Dark Woke = Brat Summer

Both have as much substance as a unicorn fart in a windstorm.

Dark Woke.

The first time I heard this I honestly thought this was from the Babylon Bee – but it isn’t. Democrats are actually doing this, at least according to the New York Times it is a real tactic (think Jasmine Crockett). This attempt to rebrand their messaging reveals a deeper struggle within the party to break free from what they perceive as a “respectability prison” imposed by Republicans. As Bhavik Lathia, a communications consultant and former digital director for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, put it, “Republicans have essentially put Democrats in a respectability prison. 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. I see this as a strategic shift within Democratic messaging - I’m a big fan of ‘Dark Woke.’”

The term draws its brand inspiration from “Dark Brandon,” a meme that Democrats co-opted to portray President Joe Biden as a tough, laser-eyed, no-nonsense leader even as the evidence he was falling apart was growing.

The idea behind “Dark Woke” seems to be to infuse progressive messaging with a similar edge - think provocative language, bold insults, and a dose of what some operatives describe as “masculine energy.” I’ve noticed that their new image of “masculine energy”, Mayor Pete, is about as evocative of masculinity as their old one, Timmy Walz.

Democrats hope this will resonate in a media landscape dominated by “dude-heavy pop-podcast programming” and cut through the alleged noise of Republican rhetoric, which often leans into cultural grievances and unfiltered bravado. One Democratic operative even claimed that Republicans “fear” Dark Woke, projecting the same wishful thinking attributed to their use of Dark Brandon – when everywhere outside the Democrat focus groups, Dark Brandon became a joke.

But is Dark Woke a genuine strategic pivot or a desperate attempt to mimic Republican tactics? Spoiler alert - it’s the latter.

The Democratic Party’s messaging has long been criticized for being overly cautious, technocratic, and disconnected from the visceral concerns of everyday voters. Policies like expansive climate initiatives or student loan forgiveness, while popular in some circles, often fail to capture a majority’s enthusiasm when pitted against economic anxieties or cultural flashpoints. Republicans, by contrast, have mastered the art of attention-grabbing soundbites—whether it’s railing against “woke” institutions or framing Democrats as out-of-touch elites. This approach thrives on simplicity and emotional resonance and has the added benefit of being factually true.

They think this “culture of dude-heavy pop-podcast programming, provocative insults and so-called masculine energy”, can be duplicated through adding some cuss words (said by people who come off as completely insincere) to their “boring pablum” and their policy prescriptions of which no majority approves. Some of these Democrats sound like a five-year-old who heard his dad saying a cuss word and is now trying it out in front of an adult audience at a church social. A politician awkwardly dropping an F-bomb or trying to channel podcast-bro energy risks alienating voters who can smell inauthenticity a mile away.

The stupidity of Dark Woke theater doesn’t address the root issue: policy disconnect. No amount of spicy language can mask the fact that many Democratic proposals - like defunding the police or aggressive DEI mandates - struggle to find broad support. Polls consistently show that while voters lean left on issues like healthcare or abortion, they recoil from progressive overreach on cultural matters. Dark Woke’s focus on style over substance doubles down on this disconnect, prioritizing viral moments over persuasive policy arguments.

Dark Woke is less of a revolution and more of a symptom of Democratic frustration.

Republicans sure as hell don’t fear it – any more than they did Kammie’s “Brat Summer” - they are simply laughing at it. The real challenge for Democrats isn’t finding a snappier catchphrase or a tougher persona. It’s crafting policies that can garner majority support, and a message that feels authentic, addresses voters’ core concerns, and avoids pandering to the loudest voices on social media.

One might suspect that “Dark Woke” will go the way of “Brat Summer.”