Congressional speeches drop a grade

[freedom fighter jh]

11. I doubt that it means much.

The test they use, the Flesch-Kincaid test -- is based on word length and sentence length. The longer the words and the sentences, the higher the score.

A higher score doesn't necessarily mean a better speech. Big words and long sentences are hard to understand (thus the high grade level), but that doesn't mean they say anything. It is harder to state things clearly and simply than to use a lot of big words and long sentences.

This could even mean Congress is improving -- maybe they're a little less highfalutin and full of themselves than they used to be.