Words with little meaning

Anne Applebaum:

"Eager to preserve the English language against a rising tide of nonsense," a British newspaper asked readers last week to compose a piece of prose "crammed with as many infuriating phrases as possible." The results make entertaining reading.

"I hear what you're saying but, with all due respect, it's not exactly rocket science," begins one excellent example. "The bottom line is you wear your heart on your sleeve and, when all is said and done, this is all part and parcel of the ongoing bigger picture." Another declared, "let's face facts here, this could be my conduit to a whole new ball game. Awesome, or what?"

Some of the entries mocked bureaucratese: "Our own cost-benefit analysis of the ongoing target shortfall is that this predicament needs to be addressed proactively." Others celebrated slang, either American ("chill to the max") or British ("I was gobsmacked") in origin. And all of them suggested an explanation for why it seems so difficult to follow the ludicrously early American presidential campaign: Too many of the candidates speak in prose crammed with as many infuriating phrases as possible.

The worst offender -- and this week's column is officially apolitical -- is Hillary Clinton, who is "running for president because I believe if we set big goals and we work together to achieve them, we can restore the American dream today and for the next generation." Clinton also believes that"we can give people the education and opportunities they need to fulfill their God-given potential," and that "the foundation of a strong economy is the investments we make in each other." Who could possibly disagree?

...

I hear what they're saying, but, with all due respect, I'm putting off reading it, afraid the deterioration might already have begun. Let's face it, guys: No good writer, however eloquent, can possibly survive a two-year presidential campaign.

In fairness to Hillary she finds similar examples from all the major candidates.

Her column reminds me of the time when I was testifying as an expert witness in a Federal Court in Mississippi. The defense attorney was cross examining me and the question he asked was so incoherent that I could not understand it. I kept telling him I did not understand the question and he keep repeating it in a louder voice. I finally responded that I heard what he was saying, but it just did not make any sense. The judge and the rest of the courtroom erupted in laughter and the defense counsel moved on to a different question. Unfortunately we can't even get MoveOn to move on at this point.