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Doolittle: I'm a New Man -- SIKE!
After narrowly winning reelection in his very conservative district, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) says he's reformed, but it sure doesn't look like he's really got religion.
He's firing his wife as his campaign fundraiser, he announced yesterday -- no longer will she, and by extension Doolittle himself, get a 15% cut of every contribution to his campaign. Not that there was ever anything wrong with this, no -- but for some reason the arrangement became a "concern and distraction to some of [his] constituents," as he wrote in an Op-Ed, revealing his reformation:
Because I believe it is proper for my wife to raise funds for my campaign, I encouraged her to step in at a critical time when her talents were desperately needed. I have appreciated her willingness to take time away from her other clients to provide a professional service to my campaign. However, because I recognize that this issue has been a concern and distraction to some of my constituents, I have retained an outside fundraiser to take over those duties.
Nope, no mea culpa there. And that "critical time when [his wife's] talents were desperately needed?" That was 2001 through the present. And during that critical, desperate time, he did not face a single credible election challenge prior to 2006. He outraised his opponent in 2004, for example, $935,907 to $2,300. Good thing his wife was there to share the pot.
Nowhere in Doolittle's reforms does it say whether his wife will continue to work for lobbyists (as she did for both the imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay's notorious bag man Ed Buckham), or whether he'll continue to dole out favors to their clients. But stay tuned! Maybe he'll unveil a new raft of reforms if he's indicted.
Among Doolittle's promised reforms is to "be more accessible to the media." Given our numerous failed attempts to get him to explain his behavior, we very much look forward to this new era. (Sike!)
Comments (23)
djangone wrote on January 12, 2007 3:49 PM:Y'know, I believe it's 'PSYCH!'
TPMPaul wrote on January 12, 2007 3:53 PM:You know, Justin and I very seriously considered the merits of "Psych!" vs. "Sike!" and decided to go with the way we spelled it in junior high. Were we wrong?
gfw wrote on January 12, 2007 3:55 PM:The pronounciation is more important. It's "sye-EEK!"
Cheney's Third Nipple wrote on January 12, 2007 5:30 PM:It's definitely "Psych!"
Drew P wrote on January 12, 2007 10:06 PM:Yeah, for the next head-fake from a Republican politician (which will no doubt occur again soon), it should be "Psych!"
noname wrote on January 13, 2007 12:01 AM:No way, SIKE is far superior for political hijinks on Doolittle's level.
"Psych" is what linguists say after confusing another regarding the etymology of a word.
As in "bet you thought it was greek or latin... Psych! it's actually circa 1980 Old Skool, and spelled SIKE!"
Common Sense wrote on January 13, 2007 11:26 AM:noname, Paul, and Justin are obviously old school. Bush's old school...
It's gotta be "psych" as in psych out from the world of head to head competition. Psych out your opponent by getting into their mind and you've got a better chance to win.
Sike...definitely a Bushism
Peter wrote on January 13, 2007 11:40 AM:Two items:
1. That you were incompetent spellers in school doesn't give any validity to the "word" 'SIKE.' I'd expect that sort of claim rom Bush, not you.
2. So she took time away from her other clients? Did she HAVE any other clients? What portion of her income came from her husband's campaign and what portion from the alleged other clients?
-asx- wrote on January 13, 2007 2:35 PM:Yes, it's "psych."
Byrone wrote on January 14, 2007 12:22 AM:"SIKE" is correct. The origin of the word is "psych-" but SIKE is the only way to spell it. What are we dealing with, a bunch of 20-somethings here? We were there when the expression was created, and we know how to spell it - SIKE. More importantly, when when the other dang shoe drop on Doolittle? He's so mucked!
Donna Marie wrote on January 14, 2007 12:46 AM:What other candidates DID she represent?
Dump Doolittle wrote on January 14, 2007 11:01 PM:"And during that critical, desperate time, he did not face a single credible election challenge prior to 2006. He outraised his opponent in 2004, for example, $935,907 to $2,300."
Why bring up petty matters such as facts?
Justin Rood wrote on January 15, 2007 10:56 AM:In a nutshell, here's why "sike" is the correct spelling of the word:
The term indeed emerged as a deviant form of the verb, "to psych (out)." It was first used in an accusatory fashion, generally to label a precedent action or argument by the speaker to be untrue. I won't belabor the point with examples; most of us remember all too well.
However, etymology will only get you so far. To begin with, "psych" is not and never has been a real word. At best, it's a prefix. It's a bit of playground slang that rarely gets used in common adult speech -- hence its rich comedy value.
Since it's not a real word, we approached the question of how to spell "sike" correctly using anthropology. Since the word was created and transformed by a pre-literate culture -- junior high school students -- determining its proper spelling by tracing its Latinate roots is without purpose.
After all, oral cultures don't obsess on spelling and word histories, at least not when we were in junior high. They generally come to use a common spelling (if ever) through a broad, disorganized process of consensus. Though to our eyes the process might be flawed -- after all, it accords disproportionate weight to how "cool kids" and older students spelled words, regardless of their intellectual capacity, and undervalues the contributions by "uncool" students who might actually know how to read and write -- it is the dominant method of sorting out such issues as spelling words like "sike."
In our experience, "sike" was the consensus spelling within the culture which produced the term, and so that is the one we chose to employ. It would be culturally insensitive not to. Also, less funny.
elwood wrote on January 15, 2007 5:11 PM:The term long predates these youngsters.
The term 'psych' is used regularly as shorthand for a 'psychic bid' in bridge: a bid that is a flat-out lie to both your opponents and your partner.
It's been around for generations.
Alan Smithee wrote on January 15, 2007 6:58 PM:How do we know that when you spell it "Sike",
Peter wrote on January 16, 2007 12:09 PM:that you mean Psych & not Psyche
Well I really was hoping you'd either your journalistic duty. In order to assess the measure of Doo's bamboozling, one has to know whether his wife had any other clients and if so, what portion of her "consulting business" revenue came from them.
The reportage is woefully incomplete without that crucial information. If it can't be gotten, perhaps only in practical terms because it would take too much effort, then just say so.
I suppose crafting fatuous arguments around an inanity, as is the case with "proper" spelling, takes too much time away from doing real work.
ohiomeister wrote on January 16, 2007 1:13 PM:From Doolittle's Bio on this site:
Through his wife, Doolittle pocketed nearly $15,000 from his campaign contributions from Brent Wilkes.
In exchange for helping him secure the $37 million earmark for PerfectWave, Brent Wilkes paid Doolittle $14,400 through Doolittle's wife. Julie Doolittle's consulting firm, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions, has no phone listing or Web site and no other known employees. Two of her clients are her husband's leadership PAC and campaign, for which she does fundraising. She gets a 15% commission on contributions, which is an unusual arrangement for a lawmaker's spouse.
Julie Doolittle has gotten $180,000 in commissions since late 2001 just from political fundraising for her husband. Neither Doolittle nor his wife will say who her other clients are, but three others are known: Greenberg-Traurig, Jack Abramoff's lobbying firm; Signatures, Jack Abramoff's restaurant; and the Korea-US Exchange council, a front group run by Ed Buckham, another major player in the Abramoff scandal.
The Federal Election Commission has since issued a request for info about the Doolittle fundraising commissions.
kreine wrote on January 16, 2007 5:45 PM:elwood (and others) are right. 'sike' does not belong or have a root other than the ignorant dolts who had no idea of the slang origin.
Also, your junior high arguement failed this west coaster...where some people would say the p-sound with minuscule delay before saying the word properly with glee.
As a consolation prize, go with syc? At least you'll distinguish yourselves from teh netsp33k.
Planet B wrote on January 16, 2007 7:31 PM:You are wrong. Everyone in my junior high spelled it "PSYCH!"
TruthSeeker wrote on April 18, 2007 4:50 PM:It is SIKE. I was a teen when that word was uttered and written excessively, so I should know. Now, could we please get on with the business of exposing criminals?
Singularity wrote on April 18, 2007 6:43 PM:It's psych, as in psych out. I was in junior high in 1980. I know this to be true.
The only people who spell it "sike" are those who would spell "phat" f-a-t.
e wrote on April 19, 2007 9:15 AM:"Psych" is, in fact, a word and distinct from "psyche". Also, defending your spelling with the Internet "Urban" dictionary rather than any number of easily accessible and more reputable on-line dictionaries speaks for itself. What is so very bad about admitting to a simple (and common) spelling error?
Alpha_Flag wrote on June 7, 2007 2:45 PM:e
i think you're all wrong because when i was watching TV with closed caption on the dude said "sike" and it was spelled \\\PSYKE/// so whatever y'all say, i'll always believe the closed caption on spelling before i believe a dictionary