The liberal think tank, Third Way, has issued a stern warning to Democrats, cautioning them against the use of "woke" jargon that could potentially estrange voters.
The think tank released a memo on Thursday, detailing 45 words and phrases that they believe Democrats should steer clear of, as they are not part of the everyday vocabulary of the average citizen. This was initially reported by Politico.
According to the Daily Caller, Third Way's memo suggests that the language often used by Democrats paints the party as "extreme, divisive, elitist, and obfuscatory enforcers of wokeness." The memo reads, "In reality, most Democrats do not run or govern on wildly out-of-touch social positions. But voters would be excused to believe we do because of the words that come out of our mouthswords which sound like we are hiding behind unfamiliar phrases to mask extreme intent."
The think tank has identified a category of language it refers to as "Therapy-Speak," which includes words and phrases such as "privilege," "environmental violence," "dialoguing," "othering," "triggering," and "microaggression." The use of such language, Third Way suggests, gives the impression that Democrats are asserting their moral superiority over voters, implying that they are more empathetic and that voters are indifferent to the feelings of others.
Furthermore, the memo advises Democrats to avoid using "Gender/Orientation Correctness" terminology, which includes words such as "birthing person," "cisgender," "deadnaming," "heteronormative," "patriarchy," and "LGBTQIA+." The think tank argues that the use of such language implies that traditional views on gender and gender roles are outdated or even offensive.
This advice comes at a time when the Democratic Party is attempting to rebrand itself ahead of the midterm elections, following a significant drop in approval ratings and substantial losses in the 2024 Election Day. Some Democrats have recently expressed concerns that party members are beginning to "speak like professors."
Matt Bennett, Third Way's executive vice president of public affairs, told Politico, "We are doing our best to get Democrats to talk like normal people and stop talking like they're leading a seminar at Antioch. We think language is one of the central problems we face with normie voters, signaling that we are out of touch with how they live, think and talk."
Bennett also highlighted the recent attention this issue has received from comedians like Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman, as well as elected officials like Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who are urging their colleagues to communicate more naturally.
In an interview with Politico, McBride, a biological male who identifies as a female, stated that "voters feel like Democrats have sort of been assholes to them." Lanae Erickson, Third Way's senior vice president, echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the Democratic Party has become overly cautious about causing offense, which has resulted in a lack of relatability.
This concern is underscored by a recent New York Times analysis of voter registration data, which revealed that the Democratic Party lost approximately 2.1 million registered voters between the 2020 and 2024 elections, while the Republican Party gained 2.4 million registered voters in the same period.
This data underscores the urgency for the Democratic Party to reconsider its communication strategy and reconnect with its voter base.
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