They have fallen into the profanity trap.
I n stand-up comedy, the Seinfeld principle holds that using curse words can cheapen your set or become a crutch. A tried-and-true way to command attention is to hurl obscenities, whether toward an audience or in private conversation. But it is often undignified, not just because it sounds crude but because it shows a lack of thought and creativity on the part of the speaker. The Democratic Party has fallen into the profanity trap, a sign of their struggle to regain relevance after 2024.
Representative Jasmine Crockett recently went on a characteristic rant against President Trump. “Donald Trump is a piece of sh**,” she told a crowd. “Okay, we know that. He is. He is. But in a functioning democracy, he would not be able to get away with this.”
This, from the party that claims Republicans have raised the temperature and caused a breakdown of decorum. But Crockett has proudly made this her personal brand, as my colleague Jeff Blehar has noted.
In March, she said, “Free speech is not about whatever it is that y’all want somebody to say. And the idea that you want to shut down everybody who is not Fox News is bullsh**.”
It likely feels cathartic for the Democrats to be so boorish toward members of the opposition, whom they regard, as they have made clear even without using expletives, as scum. It’s not just the Squad and their peers who are swearing as a tactic; progressive politicians from Eric Swalwell to Tim Walz have partaken of the trend when firing up supporters. But shock, delivered by raw language, is not a substitute for substance. In trying to sound cool and grab attention, they look desperate.
In November, the country shifted to the right, demanding a return of normalcy, meritocracy, and commonsense policies to support economic prosperity and national sovereignty. Months later, the Democrats show little interest in moving to the middle, opting instead for vulgarity and theatrical stunts like sit-ins and the flight from Texas amid a gerrymandering battle.
The Democratic Party remains torn between the power centers of its old and new guards. But the latter cohort appears to be defining its brand with bottom-of-the-barrel tactics. Representative Rashida Tlaib took to banging a metal food container outside Congress to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Senator Cory Booker delivered a non-filibuster, 25-hour protest speech, not for a vote or a pressing issue on the floor but to go viral.
With Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez edging out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in polling for a hypothetical New York Senate primary match-up, the old-guard senator is trying to adapt in the cringiest way possible.
“Donald Trump and the White House announced they’re going to spend 200 effin’ million dollars to build a large, fancy White House ballroom,” Schumer said in a video last week.
Please, Chuck, we know you don’t actually talk like that. But the political veteran knows his career could be ended by younger radicals who are more uncouth. It’s true that relatability is increasingly a valuable currency in politics and media. But a potty mouth doesn’t necessarily pay. And you can’t fake authenticity, as Kamala Harris and her contrived “vibes” campaign proved.
President Trump, on the other hand, is so unfiltered that you wish he’d keep a few things to himself. That’s likely part of the reason why young men flocked to him: because he said the quiet part out loud all the time. The bro-coded casual podcast was Trump’s natural habitat, while in the few Kamala Harris appeared on, she was as stiff as a board.
Since entering the political arena, Trump has publicly cursed on occasion. Exasperated for a time by Iran and Israel’s conflict, Trump said in June, in what later became a meme, “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.” Few Democrats can deny that Trump is often funny without even trying. Unfortunately for the many Democrats who now cuss like sailors to communicate their political points, their remarks never get that much mileage.