Third Rail

The phrase third rail is a political metaphor used to denote an issue or topic that is so controversial or charged that it is actually politically dangerous. Indeed, any politician who introduces such a subject runs the risk of suffering political damage.

“His district is in the agricultural belt so the cutting of farm subsidies is a third rail issue for him.”

The metaphor stems from the third rail in train systems—the exposed electrical rail that carries high-voltage power to run trains. Naturally, touching such a rail will result in death. The use of the term in a political context serves to emphasize the backlash that results from raising a divisive idea, and the political damage that the provocative or uninformed politician will likely suffer. Whether a specific issue is a third rail issue may be the subject of some debate, however, the following examples are generally considered to be third rails in the U.S.:

• Increasing taxes
• Eliminating or altering the scope of Social Security – an insurance program that provides benefits for retirement, disability and death
• Creating a national identity card
• Reforming the criminal justice system or prisons

Different countries have different third rail issues. For example, in Sweden the question of Sweden’s neutrality has historically been an untouchable issue for politicians.

and on a lighter note…

The term lobby, in the sense of conducting activities intended to influence public officials for or against a specific cause, is said to have originated from the Willard Hotel. Located next to the White House in Washington, D.C., the Willard’s lobby served as a meeting place where people waited in the hopes of gaining access to the powerful officials who regularly passed through.