Ten Words or Less

Arjun Sawhney

In a candid assessment of the political landscape, Chicago Councilwoman Sara Mathers put it plainly: Democrats are overthinking, and Republicans are out-communicating. “They’ve always just been way better at their narrative and their messaging,” she said. “One of the problems the Democratic Party has is a purity and academic lens on everything.”

The comment is more than just frustration - it’s a diagnosis of a long-standing Democratic problem. The party tends to speak in policy briefs and white papers, not gut punches and clarity. While their policies often align with what the public needs - affordable healthcare, strong public education, workers’ rights - they struggle to make people feel it. 

Republicans, by contrast, know how to tell a story. Whether it’s “build the wall” or “stop the steal,” their slogans are short, emotional, and repeated endlessly. They don’t get lost in the details; they paint in broad strokes. Those strokes may be misleading, but they stick. 

Democrats often do the opposite. They wrap every proposal in layers of context, careful phrasing, and academic hedging. They try to anticipate every possible critique. The result is messaging that feels sterile, even to the voters it's supposed to energize. Say “universal pre-K” and it resonates; say “means-tested access to early childhood development programs through state block grants” and you’ve already lost your audience.

The “purity lens” Mathers referenced is another part of the problem. Increasingly, Democratic messaging is shaped not by frontline organizers or everyday voters, but by academic and ideological filters. Everything must be correct, inclusive, nuanced, and thoroughly vetted. But voters don’t operate like that. They are busy, skeptical, and bombarded with noise. Clarity and conviction cut through; caveats do not.

This isn’t an argument for oversimplification. It’s an argument for directness. Democrats don’t need to sacrifice substance to be heard. They need to speak like they mean it. Instead of leading with policy frameworks, they should lead with values: fairness, dignity, opportunity, freedom. Instead of trying to explain the machinery of government, they should explain what changes in people’s lives.

It also means choosing one clear message and sticking with it. Democrats often abandon talking points too quickly, chasing nuance or fearing backlash. But successful political communication relies on repetition. A message isn’t heard once; it’s absorbed through steady, emotional reinforcement.

At a time when disinformation spreads faster than fact, and attention spans are shorter than ever, Democrats can’t afford to complicate what they stand for. The core principles are already popular. What’s missing is the courage to say them simply.

Councilwoman Mathers’ quote should be a wake-up call. The public doesn’t need another 50-page policy document. They need to know, in ten words or less, what Democrats are going to do - and why it matters.