Democrats: Words Matter!

Stop using semantics that harm the very causes you want to promote.

1. Delete the words “socialist” and “socialism” from your communications. The majority of Americans do not understand what you mean by these words — they cannot distinguish between :”democratic socialism”, “socialism” and “communism”. I have suggested the phrase “democratic altruism”, but no doubt a better phrase is possible.

2. Delete the use of the phrase “Defund the police”! No intelligent person wants to literally defund or eliminate the police. What we want is a reforming of police personnel, philosophy and practices — to something closer to more successful examples in European democracies.

3. Generally think before you speak or bloviate. Your choice of words, and how you present ideas/goals, matters more than you sometimes appear to realize. Otherwise you turn off many potential supporters and embarrass yourselves. Walking it back is usually not fully successful. Think before you express sensitive ideas and remember who your audience is.