In a striking move that exposes the deepening rift within the Democratic Party, a powerful moderate group has issued a definitive list of 'woke' words it wants its politicians to stop using immediately.
The blunt advice, compiled by the centre-left think tank Blueprint, is a direct attempt to claw back support from working-class voters who have increasingly turned away from the party. It argues that progressive jargon is alienating and confusing to the very people Democrats need to win over.
The Forbidden Terminology
The controversial guide, titled "The Persuasion Code," explicitly tells candidates to avoid what it calls "activist-speak." The banned terms include:
- Latinx: A gender-neutral term for people of Latin American descent. The guide insists the term is "not widely adopted" and is disliked by many within the Hispanic community itself.
- BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour): Dismissed as creating a "hierarchy of victimhood" that is off-putting to many.
- Undocumented: The group advises using "illegal immigrant" instead, claiming it is the language used by the voters they are trying to reach.
- Reproductive Health Care: The guide controversially suggests using the more direct term "abortion."
A Battle for the Party's Soul
This internal memo is more than just a style guide; it's a manifesto for a political civil war. The moderate wing, alarmed by recent electoral setbacks, is openly challenging the progressive faction's influence over the party's language and policy.
Matt Bennett, Executive Vice President of Third Way, another centrist group, defended the strategy. He stated that using inaccessible language is a "huge mistake," arguing that voters "hear a word they don’t understand and that sounds like jargon... and they tune out."
The guidance has, predictably, ignited fury among progressives. They accuse the moderates of capitulating to right-wing framing and abandoning core principles of inclusivity and accuracy.
The Strategy Behind the Semantics
This linguistic purge is not born out of mere pedantry. It is a calculated political strategy based on focus groups and polling data. The advisers believe that every time a Democrat uses a term like "Latinx" in a midwestern diner, they lose a potential vote.
The ultimate goal is to reframe the Democratic message around kitchen-table economic issues—inflation, jobs, and healthcare—using clear, simple language that resonates across racial and educational divides.
Whether this strategy will bridge the gap or widen the internal divide remains one of the most pressing questions for the Democratic Party as it gears up for the next election cycle.
