Perhaps Newsweek somehow hasn’t gotten the message that the word “pounce” as in “Republicans pounce” has become such a laughable cliché that even Politico has ditched it in favor of “seized” after years of being mocked for overusing it. Last Sunday, Newsweek pulled out the worn cliché to frame their story by Jason Lemon about how Republicans reacted to the arrest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband for DUI in “MAGA Republicans Pounce After Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Arrested for DUI.”
The story itself wasn’t so much about Paul Pelosi’s DUI but how Republicans reacted or “pounced” in reaction to it:
Pro-Trump Republicans took aim at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, after news broke Sunday that her husband, Paul Pelosi, was arrested over the weekend for driving under the influence of alcohol in Napa County, California.
…Quickly, a number of right-wing commentators and politicians responded to the news by attacking Pelosi, while also criticizing her and her husband.
…”This Memorial Day weekend, remember not to drink and drive. Save a life, call an Uber @SpeakerPelosi,” Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, tweeted Sunday afternoon.
…”How much time in jail will Paul Pelosi spend? He endangered so many lives by his reckless behavior,” author and commentator Brigitte Gabriel wrote in a Twitter post. “If his last name was Trump the media would make this the number 1 story.”
…Nick Adams, a pro-Trump author, wrote in a tweet that, “Paul Pelosi is a thug.” In another post, he said, “The Pelosi Crime Family should be investigated by the Trump Administration.”
…Right-wing podcast host and commentator Mark Levin appeared to blame Paul Pelosi’s alleged DUI on his wife. “Can’t really blame him,” he quipped in a tweet.
Newsweek continued to cite the “pouncing” Republicans to the extent that was the prime focus of the story. In the meantime, perhaps Jason Lemon and other Newsweek reporters should consult a thesaurus to come up with a synonym for “pounce.”
Oh, and since “seized” is also about to become a worn cliché as well, perhaps they should cross that off the “pounce” replacement list or risk continued mockery.
