I have had a couple of great radio chats with Paul Payack, the man who monitors the English language and predicts we'll hit a million words sometime soon. Now, on the eve of the election, Payack's  Global Language Monitor has revealed the "top ten things the presidential campaign’s political buzzwords reveal to us about the upcoming vote." He's been tracking the language of politics, and the usage of key words and phrases over the last 18 months, and reached these findings:  

1.     The electorate appears to be more advanced in its thinking than either party (or platform).  Taken as a whole, their concerns center upon uncontrollable, cataclysmic events such as climate change, while raising taxes or cutting taxes are lesser (though still important) concerns.

2.     ‘Change’ is, without question, the top buzz word of this campaign.  Though change from what to what remains a good question.   Both candidates are benefitting from the mantra; however Obama holds a 3:2 edge over McCain in this regard.  

3.     The second-most discussed term of the campaign barely surfaces in most media reports, and this is the combination of ‘Climate Change’ and/or ‘Global Warming.’

4.     Terms in reference to various aspects of the global financial meltdown can be found throughout the list.  These include recession at No 4, Subprime at No. 7, and Wall Street Bailout at No. 19.  The phrase ‘Financial Meltdown’ itself has broken into the Top 20 in usage over the last month to No. 18.

5.     Experience (No. 5) counts -- epecially, if that experience can serve as a guide through the current series of cataclysmic events.  McCain edges Obama 4:3 in the experience category. But Obama is given significant credit as a quick (and judicious) study.

6.     Everyone is talking about race (No. 16) except, apparently, the electorate.  It is a Top 20 issue, but it’s nestled between Joe the Plumber and Obama’s smoking. 

7.     Iraq is now a non-issue.  The Surge (No. 8) and its apparent success has apparently settled the argument, so it is no longer a question of victory or defeat.  Even Al Qaeda has lost its grip on the electorate, falling some 11 spots on the usage list two weeks.

8.     Palin (Nos. 14 and 21) is a ‘go-to’ subject for the media and campaigns alike, with both sides thinking they gain tremendous leverage in her disparagement or apotheosis. 

9.     Tony Rezko (No. 23), Acorn (No. 24) and Jeremiah Wright (No. 26) are indeed issues, but are viewed as minor, settled or both for the Obama campaign.

10.  The word "aloof," as related to Obama, is no longer on the list.  At the end of the Primary season in June, it was No 14 and a major concern of the Obama campaign.  Obama has apparently overcome this sense of aloofness. 

The ranking is determined by GLM’s PQI Index, a proprietary algorithm that scours the global print and electronic media, the Internet, and blogosphere for ‘hot’ political buzzwords and then ranks them according to year-over-year change, acceleration and directional momentum. 

The ranking of Top Election Buzzwords of the 2008 Presidential Campaign and commentary follow.

Back Tracks:

The Top Political Buzzwords for the 2006 Midterm Elections included:  Throes, Quagmire, Credibility, Global Warming, and Insurgency.

The Top Political Buzzwords from the 2004 Campaign included:  Swift Boats, Flip Flop, Quagmire, Fahrenheit 911, Misleader, and Liar!