Quote: “In 1994, Gingrich had the Contract With America. In 2006, Democrats will have another glass of merlot.” Jacob Weisberg’s “The Big Idea” column in Slate.
Figure of Speech: antithesis (an-TIH-the-sis), the figure of contrasts.
With the president’s approval rating at 34 percent and Congress’s at 36 percent, how could the Democrats possibly lose this November?
We’re sure their party heads will find a way. Political columnist Weisberg contrasts Gingrich’s bold Contract with America with the Democrats’, uh, nothing. (Weisberg refers to one of Howard Dean’s blurtations, in which he called his base “merlot Democrats.”)
The antithesis (“opposing idea”) puts two concepts on a scale and lets it tip. Weisberg’s antithesis contrasts not just parties but eras. These days, however, the Republican leadership is selfish, corrupt, and nasty. The Democratic leadership, on the other hand, is… selfish, corrupt, and nasty.
Snappy Answer: “And they’ll be drinking alone.”