From the Heartland: Hagelisms

Gunscribe, From the Heartland has coined a new word to describe an aspect of what passes for passes for politics in these parts. He lumps them together under the category of Hagelisms. Not unlike the way "to Bork" has made its place in the American lexicon, Gunscribe hopes to see Hagelisms make it into the dictionary.

To hagel, a verb, as in "Many Nebraskans feel they are being hageled." To me it means to attain high office by appearing to be just like your constituency, then going public with screw-ball ideas in such a manner as to make it seem your constituency has turned into screw-balls. The MSM loves the way Senator Hagel has been hageling the Nebraskans who sent him to Washington. Nebraska voters are made to look like they share Hagel's defeatist, cowardly stance in the War on Terror. We've been hageled.