Word: phrasings
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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There were some limits to the delegates' temerity: they rejected a proposal to delete from union statutes a key phrase recognizing the Communist Party's "leading role" in national affairs. But then such expunging hardly seemed necessary. The convention had already challenged the party's monopoly of economic control and political power. Moreover, the meeting had raised the specter of "counterrevolutionary" contagion in the Soviet bloc, which Moscow and its allies have feared since Poland's labor rebellion first began to acquire cohesion...
Before Reaganomics, the phrase "tax deductible" struck a chord in the hearts (and wallets) of upper-income-bracket Americans. It encouraged them to depart with sizable--and non-taxable--chunks of their assets (and thereby do their part to benefit humanity) since the only other option was to donate many of their taxable dollars to Uncle Sam. Things are different now. The new tax laws make it less attractive for wealthy (and some not-so-wealthy) people to give their money away. They might as well hold onto it, since the federal government isn't taking so much in taxes...
...driven five hours north, and started pitching those editorials into the Senate hopper. If anyone took notice, it was generally with a snickering glance: Helms the flailing buffoon, a crossbreed of Dickens' Pecksniff and Fred Allen's Claghorn, full of futile cracker righteousness. Yet in Aide John Carbaugh's phrase, Helms "planted the flag": his hopeless proposals sometimes forced Senators to take stands on issues they would have just as soon avoided. He introduced numberless bills to stop abortions, to prohibit sex education, to reinstate capital punishment. All lost, by ratios of 10, 20, 50 to 1. He stalled approval...
...Accusations That the Mujahedin Are Marxists. Every high school student knows that believing in God, Jesus Christ and Muhammad is incompatible with the philosophy of Marxism. Everyone knows that, even Khomeini. But for dictators like Khomeini, "Marxist Islamic" is a very profitable phrase to use against any opposition. If Jesus Christ and Muhammad were alive and protesting against Khomeini, he would call them Marxists...
...father-daughter talk over dinner at the ranch last week produced neither parental blessing nor further disparaging remarks. Presidential endorsement is doubtful; tactful neutrality is more likely. Will he object? Says Maureen: "To coin a phrase, I hope...