English

Prepositional phrase

in the tank

1. (US, politics, idiomatic, usually followed by for) Supportive, approving, favorably disposed.
   • 2008 May 5, Howard Kurtz, "Media Notes: Obama's Chilly Spring," Washington Post (retrieved 2 Nov 2016):

     [J]ournalists were stung by a pair of "Saturday Night Live" skits that portrayed them as in the tank for Obama.

   • 2009 Feb. 11, "Craig Rubin: L.A. mayoral candidate," Los Angeles Times (retrieved 2 Nov 2016):

     "We are working hard to get the word out and meet the people, but in some ways it seems as if the press is in the tank for Villaraigosa."

   • 2016 Feb. 12, Paul Krugman, "On Economic Stupidity," New York Times (retrieved 2 Nov 2016):

     Leading the charge of the utterly crazy is, you won’t be surprised to hear, Donald Trump, who has accused the Fed of being in the tank for Democrats.

Usage notes

• Frequently used in descriptions of reporters or media organizations as biased in favor of a particular politician or political party.