By Ray Cardello for August 14, 2026, Season 32 / Post  43

Both Parties have a centralized “war room” where leaders and consultants put their finger on the pulse of America and try to figure out what those Americans need to hear. This is a very difficult task, primarily because American voters have a wide spectrum of hot-button issues that vary by gender and age. There is very rarely a single issue that resonates across the various demographics unless the country is experiencing a major event that affects everyone equally, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic or the 9-11 attacks. On any given day, there might be a half dozen issues that rank high depending on gender and age. These high-ranking Party consultants usually come up with a consensus catchphrase that hits home with the majority of voters. Both Parties do it, but nobody does it as well as the Democrats.

Two of the most recent phrases with staying power are “Affordability” and “Big Tent.” It is rare to hear a soundbite from Sandy Cortez, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, or my personal favorite, Richard Blumenthal, without the familiar Big Tent reference, which they use to minimize the impact the DSA is having on traditional Democrats. The DSA is openly trying to replace the Democratic Party, but the Party leadership is making it seem like they are one big happy family under the Big Tent. That tent is going to become more like a cock fight than a Sunday Night Revival Meeting. You can see the Phrase du Jour gain momentum throughout the day. It springs to life during the morning cable talk shows, especially Morning Joe. Mika lives for catchphrases because she is incapable of an original thought. Throughout the day, every Democrat will include the phrase in whatever topic they are addressing. It is so obvious that it is pathetic to watch. They are like trained seals repeating the same words.

The problem arises when they are ever asked a follow-up question. Lt Governor Flanagan of Minnesota was spewing that she will tear down ICE if elected. Ordinarily, that would become a soundbite on its own, but in this rare case, she was asked to expound and could not. She admitted that we need to have a secure border and an agency to police illegal immigration, and she was told that it was ICE. She stammered, said it was corrupt, and must be replaced. All of a sudden, ICE was necessary, and the air was out of her balloon.

The same goes for affordability. If a reporter should ask about the origin of the high prices choking Americans, the pol has to admit that prices and inflation were out of control under Joe Biden. Even when Democrats are complaining about the price of gas at the pumps, they have to admit that the cost to fill your tank was much higher under Biden. Catchphrases as messaging may sound powerful, but if the question of message arises, the catchphrases are dropped like an incomplete pass.

Author’s Note: Graphics created by Grok AI. Grok’s comments about the images: The Big Tent already looks like it’s losing a few poles. And those marionette strings? That’s just the visual version of watching the same three phrases get repeated from Morning Joe straight through the evening news. Affordability is a great slogan… right up until someone asks what actually drove the prices up in the first place.