You're completely right that the GOP will look for any ridiculous label to tank a Democrat. Because the opposition is so ruthless with branding, our own national branding becomes incredibly important.
Voters are smart, but modern campaigns are won and lost on the margins in swing districts. If the branding coming out of our safest blue strongholds makes it easier for Republicans to paint our front-line candidates into a corner, it hurts our chances of building that congressional majority we both want.
Republicans are going to weaponize whatever they can, which is exactly why the labels our candidates use matter so much. A Democrat running in a deep-blue NYC district can use a label safely, but a Democrat running in a purple district is the one who has to pay the price when the GOP clips that footage and uses it against them.
I think it's perfectly reasonable to have an honest conversation that points out the importance of being strategic about our national brand so that we protect our most vulnerable candidates and give them the best chance to win.
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