The Good Old Boy Glossary
A member of Wyoming’s “good old boy” political class recently penned a column in Cowboy State Daily expressing disdain over the use of the terms “elitist,” “establishment,” “RINO,” and “Uniparty.” All of these terms are easily definable- I’ll defend their use any day.
The terms and phrases used by the establishment uniparty (mostly made up of RINOs but also home to honest democrats), though, are worthy of their own glossary - The Good Old Boy Glossary.
Civility (noun)
[si-vil-i-tee]
- Meaning: To refrain from requesting a roll call vote on a matter of controversy or importance to the people of Wyoming / to refrain from debate on a measure supported by legislative leadership.
- Example: “As we debate the largest ever budget in Wyoming history, I expect civility on the House floor.”
I like this idea, but not this vehicle (phrase)
- Meaning: This statement is made when a legislator opposes a particular policy, but knows that his or her constituents overwhelmingly support it, in an attempt to trick the public.
- Example: “I agree that state sponsors of terrorism shouldn’t own agricultural land in Wyoming, but this bill is the wrong vehicle.”
Misinformation (noun)
[mis-in-fer-may-shun]
- Meaning: Speech protected by the First Amendment containing factually true information but shared anonymously.
- Example: “The anonymous mailer that was sent should be illegal- after all, it contained misinformation!”
Misleading (adjective)
[mis-leed-ing]
- Meaning: Information that is categorically correct but is presented in a way that threatens the narrative of the Good Old Boys Club.
- Example: “Although the Freedom Caucus explained the Governor’s budget accurately, they presented the numbers in a misleading manner.”
Out of State Influences (noun, plural)
- Meaning: An imaginary bogeyman conjured up by the Uniparty when they get outmaneuvered by the Freedom Caucus.
- Example: “This proposal to drastically lower property taxes is just another example of out of state influences trying to interfere with Wyoming."
Stop Campaigning! (phrase, command)
- Meaning: This statement is made when a conservative legislator speaks from the heart about matters that are important to the State of Wyoming but inconvenient for the Good Old Boys Club.
- Example: In response to the innocuous statement that the Legislature should not create a new tax, “Oh, stop campaigning- it’s time to govern!”
This Isn’t Happening in Wyoming (phrase)
- Meaning: This statement is made when a legislator needs a reason to oppose a measure intended to prohibit practices or behaviors that any person would consider to be worth prohibiting.
- Example: “Look, I don’t think school staff should hide any information from parents about a child’s well-being, but that isn’t happening in Wyoming!”
Wyoming Solutions for Wyoming Problems (phrase)
- Meaning: This statement is made when a legislator seeks to avoid debating a measure on its merits.
- Example: “I like the idea of fixing our property tax system, but we need Wyoming solutions for Wyoming problems- let’s stop wasting time and debate the next uniform law we’d like to copy from the Uniform Law Commission.”
Jeanette Ward represents House District 57 in Casper.
