Democrats’ ‘Woke 1’ Hangover
Why should voters buy your ideological transformation?
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Today in Free Expression, columnist Matthew Continetti finds it hard to tell the difference between the Democratic Party’s different camps; Mary Julia Koch worries about men not at work; and Howard Husock identifies an overlooked reason why schools have gotten worse.
But first, let’s remember what some would like us to forget . . .
Progressives in 2026 Are in a Catch-22
—Emma Camp
Shortly before this week’s primary, Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong came under scrutiny for a series of old comments. Not only did Ms. Hong once support abolishing the police, but in 2020 she bizarrely called to “cancel Thanksgiving.” She described it as “the original superspreader event that killed Indigenous folx and women.” Making matters worse, in a 2021 interview, she grumbled about her “proximity to whiteness” through her half-white son.
While such linguistic contortions as “folx” and “proximity to whiteness” were all the rage only a few years ago, they now seem—at least to mainstream Democratic voters—extraordinarily off-putting. When asked about Ms. Hong’s comments, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attempted to chalk them up to a kind of temporary madness, one that all of us were infected with during the pandemic era. Right?
“Francesca Hong has made clear her present stances to her electorate,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said during an ABC interview. “Woke 1 was crazy,” she added, bursting into strained laughter. “Woke 1,” the coinage of Chi Ossé, a left-wing New York City councilman, refers to the period roughly spanning from President Trump’s first election in 2016 to his second victory in 2024. The term is a way of dismissing the worst excesses of the #MeToo movement and the 2020 “racial reckoning” as the lovable mistakes of a bygone era. Remember when we all wanted to abolish prisons and thought being on time was white supremacy? Ha!
Alas, voters aren’t buying it. Ms. Hong narrowly lost a race she was predicted to win handily. While outcomes in individual races are complicated and not necessarily broadly applicable to other elections, Ms. Hong’s unexpected loss does indicate that, while voters might not be put off by socialist economic policy, the kind of “woke” ramblings Ms. Hong engaged in online are alienating—and hard to forgive.
As the “vibe shift” takes hold, Democrats who enthusiastically partook in the most extreme “Woke 1” rhetoric find themselves in a bind. Their old statements now seem unhinged. They can admit they were wrong, perhaps with a nod and a wink to how crazy we all went during lockdown. Or they can dig in their heels and stand by their old positions. Neither option is particularly attractive.
If you try to distance yourself from 2020-era statements, you come off as intellectually spineless and willing to go along with whatever’s popular, either because you have no ideas of your own, or because you’re too cowardly to break ranks. Your convenient conversion might also not be believed. As Ms. Hong found, no one buys that a 37-year-old ought not be judged by the beliefs she held as a 31-year-old. Refusing to capitulate feels good, but doesn’t solve the core problem that voters perceive you as an extremist crank.
So what is a plucky, progressive Democrat suffering from a nasty 2020 hangover to do? If it were me, I’d start by deleting my tweets.
Gen Z’s Futures: What’s the over/under on a 401(k)? Ask the 52% of Gen Z investors who redirected funds meant for investing into sports betting in the past year. According to a new Betterment survey, 26% of Gen Zers see this as a long-term financial strategy. The addiction is undeniable: Betting apps are more fun to use than investing apps, and the instant results of win-or-lose bets offer a powerful dopamine rush. Yet wagering on the outcome of a hockey game or whether a quarterback throws more than 2½ touchdowns isn’t the same as thoughtfully planning a retirement strategy. As Sarah Levy, CEO of Betterment, said in a statement, “These products are designed to keep people seeking the next quick score, not to help them build toward the next decade.” — Mary Julia Koch
Twilight of the Gods: A public art project intended to honor Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 270th birthday is running into a serious problem: thieves. The installation by German artist Ottmar Hörl comprises more than 300 golden statuettes of the composer displayed across Salzburg, Austria. Unfortunately, more than 200 of the diminutive figures—each under 20 inches tall—have been stolen. On the one hand, one hates to see thieves get away with nabbing art. On the other, what exactly did the artist think would happen? A similar tribute to composer Richard Wagner also met the same fate. — E.C.
Rad Dad Bod: There’s a popular perception that associates fatherhood with a soft and ungainly frame. Stephen Biebelhausen, 30, must not have gotten the memo. Dr. Biebelhausen, an ER physician, recently completed the Guardian Mile race in Cleveland in 4 minutes and 17 seconds. It’s an impressive time for a postcollegiate athlete. But he made it even more impressive by completing the race while pushing his young daughter in a stroller. His currently unofficial time would break the Guinness World Record for a stroller-pushing mile if certified. Time to get off the couch and put away the beer, dads. — Jack Butler
Beware the Democrats’ ‘Redshift’
Matthew Continetti
For the past generation, the trend on the left has been in one direction: larger government on one hand, less personal discipline on the other. Hence a better way to evaluate Democrats would put substance before terminology.
If a candidate wants to impose Medicare for All, abolish ICE, and remake America’s constitutional system, he’s moving toward the socialist platform even if he doesn’t admit the label.
Read Matthew’s Column ⧁
Young Men Are Abandoning the Workforce
Since 2019, American men aged 15-24 have been spending less time working, exercising and sleeping, and more time gaming, and more recently, sports betting.
How We Got Fewer and Worse Schools
Teachers unions emerged as power brokers in the 1960s, as seen in the 1968 New York City teachers’ strike. But don’t overlook the role played by a different big-government education “reform” movement: school-district consolidation.
By Howard Husock
Not Safe at Home
Asymmetrical technologies threaten to bring war to America. Are we ready?
By James B. Meigs
Left-Wing Candidates Are Hype Masters
But as Francesca Hong’s defeat shows, it’s not always justified.
By Jack Butler
Don’t Autumn My Summer
The pumpkin decor may be coming out, but I’m holding onto summer as long as I can.
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The rantings of leftists “seem” unhinged? Note to Emma, they ARE unhinged.
And as the interwebs are forever, deleting those tweets won’t work. If the media did its actual job which is reporting, not covering up, not editorializing not framing the narrative, the left wouldn’t stand a chance at anything. Why? Because THEY ARE UNHINGED!!!!!
Their pretending not to be hard leftist is not very convincing. It’s wink, wink to the cadres letting them know that they’ll come back out of the closet as soon as the elections are over.