No Sympathy For ‘Empathy’

A week is a long time in the politics of a word. And the word that defined the new Supreme Court nominee for Republicans? empathy? has taken on a rapidly different meaning from the one intended by President Obama when he set forth the criteria for the nominee earlier this month. Now Obama seems to have dropped the word, opting for explanations that can’t easily pop up on cable talk shows. The Takeaway talks to language columnist Barbara Wallraff to look at the true meaning of the word and its rapid evolution in Washington.