Show Notes
According to the centrist group Third Way, Democrats should scrub their vocabulary of 45 words and phrases spanning six pejoratively titled categories: therapy-speak, seminar-room language, organizer jargon, gender/orientation correctness, the shifting language of racial constructs, and explaining away crime. “Was it something I said?” Third Way asks of Democrats’ losing streak. No—winning is something you do.
This week, Katelyn and Christine cancel "Centrist Language Nannies,” debunking Third Way and the rest of the pundit class’s overhyped language policing. Our hosts make the case for concrete policies that help people and—spoiler alert—win elections.
Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy!
Links for Apple:
Follow Katelyn on Bluesky: @katelynburns.com Follow Christine on Bluesky: @yourombudsmom Third Way (with our regrets for linking): Was It Something I Said? Adam Wren for Politico: The ‘woke’ words Democrats should cut from their vocabulary Dr. Alan Pelaez Lopez: The X in Latinx is a Wound, Not a Trend Nicole Froio for The Flytrap: Deny, Defend, Depose, Slay: How Luigi Mangione Became a Thirst Trap Buy Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger via The Flytrap’s Bookshop.org affiliate link Merch Me, Daddy—Cancel Me, Daddy’s merch store!
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“Where is James Talarico?” second-rate conservative activists and Nazi enthusiasts asked when the Democratic Texas Senate candidate took a short break from the campaign trail in October. Their uncoordinated right-wing rumors ultimately coalesced to a conspiracy theory claiming that James Talarico had checked into an Ohio mental health facility ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In reality, James Talarico was at home in Texas. He had the flu. Even a conservative news publisher criticized the conspiracy theory, calling it “sloppy.” This week, Houston-based Chron.com Texas culture reporter Gwen Howerton joins Katelyn and Christine in the final stretch to the 2026 midterms. Katelyn, Christine, and Gwen discuss how conservative provocateurs bungled the opportunity to smear James Talarico and the very real possibility that he’ll beat Republican Ken Paxton on Election Day. Cancel Me, Daddy is a progressive media criticism show hosted by journalists Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi. New episodes every other week.
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