Democrats are scrambling to craft new strategies to get back into power after their ignominious defeat in 2024.
Folks on the left have finally decided to give up on identity politics and focus on solutions – okay, I can’t finish this sentence with a straight face. But I tried, and that should count for something, shouldn’t it, dear reader?
The truth is, Democrats continue to show they have failed to learn their lessons after Republicans beat them like Mike Tyson whupped Peter McNeely in last year’s elections. Instead of looking inward and figuring out where they went wrong, the left is jumping headfirst into the definition of insanity, thinking things might just be different next time.
And this, ladies and germs, is where the “dark woke” phenomenon has emerged. The New York Times, as well as other media outlets, have touted this supposed change as a way for the left to “get their groove back.”
As liberals try to get their groove back, some party insiders say Democratic politicians have been encouraged to embrace a new form of combative rhetoric aimed at winning back voters who have responded to President Trump’s no-holds-barred version of politics.
It’s an attempt to step outside the bounds of the political correctness that Republicans have accused Democrats of establishing. And it requires being crass but discerning, rude but only to a point.
Online, it has a name: “Dark woke.”
Bhavik Lathia, former digital director for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, told The Times that the GOP has “essentially put Democrats in a respectability prison” and that “There is an extreme imbalance in strategy that allows Republicans to say stuff that really grabs voters’ attention, where we’re stuck saying boring pablum.”
“Dark woke” is a particularly online phenomenon – at least for now. It can trace its origin back to the days when leftists dubbed former President Joe Biden “Dark Brandon” in memes and other online silliness.
And which Democrat darling best exemplifies the “Dark Woke” trope today? I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count.
Yep, you got it: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), the low-rent AOC who is more interested in snappy sound bites and cringeworthy performances on the House floor than actually pushing policy.
Crockett has made a spectacle of herself on numerous occasions. She famously told Elon Musk to “f*** off” and ranted about “white tears.” I have to say, if Democrats want to beclown themselves with this Dark Woke movement, they couldn’t have a better figurehead than the profanity-using, code-switching, heavy eyelash-wearing Crockett.
Just take a quick look at her pretending to be a “very serious lawmaker” because she is “truly a black woman.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: "I am a very serious lawmaker... but at the same time, if you try me you will find out. Cause I am truly a black woman."pic.twitter.com/mfKTqk3cpn
— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) April 19, 2025
Yet, Democrats seem to be highly enthused with Crockett’s brand of political theater, according to The New York Times.
Ms. Crockett’s moment became a meme. It was printed on T-shirts. It got her an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel. And now, Democratic strategists say, it has become a perfect example of “dark woke.”
The reach of Ms. Crockett’s comment seemed to show that Democratic clapbacks could permeate into cultural spaces, giving the leaders who delivered them new platforms to spread their ideas. To a new, younger generation of Democratic staffers, this was exactly the link they had seen their opponents exploiting for years.
“All these new staffers, we grew up seeing extremely vile content overflowing from right-wing spaces into regular spaces,” said Caleb Brock, 23, the director of digital strategy for Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California. “We’re ready to combat that by any means necessary.”
So, to put it simply, Democrats want to become more Trumpy. It makes sense given that Trump’s bombastic nature won him favor with the right over a decade ago. Now, media outlets are claiming this is something of a sea change in how Democrats will approach politics.
But there’s a problem.
See, the thing is, Democrats never actually changed. They have always been nasty to their political opponents. Hop in the Delorean with me and let’s go back to 2024 when leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker blamed Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians on President Donald Trump.
He said the attack was “a direct consequence of the Abraham Accords and many of Jared Kushner’s and Donald Trump’s administration’s actions, like moving the embassy to Jerusalem.”
You might also remember how Democrats incessantly compared George W. Bush to Hitler, right? Also, didn’t Biden claim Mitt Romney wanted to put black people “back in chains?”
Clearly, this Dark Woke nonsense does not signal that Democrats are changing their ways. Instead, they are simply doing what they have always done. In fact, one of the reasons why Trump became popular on the right is that he gave the left the same treatment Democrats have been giving conservatives for decades.
Moreover, this line of attack won’t work without a leader with the charisma of Trump. So far, they don’t. Folks like Crockett aren’t going to cut it with anyone who isn’t already a passionate Democrat. But, at least it will be entertaining, right?