Mayberry Machiavelli

English

Etymology

Coined by John J. DiIulio, Jr., who ran President George W. Bush's Faith-based Initiative. See Machiavelli. Mayberry was the name of a small rural town in The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D., US TV shows that ran from 1960 to 1971.

Noun

Mayberry Machiavelli (plural Mayberry Machiavellis)

1. (derogatory) A person who furthers a cause by "reducing every issue to its simplest, black-and-white terms for public consumption", i.e., denying nuance by presenting stark but fallacious alternatives.

   That Mayberry Machiavelli thinks that anybody who didn't support the Iraq war is a Saddam Hussein supporter.