LangAlert: "At the End of the Day"

Note: Anne has pointed out that "LingAlert" doesn't really makes sense without the "u" after the "g" (for LinguAlert). So I'm switching to LangAlert (and I've edited the logo based on one of the comments below).

Just as "on the same wavelength" has been usurped by "on the same page" over the last five years or so, I've noticed that "when all is said and done" has now been almost completely replaced by "at the end of the day." I'm sure you've heard it:

"That's a great point, Bill, but the reality of it is this: At the end of the day, do the American people want more money in their pockets or less?"

As with most of these lingoverthrows, mere logic fails to explain it. "At the end the day" is not a more efficient phrase. It has the same number of syllables as "when all is said and done." I think the real reason for its rise is that it's folksier and paints a prettier picture.

I go back to the day at West Publishing when I heard an executive pronounce, "Over the next three months, we will be sunsetting this product line." Doesn't that take you back to the cabin up north, the loons cooing, the August magenta sun gently dipping behind the aspens, below the cool indigo waters...

Until you realize you're out of a job?