12 times the Democrats' hip messaging was a complete disaster

From "totes for Joe" to "boy bye"

Bernie Sanders.
(Image credit: Illustrated | oneinchpunch/iStock, Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images for MoveOn, Annykos/iStock)

In some ways, there has never been a more embarrassing time to be a Democrat. With millennials now "the largest voting-age generation in the country," and Gen Z-ers poised to make up one in 10 eligible voters in 2020, the party is naturally hungry for young voters. As a result, Democrats in recent years have gone all in on "cool" internet memes, pop culture references, and cha-chas on Ellen.

Take it from this millennial: Stop. Old politicians trying to be hip is a sort of uncanny valley for my generation — we can immediately see right through it — and it comes across instead as exceedingly lame. How do you do, fellow kids, indeed.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.