Eric Adams Delivers a Masterclass in the Politics of Euphemisms

At CNN, New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, serves up a lovely little illustration of the parlous state of American political discourse. Adams writes:

Let’s leave aside whether this sweeping generalization “about what Black and working-class folks want and need” is, in fact, correct, and focus on what he’s saying. “In my experience,” Adams insists, “they don’t want ‘help.’ They want what they have earned.” And that, inter alia, is “schools, child care, health care or housing,” which represent “the basics that they paid for by doing the jobs that keep our country running.”

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Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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Eric Adams

At CNN, New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, serves up a lovely little illustration of the parlous state of American political discourse. Adams writes:

Let’s leave aside whether this sweeping generalization “about what Black and working-class folks want and need” is, in fact, correct, and focus on what he’s saying. “In my experience,” Adams insists, “they don’t want ‘help.’ They want what they have earned.” And that, inter alia, is “schools, child care, health care or housing,” which represent “the basics that they paid for by doing the jobs that keep our country running.”