Romnesia

[Ben Zimmer]

The earliest I've found for this is from April 4, 2011:

http://blog.hcfama.org/2011/04/04/romnesia/

The Politico cite below notes its use on Daily Kos -- I believe it was
popularized there by AlyoshaKaramazov in a May 10, 2012 comment:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1090543/46039144#c24

--bgz


On Fri, Oct 19, 2012 at 5:45 PM, David Barnhart  wrote:
>
> Romnesia, n. {w} See the first quotation.  Nonstandard (used in slang
> contexts dealing especially with U.S. politics; frequency?)
>
> This type of reaction was typical-one blog even accused Romney of trying
> to spread "Romnesia."
>
> "On this matter, the candidate now would like the whole nation to suffer
> from what he so often does: Romnesia, that public unremembrance the
> governor
> loves to apply when what he has done and said in the past is an
> inconvenient
> reminder of his political fickleness," wrote blogger Meteor Blades at the
> Daily Kos. Tim Mak, "Mitt was Mr. Mandate," Politico.com (Nexis), June 6,
> 2012, p not given
>
> Then he suddenly declares: "I will recommit America to the goal of a
> democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and
> security with the Jewish state of Israel. On this vital issue, the
> president
> has failed."
>
> Well, which one is it? Is this acute Romnesia or what? As Kerry has
> commented on Romney's foreign policy proposals, "Talk about being for it
> before you were against it!" Roger Cohen, "Multiple-Choice Romney," The
> New York Times (Nexis), Oct. 12, 2012, p not given
>
> Composite (compound): formed from (Mitt) Rom(ney) (born: 1947), Republican
> candidate for U.S. President in 2012, + (am)nesia (OEDs: 1786), as in
> Clintonesia (DC 7.4: 1992).

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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