The Word for Today is “McCainery!”

As I was posting my comments a few days ago on Pastor Rick Warren’s forum with Obama and McCain, I instinctively made up a word, “McCainery,” which I think needs to be developed further. As a part of due diligence, I’ll admit up front that I’m not the first to use this term, as I’ve discovered you can find two alternative definitions at this website.

However, I think my definition has the potential to stick because of its direct parallel to the word most similar in sound and usage.

Here’s a definition I found at Your Dictionary.com:

Chicanery: the use of clever but tricky talk or action to deceive, evade, etc., as in legal dealings.

And here’s my definition:

McCainery: the use of blatantly simple-minded platitudes to fool the extremely gullible, as in contemporary GOP politics.

When John McCain starts talking about “chasing Osama Bin Laden to the gates of Hell” . . . McCainery!

When he starts prattling on about how “we’re winning in Iraq” . . . McCainery!

When he keeps calling to fix the recession with an “economic surge” . . . Classic McCainery!

And here’s how it could stick, besides me using it as often as I can on our little-read blog (or, of course, getting Stephen Colbert to push it as the new “Truthiness!”)

All it would take would be for Barack Obama to wait until the right moment in his first debate - at the point when McCain has gotten frustrated and started to sound petulant and dismissive toward Obama, allowing it to be seen a “defensive” maneuver. At that point, he could jokingly suggest that his opponent is engaging in more “McCainery.”

Such a response from Obama would certainly become the headline of every newspaper in the country. TV pundits would be scrambling to offer their opinions on what Obama meant by it. Endless possible examples would be discussed and debated 24/7. Obama surrogates and, of course, the progressive netroots, could fill in the details to seal the definition in the public consciousness.

With Obama’s charm and delivery, it could even become the new “There you go again!”

Once the term is out there, stuck in peoples’ heads, they won’t be able to help but see it, as McCain repeatedly has to cover up his lack of ideas or specific policy plans with more and more McCainery!

And if they see it, and they still decided to vote for John McCain? Well, then I guess they’re just determined to keep on hunting with Cheney!