“Straw Man” is not a term we use much any more, but it had a long run. The expression has its roots in the 1590s, which makes it almost as old as the currently, more ubiquitous four-letter word that ends with a “k.”

A straw man can be a woman, too, of course. Maybe even transgender, depending upon the intent of the straw person’s creator (that’s creator with a small “c”). So, literally, a straw man is just that — anything from the size of a doll made of straw to a scarecrow whose task it is to discourage birds and deer away from the corn. A straw person could be fitted with a dress, or the more iconic flannel shirt and bandanna. Thus, whether the straw man is he, she, or they, a straw man is, well, straw.

However, as a political strategy, the straw man represents someone or........

© Finger Lakes Times