Overview

• The memo, titled "Was It Something I Said?" and addressed to "All Who Wish to Stop Donald Trump and MAGA," compiles roughly 45 terms to avoid across six categories including therapy-speak, seminar language, organizer jargon, gender/orientation correctness, racial terminology shifts, and crime euphemisms.
• Examples flagged include "birthing person," "Latinx," "cisgender," "LGBTQIA+," "the unhoused," and "justice-involved," which the group argues make Democrats sound elitist, confusing or punitive toward everyday speech.
• Third Way says the guidance stems from extensive focus-group work indicating these words function as red flags for many voters who fear social or HR consequences or simply distrust language they don’t understand.
• The authors stress they are not policing speech and acknowledge having used some terms themselves, but urge public-facing Democrats to "talk like a normal person" to broaden appeal.
• Third Way leaders Matt Bennett and Lanae Erickson say they will promote the advice through social media, podcasts and briefings, as the memo draws swift conservative mockery and intra-party debate without any party-wide adoption announced.