Kathleen Parker: Now the left is sounding nutty as the 'birthers'

Is anyone tethered to Earth anymore? Romney said he would repeal Obamacare because he always says this. What would the word parsers have said if he had adjusted his message to be more palatable to a crowd from which no one expected more than basic civility? They would have said he was a deceiver, a shape-shifter, a manipulator and a dishonest broker.

As for the term "Obamacare," this is widely used, including by columnists who are strictly limited by word count. I'll never use four unwieldy words that most people don't recognize, such as "The Affordable Care Act," for one word that everybody understands: Obamacare.

It has a ring to it that means nothing beyond what it is — short, memorable and to the point, sort of like "Romneycare," which Democrats use frequently. What sort of dogs are they whistling to, one wonders? Trying to stoke the rage of all those "very black" or "very Latino" Mormon haters?

Ridiculous.

Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.