Cliché Watch - The Atlantic Wire

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'Dimon in the Rough' Is Not an Insult

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon may be having a rough time after his bank lost $2 billion on a bad trading position, but it does not mean he is sparkly on the inside.

By Eric Randall

May 14, 2012

Barack Obama: Our First Gay-Female-Hispanic-Asian-Jewish President

Newsweek's cover has been called "controversial" and "pretty shocking," but looking at this run-down of presidential firsts that weren't, it begins to seem a bit inevitable.

Comments | 160,024 Views

By Eric Randall

Apr 5, 2012

Why Political Reputations Must Not Be Tarnished

As Newt Gingrich continues to pledge he'll stay in the race, reporters and Republicans warn that he risks "tarnishing his legacy." But whence began this fear that a prolonged but futile fight for the nomination would destroy one's historical record for posterity?

Comments | 151 Views

By Eric Randall

Mar 30, 2012

Where 'Hoodie' Goes, 'Hoodlum' Follows

As American media comments on Trayvon Martin's death, the word "hoodlum" has spiked in usage.

Comments | 553 Views

By Eric Randall

Mar 9, 2012

New Jobs Numbers, Same White House Message

The White House greeted Friday's news that the economy added jobs in February with a sunny statement, one that ought to inspire a creeping sense of déjà vu.

Comments | 621 Views

By Eric Randall

Jan 26, 2012

Mitt Romney: The Picture Frame Candidate

Romney's joke on Letterman last year that "I'm the guy in the photo that comes in your picture frame," seems to be on everyone's mind this month.

Comments | 1,856 Views

By Eric Randall

Jan 5, 2012

How the GOP Found Some Capitalism It Doesn't Like

To criticize President Obama, Mitt Romney has taken up a seemingly odd application of one of the Democrats' favorite attacks on George W. Bush.

Comments | 2,431 Views

By Eric Randall

Dec 12, 2011

Romney's Mitts Might Always Be Off

"The Mitts come off" appears to be a simple infusion of two things journalists love: Mitt Romney puns and perennial political phrases.

Comments | 392 Views

By Eric Randall

Nov 11, 2011

Newtmentum Can Be a Good or Bad Thing

Newt Gingrich's supporters have ironically reclaimed an already ironic pun.

Comments | 303 Views

By Eric Randall

Nov 3, 2011

Jay Carney's Not The Only One Misquoting the Bible

Yesterday, White House fact checkers sought to disprove the falsehoods put forward by ... the White House.

Comments | 3,799 Views

By Eric Randall

Nov 2, 2011

The Greek Referendum Resembles a Sixth Grade History Class

Even 2,500 years after Ancient Athenians conceived of democracy, we can't stop talking about it, especially after the news broke that Greece decided to put Europe's rescue package up for a country-wide referendum.

Comments | 715 Views

By Eric Randall

Nov 1, 2011

Everyone on Wall Street Is Playing 'Heads I Win, Tails You Lose'

"Heads I win tails you lose," is an old game of rigged odds, but it's been getting a lot of play among this week's opinion writers, concerned as they are with the state of our financial industry.

Comments | 975 Views

By Eric Randall

Oct 31, 2011

The Great Debate: How 'Snowtober' Beat Out 'Snoctober'

Uniting news reports from across the east coast, Weather.com declared this weekend's storm, "a snowtober to remember."

Comments | 250 Views

By Eric Randall

Oct 26, 2011

There's No End of 'Unsolicited Advice' for Occupy Wall Street

The cliche: Offering unsolicited advice is pretty much a pundit's job description, but when writing about Occupy Wall Street, they seem compelled to note that the protesters themselves do not actually seek their guidance.

Comments | 531 Views

By Eric Randall

Oct 25, 2011

America's Quest for a Postcard-Sized Tax Form

Rick Perry has become the latest candidate to embrace simplicity as a first principle, by proposing a flat-tax that is measured by its tax form rather than its policy merits.

Comments | 455 Views

By Eric Randall

Oct 24, 2011