By Michael Kelman Portney

If the left wants to win—if it really, truly wants to win—it has to start with this simple, brutal truth: nobody wants to be scolded. They don’t want to be told they’re wrong for not knowing the newest terminology. They don’t want to feel like they’re tiptoeing through a linguistic minefield every time they open their mouths. They want to hear bold ideas, clear goals, and practical solutions to real-world problems. And if we’re serious about building a movement that can last—one that can actually improve lives—we have to stop alienating people with a never-ending game of language policing.

Let’s start there: the strategy. The left needs to focus on what actually brings people together—authenticity, action, and results. Not jargon. Not endless purity tests. Not performance. Just results. Because the only thing worse than losing elections is losing your credibility in the process. And right now, that’s where we’re heading. The more time we spend patrolling each other’s language, the less time we spend actually making life better for the people we claim to represent. And guess what? Voters notice. They see the energy wasted on linguistic squabbles, and they tune out. They walk away. They find other, simpler narratives that don’t make them feel judged.

Now, this isn’t about abandoning decency or respect. It’s about perspective. About recognizing that real power—the kind that changes laws, shifts culture, and improves lives—doesn’t come from perfect speech. It comes from a strong, cohesive movement that knows what it wants and knows how to get there. And that means we need to be focused, disciplined, and tough enough to let go of the distractions. It’s time to stop letting language cops dictate the conversation. It’s time to stop pretending that linguistic perfection is a substitute for meaningful action.

This is the strategy: stop alienating the very people we need to bring into the fold. Stop wasting energy on public shaming and purity policing. Start talking to people where they are—using words that resonate, not words that feel like they were pulled from an HR manual. Start leading with clarity, conviction, and the kind of grit that says, “We’re here to get things done.” Because if we can’t do that—if we can’t deliver results—we’ll keep losing. Not just elections, but the trust and respect of the people we claim to fight for.

So, what does that look like in practice? For starters, it means focusing on the issues that matter most. Healthcare. Jobs. Education. Climate change. Economic justice. These are the fights that define people’s daily lives. They’re the fights that win elections. And they’re the fights that make the left a force to be reckoned with. But we can’t win these fights if we’re constantly bogged down in linguistic disputes. We can’t win if we spend more time on social media feuds than we do on building coalitions. We can’t win if we let the loudest voices in the room hijack the agenda and turn it into a never-ending purity contest.

When we focus on delivering results—real, tangible improvements in people’s lives—we build trust. We show voters that we’re serious, that we’re not just playing at politics. And once we have that trust, we can start building a movement that’s strong enough to withstand attacks, smart enough to adapt, and bold enough to keep pushing forward. That’s the strategy. That’s how we win.

But there’s a reason we’ve strayed from this path. It’s easy—seductive, even—to get caught up in the language wars. To feel like you’re doing something important every time you correct someone or call them out. It gives you a quick hit of moral superiority. It makes you feel like you’re on the right side of history. But here’s the harsh reality: moral superiority doesn’t win elections. It doesn’t put food on the table. It doesn’t clean up the air, fix the roads, or keep the hospitals running. All it does is make you look like you care more about winning arguments than actually helping people.

The right loves this. They eat it up. Every time we waste time arguing about terminology, they run another ad about how out of touch we are. Every time we cancel one of our own for a minor infraction, they point to us and say, “See? They can’t even get along with themselves.” We’re handing them ammunition, gift-wrapped and ready to use. And for what? A fleeting sense of ideological purity? That’s not strategy. That’s self-sabotage.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can turn this around. But it starts with discipline. With focus. With the willingness to step back and ask, “What actually matters here?” If the answer is delivering results for the people who need them most, then that’s where our energy should go. Not into language policing. Not into purity tests. But into building power—real, lasting power that can change lives and shift the course of history.

When we shift our focus to action, we set ourselves up to win. We give people a reason to believe in us. We show them that we’re here to fight for them, not to lecture them. And when people feel that—when they see a movement that’s bold, clear, and unapologetically focused on results—they join us. They vote for us. They fight alongside us.

That’s the strategy. That’s the path forward. But it requires courage. It requires letting go of the need to always be “right” and focusing on what works. It requires humility—the willingness to admit that not every word choice matters, that not every slip-up is worth a crusade. And it requires strength—the kind of strength that says, “We have bigger battles to fight. Let’s win them.”

This is how the left can win: by dropping the language policing, embracing authenticity, and staying laser-focused on delivering results. If we can do that—if we can discipline ourselves to stay on message, prioritize what matters, and refuse to get sidetracked—we will win. Not just at the ballot box, but in the hearts and minds of the people who need us most. The left’s winning strategy isn’t complicated. It’s clear, simple, and powerful: stop wasting time on distractions, and start delivering results. That’s how we win. That’s how we build a movement that lasts. And that’s how we change the world.