The neologism is American political jargon that is used as a pejorative description of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("Stimulus Bill"). It is a play on words meaning a pork barrel spending bill thinly disguised as an "economic stimulus bill". The term is also a homonym for "porculus," the Latin species name for the extinct Guadalcanal Rat. Historical origins The term comes from a January 29, 2009 Wall Street Journal editorial by the conservative American talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh. Examples of usage *In 2009 in the referenced column: "This 'porkulus' bill is designed to repair the Democratic Party's power losses from the 1990s forward, and to cement the party's majority power for decades." *Also in 2009, Marc Comtois of Anchor Rising writes: "Ben Stein (h/t) boils the "porkulus" package down" *Also in 2009, FreeRepublic staff write: "Democrats are continuing their attacks on talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh over his opposition to what he has described as "Obama's Porkulus Bill." Media usage *30 January 2009. "GOP Stakes Its Claim With Stimulus Vote," Perry Bacon Jr. and Paul Kane, Washington Post.
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