“Founding Fathers”

Nothing says “I’m a conservative” more than this phrase. That’s because it evokes an image of rich white guys who didn’t like taxes (until they had to wage a war, in which case they raised them to levels unimagined under British rule, but that’s another story). Warren G. Harding coined the term, and since 2000, it has been used almost exclusively by Republicans. The more conservative the candidate, the more likely you’ll hear it. Rand Paul, George Pataki, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry have all flogged the Founding Fathers. But don’t expect to hear this from Hillary Clinton: She uses “Founders” instead.

“A more perfect union”

This is the liberal response to “Founding Fathers.” From the Constitution’s preamble, the phrase originally expressed the hope that the Constitution would be an improvement over its predecessor, the Articles of Confederation. Today, liberals use it to imply that the nation and perhaps even the Constitution weren’t immaculately conceived and stand in need of reform. You’ll encounter it especially when politicians want to take on large issues such as race or the increasingly prominent role of big money in politics. Expect to hear this from Clinton and especially openly liberal presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has used it before to celebrate Independence Day.