Responsible journalists use that loaded phrase with care. But we're talking about Politico, so today we get this ugly effort by Jeanne Cummings:

“Class warfare returns to Washington”

Wow, Obama, not known for his angry rhetoric--in fact, he's know for the opposite--has brought class warfare back to the Beltway? Here's how Politico defends using the nasty phrase:

And right on cue, Obama defended his $1.3 trillion in tax hikes over 10 years with a little class warfare.

“I know that this will not always sit well with the special interests and their lobbyists here in Washington, who think our budget and tax system is just fine as it is. No wonder — it works for them,” the president said. “I work for the American people, and I'm determined to bring the change that the people voted for last November.”

You can read that passage twice or three times or ten times and you're not going to find any “class warfare.” (Obama very gently tweaked “special interests and their lobbyists.” That aint class warfare folks.) My hunch is Cummings and her editors knew that but didn't really care because they were wed to the phrase and they were wed to the misleading headline, which has become a sad hallmark at Politico.