Faux outrage campaigning is so 20th Century, can we break free from that past?

[Tom Rinaldo]

Seriously, it's an old stale dog and pony show perfected in the Atwater era, a staple of negative campaigning used to dominate spin for a 24 our news cycle rather than illuminate real issues - starting first and foremost with whatever real issues are being distorted into faux outrage for immediate political gain.

It's the comment artfully taken out of context, the supposed "snub" that supposedly says volumes about what a candidate really values, the garbled comment uttered at the end of yet another 14 hour day, the poor choice of words by a candidate surrogate suddenly elevated into a scandal...

It's not apologizing enough, or apologizing too much. It's not wearing a flag pin, or not remembering the name of a local football franchise quarterback. It's body language or hair style, being too high or too low energy. It's being caught smiling at some private something, somewhere, on a day when our nation is feeling grief. It's not using the preferred words to condemn something bad fast enough, or to acknowledge something good soon and well enough.

It makes people really tired of politics. It demeans the profession of public service. It makes people want to give up on changing anything beyond their most personal realms. That's not an accident, that's the intent. Republican aren't the only ones who practice voter suppression, all negative campaigning is focused precisely on just that: Secure your base then depress the hell out of most voters so that they will fall away, leaving your guy or gal the last one standing in the mud.

And it is practiced nowhere more fervently than on discussion boards like DU. Has it become blatant enough yet for it to be seen for what it is, a perverted orchestrated parody of real political discussions? Talking points scream from the subject lines of OP's here in eerie twelve part harmony, echoing the latest take downs of the day being pushed by campaign spokespersons across a broad multi-media spectrum.

Is it too soon to say; enough is enough?

[DebDoo]

1. It makes people really tired of politics." I think that's the point :(

[Fumesucker]

3. That popped out at me too, I agree with you

[randr]

2. Your point is well taken

However, the twittersphere has compounded the acrimony and is part of the new century.
We appear to be devolving.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. I recognize that this is partisan, but I think it is true regardles...

I think Bernie Sanders raised the bar at least in so far as nationally produced campaign materials are concerned. He as been in politics for a long time and always stayed away from overt hit pieces, and carried that perspective into this campaign. So I give him credit for changing the tone there while also acknowledging that he Clinton campaign has been doing the same with its paid advertiser during this go around. Very few creepy voice overs with ominous music and grainy ugly shots of the candidates so far this primary season.

But in spokesperson talking heads commentary and in the twitterspehere as you note faux outrage talking points continue at a deafening roar.

[randr]

6. Packageing will alway change over time

The real vitriol inside of this disgusting election is a product of our very current circumstance.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. The generational divide this time is telling though

Among those under 45, and 30 in particular, most of the interest in the primary contest is oriented toward Bernie in a positive manner - sharing his statements & videos of him, sharing testimonials to him, sharing positive campaign developments like endorsements etc. rather than predominantly attacks against Hillary - though there is some of that too certainly. The latter is partially explained I think by the fact that she has a long history that features quite prominently, in the minds of younger activists, her vote for the IWR in particular, whereas Bernie didn't enter this campaign with the same type of baggage among younger voters.

Nothing turns around on a dime but I believe younger voters are increasingly oriented toward finding something to believe in rather than tearing apart adversaries. At least I hope so.

[randr]

10. Younger voters have always been attracted to progressive candidates

and if the current crowd of new voters showed up in any numbers above 60% they would make history and rule the world.

[NCTraveler]

4. "Faux outrage campaigning is so 20th Century, can we break free from that past?"

It is clearly not a thing of the past. I would actually say it is more prevalent today than it ever has been. There are reasons it is more influential today than ever. The internet and social media.

I do think your overall point is spot on but it isn't going to go anywhere. Owning 24 hours in a news cycle is huge. It simply is. Winning news cycles really is the name of the game currently.

[Bonobo]

8. What a great, great post. A thousand recs. nt

[reddread]

9. Its the same people.

about to ride off into their offshore havens forever.

[mythology]

11. Who determines what is real or faux outrage?

Are Sanders' taxes? Clinton's transcripts? The question of who is "qualified"?

Sanders views on guns? The term Bernie Bros?

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. It takes some discernment. But usually not that much

It's kind of like telling the difference between a genuine artifact and a forgery. One mimics the other but authenticity is lacking from what is faux compared to what is real. The key variable is sincerity. Any individual can sincerely be outraged by anything. But the more wide spread the "outrage", the more one of these two things is true. Either something truly outrageous on a grand scale is happening, or outrage is being mass produced the way counterfeit Rolex watches are manufactured in Asia.

Clearly spin doctors of every stripe attempt to pass off faux outrage as genuine. What the outrage is over doesn't matter, only who it is directed at. Just like most forgers don't give a whit about what they are literally counterfeiting, just as long as they can make a killing passing it off as real.

I used to be a coin dealer and when I was I had to deal with counterfeiting all of the time. What I quickly learned is that 95% of counterfeits were very easy to detect if you simply paid a little attention to them. The hallmarks of a counterfeit are usually quite easy to pick out. They are meant to deceive the very gullible who aren't paying much attention. But they are cheap to produce so it doesn't matter if most people don't fall for them, if a few still will.

[bigtree]

12. there's no accounting for people who think DU is some remote control to a campaign

...people come here to vent, not just politic.

Besides, your candidate disavowed the comments. Is that faux outrage?

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Outrage?

Ar you outraged over everything that simple courtesy warrants an apology for? A person speaking at his rally got carried away and used over the top inappropriate language, and Sanders agreed that those words were inappropriate and said so. That's it.

It's not just some people venting on DU and you know it. Talking points are pointedly designed to proliferate. In this case and in many others, not confined only for use against the Sanders campaign.

[bigtree]

18. what you're doing here is 'talking points'

...it sucks for you that you're the only one who apparently can't see it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

19. I'll visit your threads and study up more n/t

[BernieforPres2016]

15. "It demeans the profession of public service."

Politicians who have used political office primarily as a mechanism to get rich, like the Clintons, have demeaned "the profession of public service". The idea of elected politicians being "public servants" has become laughable, with rare exceptions. If there is a term to be banned from the public lexicon, "public servant" would be far ahead of "corporate whore".

This faux outrage over what term to use to describe corrupt politicians deflects the conversation away from the outrages that they perpetrate on the American public every day in order to continue feathering their own nests.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. I understand your point

I think the approach that Bernie Sanders is taking is the one most likely to improve the situation for all of us. I know that you know that he has deeply held convictions about the importance of running positive issues oriented campaigns. I think that is very consistent with why he has captivated so many with his entire message. Politics too often has been turned into a sewer. The best way to clean it up is by starting to clean that up. We will not expand the overall pool of voters without presenting more to believe in, rather than just more to be revolted by.

I'm not trying to quarrel with what you are saying so much as to laud Sanders for pointing us in a different direction.

[BernieforPres2016]

17. I wasn't disagreeing with your post

I was just pointing out how ridiculous the concept of politicians as "public servants" has become, as if it hasn't always been a ridiculous self serving term for most who have entered the profession. The faux outrage you point to in the OP is a way to deflect voters away from anything substantive discussion about political issues, as you point out.

[Armstead]

20. What is most infuriating to me is that...

Bernie has brought new voice and is addressing core issues and realities that have long needed to be addressed. And he is actually inspiring people to get over their cynicism about politics and public affairs.

That should be unifying for the Democrats, if the 20th Century Centrists were no so determined to keep their grip on power.

So they raise ridiculous distractions and distortions.

If people have honest disagreements with Sanders positions, that's fine. But we don't have those debates.

So we'll keep trudging towards dysytopia.

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. It's almost like the Democratic Party is trading off the future for the past

Kind of like a baseball team that trades off all of its hottest young talents for one veteran pitcher to hopefully make it into the playoffs. Likely either Hillary or Bernie can beat the Republican this year (though I am more confident that Bernie can). What is on the table also is whether the Democratic Party stays captive to a political style that represents the past far more than the future, and what the implications are of that for the Party growing or continuing to shrink at a time when we need a strong organized force to face huge challenges.

[Armstead]

22. Alas I fear they'll chose young Clinton clones

Bright, shiny and devoid of substance