Leaked text messages are usually intended as a reputational hit job. Sometimes it backfires.

Democratic Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego sent a series of text messages obtained by Human Events where he laces into his own party.

Gallego correctly alleges that the Democrats are not allowing men to be men and women to be hot.

“We used to be the party of sec [sic] drugs and rock and roll.”

Gallego continued his criticism of his party’s image.

“Now Dem women look like Dem men and Dem men look like women.”

A screenshot of the leaked conversation began with a message from an unidentified Republican correspondent counseling Gallego that he thinks it’s time that somebody with a cool head and a solid plan could rise to the top of his party.

“Oh man have you met my party ? I have been yelling at them this the whole time.”

The unidentified correspondent then sent Gallego a photo of Democratic Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro with the in-picture caption reading If erectile dysfunction had a face.

“They aren’t wrong!”

DeLauro who is 82 years old is best-known for her short cut purple hair.

“We look like the not fun party. Always telling and correcting people.”

Gallego responded to the leak in a conversation with ABC15’s Ben Brown.

“It’s very heartbreaking that someone that I served with and have known and been really good friends [with] for 20 years decided to … leak some of these messages. But I’ve been very clear about where I think the party needs to be, I think we have to be an open and bigger tent party, and so this is just a reflection of everything I’ve said.”

At least he didn’t apologize for the comments. Many politicians would have immediately walked back such blunt criticism of their own party and issued groveling apologies.

The leaked messages reveal what many Democrats likely say in private but would never admit publicly. Gallego’s observation that his party has lost its appeal captures a fundamental shift that has happened over the past decade.

Democrats once positioned themselves as the party of youth, rebellion and fun. They attracted young voters by seeming cool and countercultural. That image has completely flipped.

Today’s Democratic Party has become associated with lecturing, correcting and policing what people say and think. The fun party has become the finger-wagging party that tells everyone what they’re doing wrong.

Gallego’s comment about men not being allowed to be men reflects frustration with the party’s embrace of gender ideology. Traditional masculinity has become suspect in Democratic circles while confusion about basic biology has become mainstream.

His observation about women not being allowed to be hot touches on the party’s complicated relationship with femininity and attractiveness. Democratic messaging often suggests that caring about appearance is somehow shallow or problematic.

The exchange about Rosa DeLauro’s appearance may seem mean-spirited but it reflects a real perception problem for Democrats. The party’s most visible figures often seem designed to repel rather than attract voters.

Gallego expressing disappointment that a longtime friend leaked the messages shows the risks politicians take when they speak candidly. Someone he served with for 20 years decided those private conversations were worth exposing.

His response that this is just a reflection of everything he has said publicly suggests Gallego has been making these arguments within his party for some time. The leak simply confirmed what he was already willing to say openly.

The modern Democratic Party has transformed from countercultural to the culture itself. When leftism becomes the establishment, rebellion means rejecting leftism not embracing it.

Young people looking to defy authority today are more likely to find that spirit in conservative or libertarian movements than in a Democratic Party that represents every major institution from corporations to universities to entertainment.

Gallego’s willingness to criticize his party so bluntly even in private messages suggests some Democrats recognize they have a serious branding problem. Whether the party can actually change direction remains doubtful given how entrenched its current leadership and ideology have become.

The senator’s refusal to apologize for the leaked comments was perhaps the most notable part of his response. In an era when politicians typically grovel at the first sign of controversy, standing by his honest assessment took some courage.