Dropping F-Bombs to Stop Bombs

Up until this past weekend, the biggest headline U.S. Congressman Jamaal Bowman could claim had to do with his fire alarm stunt. But on Saturday, at a rally with AOC in the Bronx, he gave us something new to talk about.

Bowman dropped multiple f-bombs, he yelled, he danced, he slammed a stool, and he capped it off with an unnecessary rain-drenched speech to the press. An interesting campaign strategy indeed.

While DMG is pro-rally, there is a right way and a wrong way to excite a crowd. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to consider the next time you find yourself standing in Jamaal Bowman’s shoes:

#1 — Be Professional. Whether it’s the clothing you wear, the tone you use, or the words you say, all of it must match the setting and the office you hold. It’s appropriate to wear casual clothes at an outdoor event in your district, but that doesn’t mean your language can be so casual to offend. Casual doesn’t mean inappropriate.

#2 — Control Your Body Language. Rep. Bowman now has a primary challenger largely because moderate Democrats disagree with his stance on the conflict in Gaza. It didn’t help his case to call for a ceasefire while yelling and pounding a stool on stage. Using aggressive body language to denounce military action is…confusing. You can be passionate about a position while keeping your body in control. Otherwise, you risk looking like you’re throwing a tantrum.

#3 — Don’t Fake “In the Trenches.” Rep. Bowman didn’t need to speak to the press in the pouring rain with a perfectly good canopy close by. It didn’t stir up any sympathy, and it only left everyone confused. It was forced and inauthentic. A good rule of thumb to follow is that you only stand in the rain if the press is standing in the rain with you.