pivot

[Joel S. Berson]

At 6/10/2012 03:35 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>It's been in media use (political commentary) at least since 2000. It
>might have been an internal campaign term with the Clinton people, but
>it also might have been wider. But "pivot" does not merely mean "change
>the subject", but to change the subject in a particular way while
>pretending to answer the question. The idea seems to be to use the
>question as a jump point for a talking point. Simply changing the
>subject is not a "pivot".

Or is it that for Palin "pivot" is "change the subject (which you
don't know anything at all about) to something else which you think
you do know something about", whereas for Clinton it is "use the
subject (which you know quite well) to segue to a talking point"?

Joel


>     VS-)
>
>On 6/10/2012 9:56 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>I first noticed this a few months ago in _Game Change_, the Gov. Palin
>>movie.  Her adviser suggested that whenever she's asked a question she
>>can't answer, she should "pivot," i.e., immediately change the subject.
>>
>>Since then I've heard it used a lot in reference to politicians.
>>
>>Not in OED.
>>
>>JL
>
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org