Third rail (metaphor)
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Not to be confused with the political phrase Third Way.
The phrase third rail is a metaphor in politics to denote an idea or topic that is so "charged" and "untouchable" that any politician or public official who dares to broach the subject would invariably suffer politically.
The third rail in a train system is the exposed electrical conductor that carries high voltage power. Stepping on the high-voltage third rail usually results in electrocution. The use of the term in politics serves to emphasize the "shock" that results from raising the controversial idea, and the "political death" that the unaware or provocative politician would encounter as a result.
Disagreement may occur over whether a specific issue is a "third rail" issue. Nonetheless, the following examples are often "third rail" issues in western democracies:
- Raising taxes
- Eliminating or radically reducing the scope of a major social program, like social security, welfare, or the healthcare system
- Cutting funding for law enforcement
- Creating a National Identity Card
- Ending support for Israel
- Supporting mass amnesty or mass deportation in regards to illegal immigration
Third rail issues usually only die when a politician who has proven his credentials on related matters ignores the taboo and openly challenges the controversial issue. For example, ending recognition of the Taiwanese government in favor of the Communist People's Republic of China was long a third rail issue in the United States, until Richard Nixon openly began to establish ties with the PRC under his One China policy. The consensus was that since Nixon had proven himself to be a staunch anti-Communist on other major issues, he could "get away" with doing something that would otherwise appear to be a very pro-Communist gesture. The saying "Only Nixon could go to China" has become a popular explanation of how third rail issues die.
During 2007, the issue of net neutrality in the United States was considered by some to be a new third rail issue. [1] [2]
