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The Dems Pivot to Cringe

Field notes from the Democrats’ evolving identity crisis—the emphasis on authenticity, cringey social media campaigns and all.

Ed Markey, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
“The caucus and staff are all trying to convince members to do more direct-to-camera, off-the-cuff videos,” a House Democratic chief of staff told me, referring to a format popularized and arguably perfected by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Abby Livingston
March 25, 2025

Among the many terrifying changes foisted upon Democrats since Donald Trump’s victory in November has been the need to loosen up. Four years too late, Democrats are wondering how the party of the working class came to be viewed as the party of the managerial class, led by Ivy League grads on one side and Ivy League student activists on the other—a movement that cares more about message discipline and avoiding wrongspeak than actually appealing to voters.