme right wing of "democrat" as an adjective
• By analogy, GOP(f)er also intimates the fact that Republications have institutionalized using dirty tricks in political campaigns, in short, adopting underground activities.
• A noun or an adjective; and be singular or plural

Recent Developments

• GOP(f)ers have used dirty tricks in every political campaign since 1968
• GOP(f)ers have a philosophy that aims at destroying well-designed programs aimed at serving the American people, whether it be social security, medicare, student loans, etc.
• GOP(f)ers define themselves as the only true patriots, to the exclusion of other American citizens who disagree with them, an anti-American position if there ever was one.

Accomplishments

• Watergate
• 1980 October Surprise
• 2000 electoral coup d'etat

Criticism

• GOP(f)er interactive philosophy is uncompromisingly "my way or the high way"
• GOP(f)ers use the word, "democrat" as an adjective, as a way to disparage democrats
• As long as the conservative extreme right wing dominates the Republican Party, GOP(f)ers will continue to wreak havoc on the American body politic

Additional Information

In the 1990s when the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party took control of Congress, among the things that were influenced was language. Newt Gingrich, along with his pals in broadcasting -- the college dropouts Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and others -- began changing the use of language. Among others, one thing they began doing was using the word "democrat" as an adjective, in a derogatory way. They would say, for example, "democrat candidate" instead of "democratic candidate," or "democrat senator," instead of democratic senator. The use of GOP(f)er is the response to this linguistic policy. But it is more than that. Gophers live in the dirt, underground, unaware of what's going on around them. The in-the-dirt, underground aspect of their existence is an analogy to GOP(f)er's institutionalized use of dirty tricks in political campaigns. Additionally, when you have people who painstakingly architect their lawn only to have gophers' need for sustenance destroy what has been created, the obvious analogy is how GOP(f)ers seek to destroy all the progress made, especially by democrats through their misguided philosophy of taxation and their inability to actually implement their philosophy in practice when they govern.