Democrats’ preferred framing of the ideological divide currently racking their party is that of “progressives,” (read: radical socialists) and “moderates” (read: establishment Democrats). Naturally, their allies in the media are all too happy to push this framing as fact, and in the process, they’ve wound up falsely describing a lot of pretty radical politicians as “moderates.”
In the video below, the media describe a handful of candidates and established politicians as moderate Democrats. Of course, there are far more recipients of this label than just those named in the video. But all of the individuals named below have something in common: all of them have expressed support publicly for both “gender-affirming care” for minors and blanket amnesty for illegal aliens.
Obviously, to the average America, neither of those stances are what one would consider moderate. But for the media, that’s precisely what these individuals are. Watch:
Media mouthpieces praise and tout "moderate" Democrats like State Rep. James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed, and former VP Kamala Harris.
— MRC Video (@mrcvideo) October 5, 2026
There's nothing "moderate" about wanting "gender affirming" hormones for kids and amnesty for illegals, but you won't hear that from the media. pic.twitter.com/vkZElzkTBE
Notably absent from all of the media’s coverage of the Democratic party are terms like radical, or far-left. Even the term socialist, which is a literal descriptor in the case of candidates endorsed by the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America), has been applied sparingly during this midterm cycle.
One particularly egregious case is that of radical leftist Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has been endorsed by the DSA, has received support from the DSA, and has campaigned with numerous self-described socialists. Yet because of his own dubious claim that he is a capitalist, that’s what the media dutifully call him.
But of course, these journalists haven’t been duped by the Democratic Party’s word games any more than they were by the Biden White House’s claims that President Biden was mentally acute. Rather, they’re willfully boosting their favorite party’s own tactical framing in an attempt to help Democrats thrive in the midterms. As for whether these labels manage to convince anyone watching — that remains to be seen.
