Life in the Box: How to Speak Democrat

Our new President, Biden, the one who actually won the election by a landslide, has asked for this nation to come together and heal the divide. So, in that spirit, I am supplying a guide to those who lost the election, who I will call Trumpians, in how to speak “Democrat.”

At first, the language will baffle you, as the last President’s language baffled me. I hope I can translate.

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• “Fake News” to Democrats, this means Fox News and Rush Limbaugh and conservative talk radio and all the sources of information that Trumpians listen to. Repeat after me, “Conservative news is fake news.” Good start!
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• “Our plan” to Democrats, means that they have listed items in order to accomplish goals. Sometimes the plan will include a series of steps that they will take, in a certain order. Then, they will proceed to take those steps and measure the outcome. This is the opposite of what Trump used the phrase to mean. He would say “our plan” only when he wanted to imply progress. Then he would never make a plan.
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• “Bi-partisanship” to Democrats, means looking for common ground and working with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to agree on “a plan” and “reality.” This is not the Trumpian use of bi-partisanship, which meant, “I don’t listen to anyone,” and “I can say and do anything I want to.” 
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• “Science” to Democrats, means learning by experimentation and collecting data to help predict trends and apply the knowledge to actions. This word, to Trumpians, means “stuff that people who think they are smarter than me say—and we ignore.” Democrats will be using “science” to “make plans.”
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• “Reality” to Democrats means things you can see, hear, feel, and support with evidence. This is not how the Trumpians used the word. Trump told everyone to not pay attention to what the evidence said or what their eyes could see. If Trump said it, it was real. If Trump did not say it, it was not real. This is not how Democrats are using that term. Hopefully ever.
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• “Pandemic” is the world-wide spread of a deadly disease. Democrats believe the pandemic  is something that needs to be controlled, and will only come under control with measured, “scientific” steps and a “plan” to stop the spread with masks, social distancing, cleanliness, testing and vaccination. Trumpians may recognize this word, which they assumed meant “hoax” and “anti-personal-freedom.” They also thought it was okay for the Covid virus to spread freely. This new use of the word will take Trumpians some time to get used to.
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• “Coup-attempt” to Democrats means the armed resurrection of January 6^th, which killed people, destroyed Federal property, and threatened to end the transition of power. Trumpians tended to use this term to mean “Black Lives Matter” protests, which were met with a major military offensive, unlike the activities of January 6.

I know that for Trumpians, this translation will be difficult. Every definition they know of is the opposite of Democrat-speak. I know from personal experience how difficult this is. After all, I’ve lived through the last four years of Trumpianism. It has been “Hell,” which to me, a Democrat, means “Hell.”

Nancy Heather Brown is a retired, Emmy Award-winning television producer whose career has included interviewing, writing, narrating and editing for a span of four decades. Today, she enjoys learning new things and reflecting upon the creative process and life issues, both inside and outside the box. Her opinions are her own, and are not necessarily those of this web site.