Misusing misnomer

I have recently encountered many instances of people on the radio and on TV using the word ‘misnomer’ (which has a dictionary definition of “a name that is wrong or not proper or appropriate”) when they seem to mean ‘misconception’ or ‘misunderstanding’. This interview on NPR with an Indiana congressman provides an example of this increasingly common usage. He uses the word at the 2:33 mark in response to a question that begins at around 2:00.
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Indiana surprises: Sanders wins, Cruz bows out

Yesterday’s primary results in Indiana produced two unexpected results. First off was the surprise win by Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton by five points (52.5% to 47.5%) when the pre-election poll average had Clinton leading by close to 7 points. The relentless media coverage that it was all over for Sanders and that it was time for him to bow out would normally result in a snowball effect where people start drifting to the presumed leader and supporters of the trailing candidate do not bother to vote. That this did not happen and that there was a 12-point difference between polls and the final outcome suggests that many voters still cannot reconcile themselves to the policies Clinton represents and are determined to have their voice heard.
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Single payer health care move in Colorado

I am a strong advocate of a government-funded single payer health care, along the lines of the ‘Medicare for all’ plan proposed by Bernie Sanders. Colorado is putting such a plan on the ballot for November. It is called Amendment 69 and the parasitic health insurance industry backed by oligarchs like the Koch brothers has gone all out to try and get people to vote it down.
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Great clip of Jon Stewart from 2014

Jon Stewart was a master at political satire and when he retired last year it was by no means because he was losing his touch. Here is a clip from 2014, just a year before he stepped down, that shows the range of comedic skills that he could bring to what he did best, and that was deliver an epic rant excoriating the hypocrisy of politicians and their media enablers.
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Dang! We were this close to proof of heaven

People often ask atheists what it would take for them to believe in the existence of god. I for one can think of an infinite number of things that would persuade me that god exists. When asked I say that if god commandeered all the TV stations in the world to announce that at a particular time the next day s/he would appear in the sky simultaneously all over the world to be seen and heard by everyone and that it indeed happened as promised, that would be pretty conclusive.
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Who would be better to lose, Trump or Cruz?

Tomorrow is the Indiana primary. On the Republican side, the conventional wisdom is that Ted Cruz has to win the primary if he has any chance of stopping Donald Trump from winning a majority of delegates before the convention. Cruz’s Hail Carly pass of naming Fiorina as his running mate is an indication of his desperation. But even if he loses, I do not expect him to concede the race. He will continue to run, hoping to chip away delegates here and there and that somehow a miracle happens and a contested convention turns to him as the savior
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