Gov. Josh Shapiro has a new slogan for how he wants to run Pennsylvania—and it's not fit for kids' ears. "We've got a GSD attitude in the Shapiro administration that means we focus on getting, you know, stuff done," he told a news conference Monday. "There's children here, so we'll just say 'stuff.'" That was the G-rated version of the line he's been delivering in recent months. Occasionally, Shapiro just comes out and says it: "Get s--- done." The phrase has become the governing philosophy and brand of Shapiro, a freshman governor considered a rising star in the Democratic Party and among a handful of governors who are building their national profiles and positioning themselves for a 2028 run for the White House, per the AP.
Shapiro debuted the s-word slogan last June in Philadelphia when he announced the reopening of a section of Interstate 95 that had collapsed 12 days earlier. He has since hauled out the phrase during a few other speeches, usually substituting "stuff." He's also using the initials "GSD" to title his latest statewide media tour and on his website to tout his accomplishments. Shapiro isn't the kind of norm-breaking politician who might be expected to cuss in public. The 50-year-old former state lawmaker, county commissioner, and state attorney general is generally considered a relatively buttoned-down politician who carefully controls his messaging. Neither is he known for casually cussing in private.
Shapiro has long held the philosophy that government should get stuff done for people, and the saying was used frequently between campaign staff and Shapiro in the 2022 campaign, said his press secretary, Manuel Bonder. "It's something that's representative of how the governor feels about governing and leading," Bonder said. Regardless, the saying has prompted some eye rolls. "When I first heard it, I thought it was unseemly for a governor, but I guess I'm getting used to it," said state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon. "I still cringe. ... Are we lowering the bar now?"
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Swearing by politicians also isn't necessarily new, although it's increasingly breaking free from taboos. Former President Trump—labeled the "profanity president" in a 2019 New York Times headline for his use of obscenities in speeches or rallies—had a lot to do with breaking down the staid ways in which politicians communicate, said Texas A&M communications professor Jennifer Mercieca. Still, Mercieca couldn't think of another politician who'd adopted a slogan with a swear word. More here.
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