Democratic troubles revive debate over left-wing buzzwords

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Washington Post Header

From โ€œintersectionalityโ€ to โ€œequity,โ€ many say jargon is alienating key voters. But progressives say inclusive language is vital.

Maybe itโ€™s using the word โ€œoligarchsโ€ instead of rich people. Or referring to โ€œpeople experiencing food insecurityโ€ rather than Americans going hungry. Or โ€œequityโ€ in place of โ€œequality,โ€ or โ€œjustice-involved populationsโ€ instead of prisoners.

As Democrats wrestle with who to be in the era of President Donald Trump, a growing group of party members โ€” especially centrists โ€” is reviving the argument that Democrats need to rethink the words they use to talk with the voters whose trust they need to regain.

They contend that liberal candidates too often use language from elite, highly educated circles that suggests the speakers consider themselves smart and virtuous, while casting implied judgment on those who speak more plainly โ€” hardly a formula for winning people over, they say.

The latest debate is, in part, also a proxy for the bigger battle over what the Democratsโ€™ identity should be in the aftermath of Novemberโ€™s devastating losses โ€” especially as the party searches for ways to reverse its overwhelming rejection by rural and White working-class voters.

โ€œSome words are just too Ivy League-tested terms,โ€ saidย Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona). โ€œIโ€™m going to piss some people off by saying this, but โ€˜social equityโ€™ โ€” why do we say that? Why donโ€™t we say, โ€˜We want you to have an even chanceโ€™?โ€

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear โ€” who, like Gallego, is considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful โ€” made a similar point.

โ€œI believe that, over time, and probably for well-meaning reasons, Democrats have begun to speak like professors and started using advocacy-speak that was meant to reduce stigma, but also removed the meaning and emotion behind words,โ€ Beshear said, citing such examples as using โ€œsubstance abuse disorderโ€ to refer to addiction.

โ€œIt makes Democrats or candidates using this speech sounding like theyโ€™re not normal,โ€ Beshear said. โ€œIt sounds simple, but what the Democratic Party needs to do is be normal and sound normal.โ€

Byย Naftali Bendavid

Read Full Article on WashingtonPost.com

Read Full Article

The Washington Post
The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/
The Washington Post offers breaking news, live coverage, investigations, analysis, video, photos and opinions with the latest on U.S. and international news.

Sweeney Swoon

Sydney Sweeney donned American Eagle jeans and hawked them as part the "Sydney's got great jeans" campaign, and the Left acted like she'd committed an atrocity.

Lay Democrats to Waste, Post Truths in Copy and Paste!

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) humorously stated, โ€œOur secret plan for dealing with the Democrats is called, โ€˜Operation: Let them speak.โ€™โ€

Congress doesnโ€™t Care What the Average Person Thinks

In researching voting rights issues, a study provides a foundation for the statement โ€œgovernment officials donโ€™t care what people like them think.โ€

Domestic Terrorists Rain Adult Toys on WNBA Courts in Multiple Aerial Assaults

In what might be described as the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11, multiple WNBA courts have been pelted with brutal flying missiles.

Democrats Are In Disastrous Shape As Midterms Loom

According to CNN's Harry Enten, โ€œThe Democratic brand is in the basement. It is total and complete garbage in the mind of the American public.โ€

What to Know About Texasโ€™s Redistricting Showdown

TX Democrats defied Gov. Abbottโ€™s call to return to state for a hearing on redrawing Congressional lines, setting up a showdown between the two sides.

Texas House Votes to Arrest Democratic Lawmakers Who Left State

TX House of Reps voted 85โ€“6 to arrest Democrat lawmakers who werenโ€™t present when House went into session, due to fight over congressional districts.

Agriculture Secretary Clears 6 More States to Ban Purchasing Soda With Food Stamps

Ag. Sec. Rollins signed waivers filed by Colorado and five other states allowing them to ban use of food stamps to buy soda and other sugary drinks.

Harley-Davidson Names Topgolf Chief Artie Starrs as New CEO

Harley-Davidson named Artie Starrs, chief executive of Topgolf, as its new president and CEO, as motorcycle maker seeks to reinvigorate growth.

Trump Vows to โ€˜Substantially Raise Tariffโ€™ on India Over Russian Oil Imports

Trump said he would โ€œsubstantiallyโ€ raise tariffs on goods from India, citing countryโ€™s continued purchase of Russian oil despite his demand that it stop.

European Union Suspends US Tariff Countermeasures for 6 Months

The EU will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs for six months, a European Commission spokesman said on Monday.

Trump Says Americans Could Get Dividends From Tariff Revenues

President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that his administration could distribute dividends from tariff revenues to Americans with certain income levels.

Tariff Rates โ€˜Pretty Much Set,โ€™ Says US Trade Representative

President Trumpโ€™s trade representative, Jamieson Greer, said that Americans should expect the administrationโ€™s tariff levels to remain where they are.
spot_img

Related Articles