Hello, I'm Adam Wren.

And I'm Megan Messerly. It's Friday, August 22nd.

And this is the Playbook podcast. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming White House reporter Megan Messerley back to the show.

Good morning, Megan. Good morning, Adam. How are you?

Good. It's always so fun to have you. What a treat. It's always so lovely to be here.

Let's get right to what's driving the day. Our first story today has to do with the power, or occasionally

sometimes the lack thereof, of political rhetoric. In their ongoing

effort to come back from their devastating losses at the ballot box in November, Democrats have

gotten some new guidance on how to win over voters, and we have all the details for you today,

fresh in Playbook and here on the podcast. And it's not so

much about what they should do, Megan, as it is about what they should not do. I'm going to throw

out some terms here, triggering, heteronormative, microaggression, food insecurity. These are just a few of the handful of words that the center

left Democratic group third way are saying that Democrats should avoid in their political

messaging and talking points. They say, quote, the words put a wall between us and everyday people

of all races, religions, and ethnicities.

These are words that people simply do not say, yet they hear them from Democrats, end quote.

We obtained this memo shared with us first by third way, about 45 different words across six categories from criminal justice to faculty lounge

phraseology that Democrats should just stay clear of. And so this comes as Democrats are sorting

through the wreckage, the rubble of their November losses, losing substantially up and down

the ballot in counties across the United States. Megan, I was fascinated by J.D. Vance this

week when he sat down with Laura Ingram, and she asked him essentially how deep in the wilderness

are Democrats, and he responded, I'd give them some free

...