bully pulpit :

bully pulpit

We occasionally still use the old positive meaning of the word “bully” when congratulating somebody (sincerely or sarcastically) by saying “Bully for you!” A century ago “bully” meant “good,” “great.”That’s why Theodore Roosevelt called the American presidency a “bully pulpit,” meaning that it provided him an outstanding platform from which to preach his ideas. The expression is often misused by writers who mistakenly think it has something to do with preaching at people in a bullying way.

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Definitions

  • n  a public office of sufficiently high rank that it provides the holder with an opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any matter
News & Articles

  • Hamburg opposes state gun legislation
    Hamburg Town Board members Monday night weighed in on two issues over which they have little control but their bully pulpit: New York State’s SAFE Act gun-control legislation and the proposal to build 128 apartment units off Roundtree Village.
    June 11, 2013 - The Buffalo News
  • Hamburg opposes state gun legislation
    Hamburg Town Board members Monday night weighed in on two issues over which they have little control but their bully pulpit: New York State’s SAFE Act gun-control legislation and the proposal to build 128 apartment units off Roundtree Village.
    June 11, 2013 - The Buffalo News