How to See Through Political Doublespeak

Political doublespeak: "What is it?" you ask. In politics, there are often many sides of opposition. Candidate against candidate, supporters versus the media. In an election or throughout any political campaign, the "he said/she said" game is often played and doublespeak runs rampant. Doublespeak has to do with saying one thing and meaning another. Many public relations and communications staffers know the right way to address certain crowds and how to get around the rest. Learn how to see through political doublespeak so you can see a candidate and their platform for what it truly is.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Pay attention to what candidates themselves says. Though they have speechwriters and communications representatives holding press conferences for them, zone in on what they say for themselves. Then, you can see for yourself if they changed their view on a certain issue or topic at hand.
2. Research, research, research. The key to seeing through doublespeak is by researching a politician's past voting record, speeches, donations, supporters, endorsements and policy stances. The more you know, the better you'll see through "what they want you to hear" now.
3. Pay attention to the news, but realize that cable news often sensationalizes political news stories. They, after all, run on a 24-hour news cycle and at times, they need some filler. It's great to hear opposing viewpoints and a hot debate between campaign reps, but remember that it's easier to be swayed by doublespeak this way.
4. If you're reading a story or article about the candidate online, check the sources out. If you read a quote, find out more about who said it. Read up on the website or news source you're getting the story from. This can eliminate a lot of biased viewpoints from the get-go.
5. Watch for the "said one thing, did another" syndrome. Many politicians do this. However, if your candidate of choice took a strong stand for an issue and reversed his opinion later, you may want to take notice.
6. See who is donating to the campaign. If your favorite politician receives campaign financing from a certain organization and begins taking a stance conducive to that organization, it may be time to investigate any connections.
7. Pay attention to what the politician is saying. Whatever she reiterates or emphasizes is important to her candidacy. You can often see where her emphasis is and what her whole platform is about by what she's saying.

Tips & Warnings

• When a candidate loses or is behind in a race, pay attention to his words and actions. His true colors often come out when he's frustrated.
• Never take what you read on a blog for face value. Unless a blog backs up information with resources, it's best to assume it is the writer's opinion.