Watergate involved wrongdoing by republican staffers. Bengazi (allegedly) involved wrongdoing by democrats. So there is little debate as to which descriptor a democrat would adopt to attack a fellow democrat.
But the use of "gate" does show the age of the candidates. I'd bet most under 30s in the US do not link 'gate' with watergate.
> I'd bet most under 30s in the US do not link 'gate' with watergate
Doubt it. I'm 24. First of all, we obviously learned about Watergate in high school history. Moreover, ever since Watergate happened, people have been overusing the "gate" suffix. Just look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_with_%22-gate...
But the use of "gate" does show the age of the candidates. I'd bet most under 30s in the US do not link 'gate' with watergate.