# Why do Democrats dignify the Republicans by calling them the GOP? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028 "2010-12-05T12:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/1 "2010-12-05T12:53:51Z")
Title says it all really. If the Democrats started calling themselves by some self aggrandizing name I’m sure Republicans wouldn’t use it. It just seems weird seeing people who disapprove of Republican actions referring to them as the Grand Old Party. What do I not understand? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/2 "2010-12-05T13:30:02Z")
Because GOP takes up less space on a headline than “Republican.” And the name has been assosiated with the party for, what, a hundred years or thereabouts, so it’s not as if the Republicans just started asking everyone to call them “The Awesome Reppi-C’s.” A third point is that you never hear the whole phrase from a critic, just the acronym, which in and of itself is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/3 "2010-12-05T14:38:32Z")
“Democrats” is frequents shortened to “Dems” in headlines, but note that the equivalent shortening for Republicans, “Reps”, might easily be confused with “Representatives”. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/4 "2010-12-05T15:01:24Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > “Democrats” is frequents shortened to “Dems” in headlines, but note that the equivalent shortening for Republicans, “Reps”, might easily be confused with “Representatives”. I thought it was supposed to be “Democratics”. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/5 "2010-12-05T15:13:57Z")
Plus, most adults probably don’t know what GOP stands for. (No pun intended.) ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/6 "2010-12-05T15:31:58Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > What do I not understand? It’s just a nickname. Nobody balks at calling the New York football team the Giants, even though most of their players are just regular sized guys. There are misbehaving players for the New Orleans Saints, and some of the guys who play for the New England Patriots weren’t even born in this country. It would be weird if folks from either side of the aisle called it “the grand old party,” but I’ve never heard that… and I’m a pretty old guy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/7 "2010-12-05T15:37:46Z")
Do “Democrats” call the it the GOP? Newspapers do, but the OP is asking about Democrats. I’m sure they do from time to time, but I don’t hear it much. Plus, as \*\*RP \*\*said, it’s one of those acronyms that has evolved into a word on its own. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/8 "2010-12-05T17:12:53Z")
Since this is basically a political question, it is not really suitable for GQ. However, it doesn’t seem to rise to the level of a debate as yet. Moving to IMHO for now. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/9 "2010-12-05T17:17:43Z")
> [@](#): > > “Democrats” is frequents shortened to “Dems” in headlines, but note that the equivalent shortening for Republicans, “Reps”, might easily be confused with “Representatives”. What’s wrong with “Pubs”? ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/10 "2010-12-05T17:23:46Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Title says it all really. > > If the Democrats started calling themselves by some self aggrandizing name I’m sure Republicans wouldn’t use it. > > It just seems weird seeing people who disapprove of Republican actions referring to them as the Grand Old Party. > > What do I not understand? In 2009 the Republicans were going to vote on officially renaming the Democratic Party to the National Socialist Democratic Workers Party, or something equally stupid. I suggested we respond by renaming the Republican Party the “Fucking Babies”. So reporters could accurately report that “the Fucking Babies in congress refused to allow debate today on an important missile treaty since they didn’t get to give huge tax cuts to the ultra rich” But the real point is it’s pretty silly to think you can change someone else’s well established name. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/11 "2010-12-05T18:08:55Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > I thought it was supposed to be “Democratics”. And _I_ thought we were over pretending to misunderstand the difference between the name given the party and the name given the members. With your post, we’ve both learned a lesson today. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/12 "2010-12-05T18:36:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Do “Democrats” call the it the GOP? Newspapers do, but the OP is asking about Democrats. I’m sure they do from time to time, but I don’t hear it much. Plus, as \*\*RP \*\*said, it’s one of those acronyms that has evolved into a word on its own. I think Dems use it a good amount. I doubt anyone really thinks about what the acronym stands for anymore, so its not like using it is the Dems admitting the Republicans are in any sense “Grand”. Here’s a random posting at the [DNC](http://www.democrats.org/news/press/928) where its used in the headline, and given the context its obviously not meant to be flattering. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/13 "2010-12-05T22:02:28Z")
Out of curiousity, was GOP originally supposed to be ironic? It was first used in 1875 when the Republican Party was barely twenty years old (the Democratis Party at that time was around eighty years old). Most voters at the time would have remembered the founding of the Republican Party and realized that they were the “young” party. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/14 "2010-12-06T05:49:05Z")
I’m a democrat, and I’ll use GOP, but not “grand old party”. It provides a suitable abbreviation and variation in writing. But I always think “greedy old parasites”. The Republicans are just like the Democrats, but willfully evil and hating all poor and minorities. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/15 "2010-12-06T13:57:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Out of curiousity, was GOP originally supposed to be ironic? It was first used in 1875 when the Republican Party was barely twenty years old (the Democratis Party at that time was around eighty years old). Most voters at the time would have remembered the founding of the Republican Party and realized that they were the “young” party. I don’t think “old” refers to the age. It’s like “Good Old Charlie Brown,” who’s obviously not old either. Here’s the OED definitions: > [@OED](#): > > 1. colloq. Freq. with reference to a customary pleasure indulged in fully: plentiful, great, enjoyable, memorable. Now merely reinforcing an appreciative adjective, as good old,\*\* grand old\*\*, high old, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/16 "2010-12-06T21:52:03Z")
You have Democrats like Bob Mendenez saying negotiating with Republicans is like negotiating with terrorists, Charley Rangel saying tax cuts are code words for (name of Dick Gregory’s autobiography) and (word that goes before span in talking about cleaners), Howard Dean saying the Democrats are good and Republicans are evil. The Democrats will always let loose a flood of hate and invective because they have nothing to brag about, like about how unemployment has set a post World War II record for time over 9%, the previous record set by another Democratic President. Always amazes me how people will say how generous Democrats are by forcing people to pay higher taxes under threat of fines or imprisonment. Anybody remember how during the Vietnam war people would refuse to pay telephone surcharge taxes? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/17 "2010-12-06T21:58:18Z")
**Jim’s Son** , are you sure you’re posting in the right thread? Your assertions have little to do with why the Republican Party is called the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-democrats-dignify-the-republicans-by-calling-them-the-gop/563028/18 "2010-12-08T01:43:36Z")
Surveys show the name Democrat Party doesn’t look as respectable to people as Democratic Party, the actual name. At every opportunity, they’ll knock off the last 2 letters. So, I misspell their name. They are the 'Publicans, the Repubbles, the GOBP, and the 'blicans.