# Thread closing **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 10, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571 "2017-06-10T04:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/1 "2017-06-10T04:55:47Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20267234&postcount=9](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20267234&postcount=9) The question was whether anyone who has access to AP Stylebook can tell me if they say anything about the Democrat vs Democratic thing. That question was not answered. Why was the thread closed? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/2 "2017-06-10T04:59:04Z")
It seems that the thread has been re-opened. Or **Colibri** hadn’t gotten around to closing it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/3 "2017-06-10T05:20:10Z")
It looks like **Colibri** finally got around to closing it. But I do have to agree with **pulykamell**. Whether or not he has access to the AP stylebook, he did answer the question correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/4 "2017-06-10T05:22:26Z")
The AP stylebook (which I have a copy of), as far as I can determine, does not address the specific construction you describe. The AP stylebook mainly addresses when to capitalize the names of political parties. As I said, the GQ answer was given in the second post. You appeared to be more interested in debating the use of the term rather than accepting the answer. Hence I closed it. Since the use of the term has more to do with politics than grammar, if you want to debate how the term is used, open another thread in GD. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/5 "2017-06-10T05:26:56Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > It looks like **Colibri** finally got around to closing it. > > But I do have to agree with **pulykamell**. Whether or not he has access to the AP stylebook, he did answer the question correctly. Apparently [NYT disagrees](http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/23/us/democrats-block-gop-attack-on-campaign-bill.html): “As the Senate moved closer to a final vote on a Democratic-sponsored bill, lawmakers spent the day trading stories about how they struggled to raise money for their own campaigns and how the race for contributions should be halted.” [Gallup](https://books.google.com/books?id=kKv8PXwIiFkC&pg=PA292&lpg=PA292&dq=%22democratic-sponsored+bill%22&source=bl&ots=-VVl_m1D9T&sig=JBTZNpnK9p8rCg0mEECa4Ms2rrc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifjoWKxLLUAhXJOSYKHSQfAV04ChDoAQg3MAQ#v=onepage&q=%22democratic-sponsored%20bill%22&f=false) [Chicago Sun Times](http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rauner-tells-state-workers-madigan-is-forcing-crisis-showdown/) [More AP (via CBS)](http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/05/15/mn-senate-passes-day-care-unionization-bill/) etc. and, as I pointed in the closed thread, the “Democratic-sponsored bill” outscores the “Democrat-sponsored bill” 4:1. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/6 "2017-06-10T05:33:03Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The AP stylebook (which I have a copy of), as far as I can determine, does not address the specific construction you describe. The AP stylebook mainly addresses when to capitalize the names of political parties. > > As I said, the GQ answer was given in the second post. You appeared to be more interested in debating the use of the term rather than accepting the answer. Hence I closed it. > > Since the use of the term has more to do with politics than grammar, if you want to debate how the term is used, open another thread in GD. I am sure it had absolutely nothing to do with [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20267245&postcount=6392). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/7 "2017-06-10T05:35:09Z")
I’m happy to keep the thread alive. The AP Stylebook onlys says not to use “Democrat Party.” [Here’s a cite from 2012](https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2012/ap-compiles-us-elections-style-guide) > [@](#): > > Democrat, Democratic Party > Both are capitalized. Don’t use Democrat Party. I would argue that “Democrat-sponsored” is the preferable construction, but English does allow for noun+past participle and adjective+past participle constructions. I think, in this case, the “-sponsored” should follow a noun, so “Democrat-sponsored.” Searching Google news using “Democrat-sponsored bill” and “Democratic-sponsored bill” in quotes shows the former being the preferred construction in recent Google news sources, at 228 results vs 189 (with the latter even triggering “Did you mean Democrat-sponsored bill?” from Google.) I still don’t understand what the complaint is. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-closing/788571/8 "2017-06-10T05:36:00Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > and, as I pointed in the closed thread, the “Democratic-sponsored bill” outscores the “Democrat-sponsored bill” 4:1. As I said, as far as I can tell the AP stylebook does not address the issue. ATMB is not the appropriate place to debate the issue. Since you appear to want to debate the issue, if you wish to do so, as I said you can open a new thread in GD. I’m closing this one.