It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy.

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Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

THE POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

Happy Thanksgiving Week everyone, a time where many gather in gratitude to break bread and test their relationships with extended conversation. Politics has given us more than we need to talk about, frankly. Let’s find a constructive and — if you can imagine — fun way to go about that.

This weekend Merriam-Webster will announce its choice for 2023 “word of the year.”

Our thought: Let’s talk turkey over what should be the political word or phrase of 2023. See what the people at your dining room table think.

We’d like to hear from you! Tell us which word (below) you think should win, or send your suggestions for a different word here ([link removed]) .

Our finalists for 2023 Political Word of the Year are:

CIRCUS
Usually a trope when applied to politics, the word “circus” in 2023 flexed some authentic muscle. The 15-ballot race ([link removed]) for House speaker in January, the unprecedented ousting of that speaker in October ([link removed]) , the failure of three high-profile Republican nominees to clinch the job, and the rise of the relatively unknown Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana into the speakership sparked weeks of legislative chaos and so ([link removed]) many ([link removed]) headlines ([link removed]) using ([link removed]) the
([link removed]) word ([link removed]) “circus” ([link removed]) (“clowns” ([link removed]) was runner-up ([link removed]) ) that we had to stop Googling.

EXHAUSTION
The past decade of divide ([link removed]) laid the groundwork. But the chaos of 2023 and the potential of a 2020 presidential rematch ([link removed]) have added up to one word we hear and say repeatedly: exhaustion. Voters everywhere ([link removed]) are exhausted. And stressed ([link removed]) . Our pets may be too. Americans apparently are worried more than ever about anxiety in our dogs, according to the Atlantic ([link removed]) . Speaker Johnson may be in his job because his fellow Republicans were exhausted by their own indecision. We have grown tired of politics for many years. Now, America seems exhausted by it.

INDICTMENT
The country has witnessed lawmakers in criminal trouble throughout history ([link removed]) . But not on this level. Never has a former president been indicted before, but in four cases ([link removed]) this year, former President Donald Trump was indicted on 91 felony counts ([link removed]) . Also, sitting members of both congressional chambers face indictments. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is accused of bribery, corruption and money laundering ([link removed].) , and Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., faces charges
([link removed]) of conspiracy, fraud and lying to investigators.

“MTV”
This acronym escaped its 1980s Music Television identity ([link removed]) in 2023 and earned political stripes as the “motion to vacate,” or legislative MTV, changed fortunes on Capitol Hill. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., came into power after agreeing to allow any single member of the House to raise this motion to vacate the chair, meaning oust the speaker. And it was his undoing ([link removed]) . This term may still have a substantial future in 2024: Speaker Johnson is in the job but it still only requires a single member to call for a vote on vacating the chair.

PUNT
This year, lawmakers have faced fiscal deadline after fiscal deadline with firm resolve — to put off tough decisions. In September ([link removed]) , and then again this month ([link removed]) , Congress passed Band-Aid bills to keep government funded for a few weeks or months at a time. And in June ([link removed]) , Congress and the White House raised the debt ceiling until 2025. That deal had slightly more teeth to it, but still puts off the reckoning over America’s red ink. Zooming out, as Joe Biden and Trump lead their parties’ nomination battles, both political parties are, at the moment, seeming to punt on who should be in their next generation of leadership.

Chew on it. Talk it over. Then, we want to hear from you. Vote on your favorite word of the year ([link removed]) (or suggest your own). Fill out this Google form. Let us know what you and those around you pick. We’ll select some of our favorites for next week’s newsletter.
More on politics from our coverage:
* Watch: Another hospital in northern Gaza becomes a battleground ([link removed]) between Israel and Hamas.
* One Big Question: The Biden administration faces new demands ([link removed]) to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. What is the U.S.’ position on a pause in fighting in Israel’s war with Hamas?
* A Closer Look: The lasting legacy ([link removed]) of Rosalynn Carter, former first lady and global humanitarian.
* Perspectives: NPR’s Tamara Keith and Susan Page of USA Today discuss Biden’s latest approval ratings ([link removed]) and congressional dysfunction.

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#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Joshua Barajas, @Josh_Barrage ([link removed])
Senior Editor, Digital

Per White House tradition for more than seven decades, President Joe Biden pardoned two turkeys ([link removed]) — Liberty and Bell — on Monday, sparing the fowl from being gobbled up this Thanksgiving.

And while the flightless birds are named after a famously cracked American icon in Philadelphia, they will now live in the state that also happens to be the nation’s largest producer of turkey.

Our question: Liberty and Bell were raised in which U.S. state?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: How many current Supreme Court justices served as law clerks at the high court early in their careers?

The answer: Six ([link removed]) . Throughout the Supreme Court’s history, 10 justices have served as law clerks at the high court — and six(!) of those are currently sitting on the bench. Justice Neil Gorsuch is also the first justice ([link removed]) to have served as a member of the court alongside another justice he has clerked for — in this case, former Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Congratulations to our winners: Lorna Grenadier and Darci Jayne!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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