It sounds so nice. “My good friend...” It is what some members of Congress say about their fellow lawmakers. But Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark offer the not-so-nice meaning. They explain the real meaning of “my good friend” and other words from American politics in their book, “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs & Washington Handshakes.” The authors say that members of Congress often use the phrase “my good friend” to refer to a person they do not like. The official may not even be able to stand the good friend. Another example of words that mean something different than they appear is: “I want to spend more time with my family.” Members of Congress often say this when they are resigning or giving up their jobs. While it is true that members of Congress often spend many days away from their families, the authors say that politicians use this expression when they do not want to give the real reason they are resigning. The real reason could be that they did something wrong, or they just found out that they are unlikely to win re-election.
Title: What Washington Politicians Are Really Saying
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/washington_politicians.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='What Washington Politicians Are Really Saying' data-article-id='1929'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='2000'>It sounds so nice.</span> <span data-start-time='2000' data-end-time='4208'>“My good friend...”</span> <span data-start-time='4208' data-end-time='10688'>It is what some members of Congress say about their fellow lawmakers.</span> <span data-start-time='10688' data-end-time='17104'>But Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark offer the not-so-nice meaning.</span> <span data-start-time='17104' data-end-time='31438'>They explain the real meaning of “my good friend” and other words from American politics in their book, “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs & Washington Handshakes.”</span> <span data-start-time='31438' data-end-time='40875'>The authors say that members of Congress often use the phrase “my good friend” to refer to a person they do not like.</span> <span data-start-time='40875' data-end-time='45688'>The official may not even be able to stand the good friend.</span> <span data-start-time='45688' data-end-time='56021'>Another example of words that mean something different than they appear is: “I want to spend more time with my family.”</span> <span data-start-time='56021' data-end-time='63354'>Members of Congress often say this when they are resigning or giving up their jobs.</span> <span data-start-time='63354' data-end-time='80500'>While it is true that members of Congress often spend many days away from their families, the authors say that politicians use this expression when they do not want to give the real reason they are resigning.</span> <span data-start-time='80500' data-end-time='90417'>The real reason could be that they did something wrong, or they just found out that they are unlikely to win re-election.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/washington_politicians.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=7363 data-hint-location='17104' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/what_does_handshake_mean.m4a'>What does handshake mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='the act of grasping someone's right hand with your right hand and moving it up and down'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/the_act_of_grasping_someones_right_hand_with_your_right_hand_and_moving_it_up_and_down.m4a'><span>the act of grasping someone's right hand with your right hand and moving it up and down</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/something_that_only_politicians_do.m4a'><span>something that only politicians do</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_type_of_beverage.m4a'><span>a type of beverage</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/the_act_of_bowing_as_a_sign_of_respect.m4a'><span>the act of bowing as a sign of respect</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=7364 data-hint-location='31438' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/what_do_the_authors_say_is_the_true_meaning_behind_the_phrase_my_good_friend.m4a'>What do the authors say is the true meaning behind the phrase my good friend?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a person who someone does not like'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_person_who_someone_else_cares_about.m4a'><span>a person who someone else cares about</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_person_who_someone_does_not_like.m4a'><span>a person who someone does not like</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/someone_who_is_a_high_ranking_military_official.m4a'><span>someone who is a high ranking military official</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_person_who_someone_likes.m4a'><span>a person who someone likes</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=7365 data-hint-location='56021' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/members_of__blank__often_say_this_when_they_are_resigning_or_giving_up_their_jobs.m4a'>Members of <span class='blank'>Congress</span> often say this when they are resigning or giving up their jobs.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Congress'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_bank.m4a'><span>a bank</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_secret_society.m4a'><span>a secret society</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/a_sports_team.m4a'><span>a sports team</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1428/congress.m4a'><span>Congress</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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