Tides have shifted. Your thinking is about 3 years out of date. Things will shift back, eventually, but these days ‘playing nice’ with the establishment is a losing strategy.
Stick to the Benjamin Jowett rule (whether Jowett ever said it or not is a different question): “Never apologize, never explain. Get it over with and let them howl”
You nailed it. The politically correct game is dead.
Politicians are better off expressing exactly what they are thinking. If it makes people uncomfortable and generates headlines it’s a bonus.