Much of political discourse is conducted in a code designed to express a particular point of view to supporters, while being able to deny that implication to the rest of society. This is the definition of Orwellian Newspeak, as described in the novel 1984. The key code words in the novel were

Peace: War
Freedom: Slavery
Strength: Ignorance

Any resemblance to any actual political regime is purely intentional.

Talking in code has been called dog-whistle politics, after the high-pitched whistles that dogs can hear but not people. This is itself Liberal/Progressive code for Racist: Dog, i.e. non-human. The following is a partial list of Republican code words.

• Abstinence-only sex education: Get AIDS and die, sinners.
  
• Accountability: Sovereign immunity
  
• Affirmative action: Organized discrimination against Whites
• Balanced budget: Trillions for war, but not one penny for social programs
• Balance of powers: Meaningless impediments to proper government
  
• Bipartisanship: Date rape--Grover Norquist
  
• Big government: Social programs for the poor and minorities
• Clash of civilizations: Anti-Muslim Crusade
  
• Class war: The oppression of the rich by the poor
• Communist: Your sort
• Competition: Unfair competition
  
• Consensus: What we say we think
• Conservative: Greedy, racist, or Christian Dominionist
  
• Controversial: What you like, but we don't
• Corruption: Acting in the public interest, rather than staying bought by corporations
  
• Culture war: "This is a Christian country! How dare you quote Thomas Jefferson?"; The oppression of the Christian Right by atheists (everybody else, including other Christians)
• Democracy: Oligarchy; rule by our sort
• Diplomacy: Shoot first and refuse to answer questions later
  
• Domestic terrorist: The ACLU
  
• Due process: The rules that apply only to Real Americans
  
• Economics: Fairy tales, "Voodoo", Market Fundamentalism, Reaganomics, pie in the sky
• Empathy: Palling around with the riff-raff
  
• Enhanced interrogation: Torture
  
• Elitism: Wanting everybody to get a real education
• Equal rights: More equal for our sort
• Evidence: Lousy Liberal-biased facts
  
• Family values: Our families, not yours
• Fascist: Your sort
  
• Fiscal responsibility: Cutting social programs for the poor and minorities
• Free and fair election: One that our preferred candidate won
  
• Free markets, Free trade: Free for corporations, not for natural persons
  
• Freedom of religion: You can go to Hell.
  
• Freedom of speech, and of the press: When I want to hear your opinion, I'll tell it to you.
• Human rights: Property rights
• Immorality: Sex education
  
• Judicial activist: Not a strict constructionist
  
• Law and order: Keeping the riff-raff down
• Liberal bias: Any concern for facts
  
• Liberal media: Mainstream media
  
• Liberty: Property rights, gun rights, no regulation of business, no enforcement of civil rights for the poor and for minorities
• Loony Left: Moderate Republicans
  
• Mainstream of American thought: Right-wing selfishness; White Supremacy; unfettered corporate greed
  
• Mainstream media: Right-wing media
• Liberal: Nixon the tree-hugging (EPA), Socialist (guaranteed income), Peacenik (ended Vietnam War) appeaser (trip to China)
  
• Liberal Media: Those biased by facts
  
• National security: Keeping the world safe for kleptocracy
• Nazi: Your sort
  
• Obama is Hitler, Stalin, the AntiChrist, not a US citizen, etc.: He's Black, which is worse.
  
• Original intent: In Constitutional law, slavery and exclusion of women and the poor from voting
  
• Ownership society: Way more for us with a few crumbs for you, if you vote for us
• Patriot: Scoundrel
  
• Person: Corporation; White male
  
• Personal responsibility: Do as I say, not as I do
• Pork, wasteful spending: Social programs for the poor and minorities
• Principles, Conservative : "All for us and nothing for other people"--Adam Smith
• The Public Interest: The interests of corporations
• Public works: Pork
  
• Quotas: Organized discrimination against Whites
• Racism: Alleged Black and Hispanic hatred of Whites
• Real Americans: White male Republican Christians
  
• Republic: Oligarchy; rule by our sort
  
• Right to life: Rights of the unborn, but not of anybody else. In extreme cases, Death to abortionists!
• Rule of law: What I say goes
  
• Science: Creationism
  
• Small government: No social programs for the poor and minorities
• Southern Strategy: The South will rise again!
  
• Special interests: The public interest
  
• States' rights: The right to oppress their own people
  
• Strict constructionist: One who upholds slavery and exclusion of women and the poor from voting; one who maintains that the 14th Amendment protections for ex-slaves are primarily meant to protect corporations
  
• Starve the beast: No social programs for the poor
• Support the troops: Support the war
  
• Terrorist: Your sort
• Thoughtful: Unprincipled
• Traitor: Democrat
  
• Truth: What we say
  
• Tyranny: Enforcement of civil rights legislation and regulation of business
• Unamerican: Counter to the interests of Our Sort
  
• Unitary executive: King
  
• Uppity: Thinking that equality applies to you
• Voter Fraud: Anything that lets more poor people and minorities vote
  

Resources

Frank Luntz is the principal architect of Republican code language. He has publicly praised the idea of Newspeak.

George Lakoff has written extensively on this subject, and gone into it much more deeply than we can here.

The language used to discuss this subject is often intemperate on all sides. Not all of the following sites are objective or reliable sources, but they demonstrate the nature of the controversy.

• Bowlingual: translating Republican code words
• The GOP-to-English Dictionary: Cracking the Republican Code
• Gergen: McCain Using Code Words To Attack Obama As "Uppity"
• DIVISIVE WORDS: NEWS ANALYSIS; G.O.P.'s 40 Years of Juggling on Race
Much of political discourse is conducted in a code designed to express a particular point of view to supporters, while being able to deny that implication to the rest of society. This is the definition of Orwellian Newspeak, as described in the novel 1984. It has been called dog-whistle politics, after the high-pitched whistles that dogs can hear but not people. The following is a partial list of Republican code words.Accountability: Sovereign immunityAffirmative action: Organized discrimination against WhitesBig government: Social programs for the poorCulture war: This is a Christian country! How dare you quote Thomas Jefferson?Class war: The oppression of the rich by the poorCulture war: The oppression of the Christian right by atheists (everybody else, including other Christians)Democracy: Oligarchy; rule by our sortDue process: Never mind the rulesEconomics: Fairy tales, "Voodoo", Market FundamentalismElitism: Wanting everybody to get a real educationEqual rights: More equal for our sortFamily values: Our families, not yoursFiscal responsibility: No social programs for the poorFree markets, Free trade: Free for us, not for youHuman rights: Property rightsJudicial activist: Not a strict constructionistLaw and order: Keeping the riff-raff downLiberal media: Mainstream mediaLiberty: Property rights, gun rights, no regulation of business, no enforcement of civil rights for the poor and for minoritiesMainstream media: Right-wing mediaOriginal intent: In Constitutional law, slavery and exclusion of women and the poor from votingOwnership society: More for usPersonal responsibility: Welfare cutsQuotas: Organized discrimination against WhitesRacism: Alleged Black and Hispanic hatred of WhitesReal Americans: Our sortRepublic: Oligarchy; rule by our sortRight to life: Rights of the unborn, but not of anybody else. In extreme cases, Death to abortionists!Small government: No social programs for the poorStates' rights: The right to oppress citizensStrict constructionist: One who upholds slavery and exclusion of women and the poor from voting; one who maintains that the 14th Amendment protections for ex-slaves are primarily meant to protect corporationsStarve the beast: No social programs for the poorSupport the troops: Support the warTyranny: Enforcement of civil rights legislation and regulation of businessUnitary executive: KingUppity: Thinking that equality applies to youResourcesFrank Luntz is the principal architect of Republican code language. He has publicly praised the idea of Newspeak. His principal public work is Words That Work, Revised, Updated Edition: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear, Aug 5, 2008. ISBN George Lakoff has written extensively on this subject, and gone into it much more deeply than we can here.The language used to discuss this subject is often intemperate on all sides. Not all of the following sites are objective or reliable sources, but they demonstrate the nature of the controversy.Bowlingual: translating Republican code wordsThe GOP-to-English Dictionary: Cracking the Republican CodeGergen: McCain Using Code Words To Attack Obama As "Uppity"DIVISIVE WORDS: NEWS ANALYSIS; G.O.P.'s 40 Years of Juggling on RaceA glossary of Republican doublespeakThe Republican Playbook, by Andy Borowitz. ISBN