By Caroline Downey
Thursday, August 07, 2025
In 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.
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