“The American People”—a Phrase Worth Discarding

The phrase springs so frequently from the lips of our politicians that it is perhaps rarely noticed anymore. However, with presidential debates now soon upon us and a contentious Supreme Court nomination afoot, the use of the phrase is likely soon to border even more on the incessant. Even in the past couple of days, we were told, respectively, by Republicans and Democrats that “the American people” desire for the vacant Supreme Court seat to be filled as swiftly as possible and that—under no circumstances—ought “the American people” tolerate even a consideration of said appointment. On September 10th, it was Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for Vice President, lashing out: “This is an individual [referring to President Donald Trump] who is not concerned about the health, safety, and well-being of the American people.” And, on the other side of the aisle, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany could be heard beginning an early September press conference (following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s hair salon incident) by asserting that, “Nancy Pelosi was not in the halls of Congress when I asked where she was. She was not working in good faith to make a deal for the American people. Nope, Nancy Pelosi was found in San Francisco at a hair salon…”

And the expression is found similarly time and again coming forth from the politically-adjacent news media and comedian-cum-commentator class. This is true, for instance, in the recent discussion between late-night comedian James Corden and Stephen Colbert captioned by CBS to read “James Corden: I Think There’s A Revolution Happening Inside The American People.” Then, to name a further few: there was former Republican Congressman David Jolly on MSNBC’s Deadline (“The American People are tired of division and anger”); former National Security Advisor Susan Rice on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (“The American people need to call B.S. on [President Trump’s rhetoric towards the Postal Service]”); and, Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe (“the American People Have Overwhelmingly Turned Against [President Trump]”).

The phrase is, of course, a rather fungible one and can be—and often is—replaced by similar expressions, whether it be say “the American public,” “the American electorate,” and the like. However, there is something about “the American people” that perhaps rubs one the wrong way in particular. Although some commentators, such as Joseph Epstein, have also taken note of this rhetorical sleight of hand and dismissed it as bald-faced pandering dripping with disingenuousness, there are perhaps a few other aspects of the phrase that ought to make it first on the chopping block when considering which expressions really ought to be expunged immediately from our national discourse.