Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. It seems like Democrats are trying to figure out how to explain away some of the far-left things they said back in 2019 and 2020, which is being referred to as “peak woke” or “woke 1.0”. I mean, who comes up with these terms? Anyway, Kamala Harris had a tough time with this during her 2024 presidential campaign, especially with some of her transgender policies. And now, it’s becoming an issue for some key 2026 races.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently suggested that we should just laugh off these past comments, saying “Woke 1 was crazy” and implying that it’s okay to change our minds. But, bless their hearts, it’s not that simple. Ocasio-Cortez, who once supported defunding the police, now says that Covid expanded the range of acceptable political discourse, but it’s “not rhetoric that we would use today”. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
It’s not just Ocasio-Cortez, though. Other Democrats, like former Biden White House aide Yemisi Egbewole, are saying similar things. Egbewole credited Texas Senate candidate James Talarico for distancing himself from his past woke comments, saying “Peak woke got weird. It’s okay to say that!” Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we’re having this conversation.
Francesca Hong, the favorite in Tuesday’s Wisconsin gubernatorial primary, is trying to distance herself from her past statements about abolishing police and canceling Thanksgiving. She told Politico that she had some “hot takes” and “bad takes” on Twitter, but she’s “evolved” and “learned”. I mean, who hasn’t had a bad take or two on Twitter, am I right?
But, in all seriousness, this has become a big problem in US politics. Republicans are calling out Democrats for trying to explain away their past comments, with Chris Christie saying that we should hold politicians accountable for what they’ve said over their careers. However, Christie has also changed his stance on President Donald Trump multiple times, so maybe he’s not the best messenger on this issue.
It’s not just Christie, though. This has become an epidemic in US politics, with politicians on both sides of the aisle trying to explain away their past comments. The late GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have all done it. And let’s not forget Trump’s years-long assault on the truth, with his supporters defending it by saying we should take him “seriously” rather than “literally”.
The problem with all of this is that it removes accountability from politicians. If they can just explain away their past comments, then what’s to stop them from saying whatever they want in the future? It’s a bad idea to formalize a system where comments from five days or five years ago can be dismissed as unimportant ramblings from another political moment.
In conclusion, this whole “woke 1.0” thing is a mess, folks. Politicians need to be held accountable for what they say, and we need to reward those who take positions they actually believe in and can stick to. Otherwise, we’ll just be stuck in this cycle of politicians saying whatever is convenient at the time, and that’s not good for anyone. And, as I always say, you can’t make this stuff up – but unfortunately, it seems like politicians can.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
