George,

Mr. Sewell's posting includes a grammatical error that originated a long time ago in Republican circles as a slur.

The word Democrat is a noun. The adjective is Democratic. Republicans in search of ways to insult their opponents often say or write The Democrat Party, not The Democratic Party. You could trace the lineage all the way back to Joe McCarthy. Bob Dole revived it vigorously. It was their sneering way of denying that the Democratic Party is democratic. You'll find it regularly in use by people like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, but often it comes from the mouths and pens of half-way respectable Republicans. I suppose it has become part of the family values of such folk, sneering as a way of life to pass on to your children.

I suggest, George, that when someone like Mr. Sewell writes "Democrat Party" you put a [sic] after "Democrat."

Paul Gaston (electronic mail, January 31, 2004)