“Bedwetter” as a Slur

[gobphus]

Have you ever wondered who made the word “bedwetter” a slur in politics? According to Adam Nagourney in this article, it was David Plouffe: “In a world of Democratic bed-wetters, to reprise the phrase used by David Plouffe, a senior political adviser to Barack Obama, to describe Democratic fretters, Mr. [Simon] Rosenberg is the voice of — well, whatever the opposite of bed-wetter is these days.”

 

[mirrored22]

Yeah, I am not a huge fan of that term. It came up in the Obama era to describe (specifically Democratic) Party operatives being hypervigilant and freaking out/panicking over every last little blip in the news and polls. Often in the context of pushing back against this anxiety politicos would say "enough with the bedwetting, focus on winning". Fun story, When some political friends I've spoken to used the term, I've pushed back and told them that it felt like a "gut punch" (which it does!) and they...reacted pretty well and decided to stop using the term!

 

[gobphus]

Yeah, I am not a huge fan of that term. It came up in the Obama era to describe (specifically Democratic) Party operatives being hypervigilant and freaking out/panicking over every last little blip in the news and polls. Often in the context of pushing back against this anxiety politicos would say "enough with the bedwetting, focus on winning". Fun story, When some political friends I've spoken to used the term, I've pushed back and told them that it felt like a "gut punch" (which it does!) and they...reacted pretty well and decided to stop using the term!

Good for you, standing up to your friends like that!

 

[PadPhilosopher]

I think it was meant playfully, in the sense of "let's stop being children," but it was definitely insensitive, since not all bedwetters are children, and many adults wish they could stop it, but it is just a physiological reality for them.

I've heard it used that way, but never repeated it that way. It's insensitive, and doesn't even advance a point.