‘Not Normal’: Dems Say Their Party Members ‘Have Begun To Speak Like Professors’

A growing number of Democrats are arguing that members of their party need to reconsider their use of certain left-wing words and phrases if they want to better connect with voters they lost in the 2024 election cycle, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Some members of the Democratic Party are raising concerns that many of their candidates have become too reliant on using elite-sounding phrases, which they claim is a type of language that could isolate working-class voters, according to the Washington Post. The article cites examples of left-wing words and phrases often used by Democrats, such as “oligarchs,” “equity,” “justice-involved populations” and “intersectionality.”

“Some words are just too Ivy League-tested terms,” Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego told the Washington Post. “I’m going to piss some people off by saying this, but ‘social equity’ — why do we say that? Why don’t we say, ‘We want you to have an even chance’?”

Meanwhile, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told the Washington Post he believes that Democrats using certain left-wing words can result in them sounding like they are “not normal.”

“I 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,” Beshear told the outlet, citing examples such as referring to addiction as “substance abuse disorder.”

“It makes Democrats or candidates using this speech sounding like they’re not normal,” Beshear added. “It sounds simple, but what the Democratic Party needs to do is be normal and sound normal.”

The Washington Post’s report comes amid a growing number of reports that the Democratic Party is attempting to develop a new messaging strategy to regain voters they lost in the 2024 presidential and Congressional elections. The party has also faced a slew of recent surveys showing poor approval ratings among voters.

Similarly, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in February that Americans now view the Republican Party as the party of the working class and see the Democratic Party as the “party of the elites.”

“Honestly, Democrats trip over themselves in an attempt to say exactly the right thing,” Allison Prasch, who teaches rhetoric, politics and culture at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told the Washington Post. “Republicans maybe aren’t so concerned about saying exactly the right thing, so it may appear more authentic to some voters.”

“Republicans have a willingness to paint with very broad brushstrokes, where Democrats are more concerned with articulating multiple perspectives,” Prasch added. “And, because of that, they can be hampered by the words and phrases they utilize.”

Earlier in May, Democratic strategist James Carville said he believes that Democrats need to stop using a spate of left-wing words and phrases he deemed as ineffective or isolating to voters, citing language such as “oligarchy,” “equity” and “generational change.” Carville added that he thinks some left-wing words used by Democrats are often “just not helpful.”

“We’re going to have limited time to make our case. When we have whatever limited time we have, and we’re fighting back at all this, I think we should be very careful … So when you hear your elected representatives and you hear Democrats or you hear sane people using words that are not the right word, let them know that that kind of language is not helpful,” Carville said at the time. “It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person — it’s just not helpful.”

Relatedly, Rahm Emanuel, a former Obama White House chief of staff whose name has recently been floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, claimed in a Wall Street Journal interview published Monday that the Democratic Party brand is “weak and woke.”