Capitol Words - US Congress In A Word A Day

June 21, 2008 8:55 PM

Capitol Words allows you to see what the most often used word was on any given day in the U.S Congress. [via mefi projects]
posted by Effigy2000 (23 comments total)

"terrah" isn't really a word.
posted by yhbc at 8:58 PM on June 21

September 12, 2001: nation Used 242 times
September 14, 2001: war Used 496 times
posted by ColdChef at 9:09 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

And...for what it's worth...On September 10, 2001: available Used 364 times
posted by ColdChef at 9:10 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

I'm wondering what they were talking about last friday that Caribbean was the most used word.

In my mind, Nancy Pelosi was giving up the juicy deets about her weekend getaway to Sandals Jamaica with Orrin Hatch.
Oh, forbidden love...
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 9:12 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

Very interesting. sunlightfoundation if you're watching it would be nice to have a calendar view with the top ten words for everyday as a way of seeing trends and also an indication of how much more popular the 1st place word is compared to 2nd.
posted by Mitheral at 9:22 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

OIL
OIL
OIL
HOUSING
ENERGY
OIL
IRAQ
OIL
HEALTH
OIL

yeah, that pretty much sums up our nation's problems right there.
posted by Avenger at 9:25 PM on June 21 [3 favorites]

I'm guessing this excludes commonly used words like 'bill' and 'vote' somehow?
posted by empath at 9:41 PM on June 21

I wanted to see what they were talking about on my birthday. Doesn't go back before January 2000. Oh well. ...funny that the first date which would come to my mind to search on is my own birthday. I'm so horrendously self-centered. LOL!
posted by ZachsMind at 9:45 PM on June 21

Look, guys! Dennis Kucinich had an impact!
posted by dismas at 9:46 PM on June 21

Mitheral, we're working on a variety of visualizations and expanded views. Will keep you (and mefi) posted.

Effigy2000, thanks for the bump from projects to the blue.

empath, we are using a collection of specific "stop words" to exclude common utterances and congressional lingo.
posted by sunlightfoundation at 9:48 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

I like the week in March where the only word mentioned is "recess".
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 10:02 PM on June 21

That was a weird day, and this surprises me. I suppose it was some horrible discussion of copyright extensions.

What you say !!
posted by sonic meat machine at 11:11 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]

August 12, 2006: Bananaphone

Who would have thought?
posted by Bromius at 11:35 PM on June 21 [3 favorites]

Bromius is being disingenuous. The word for that day is supposedly "Sorry," but we all know that word is almost never used in Congress.

Yes, I know it says "Sorry. No word is available for this day"
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:09 AM on June 22

Shouldn't this be capitalized, or maybe not.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:13 AM on June 22

What, no "the"? How do they get by without definite articles?
posted by anotherpanacea at 7:35 AM on June 22

anotherpanacea, that's been covered.
posted by dmd at 7:54 AM on June 22

My guess would've been "I", every single day.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:39 AM on June 22

It should be pointed out that every word in the Congressional Record isn't actually spoken--texts of bills are routinely inserted without ever being read aloud, and the whole purpose of Extensions of Remarks is to allow House members to insert material without having to use up session time. Still, cool idea.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:39 AM on June 22 [1 favorite]

I'm wondering what they were talking about last friday that Caribbean was the most used word.

The Senate wasn't in session, and the House met for all of three minutes, so not much of anything was discussed. Even the Extensions were very light, so Rangel's tribute to the Caribbean Community Conference skewed the results.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:59 AM on June 22

This is brilliant. Thank you for a wonderful find.
posted by Surfin' Bird at 9:09 AM on June 22

It's a long way from freedom fry, I spose.
posted by DenOfSizer at 10:33 AM on June 22

what's the old joke? 'you write the bill, and I'll write the committee report'? Heh.
posted by anotherpanacea at 10:48 AM on June 22