General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Funny thing about The Guardian, [View all]JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)In the run up to 2010, the media regularly pushed 2 opposite versions of why Obama was "bad".
The one version is the right wing version. In that, Obama is a Socialist commie.
The other version is the left wing version. In that, Obama is a corporatist who hates the poor.
Or he's both "weak on security" and also simultaneously "a warmonger".
The structure of the memes works to (a) energize the right wing and get them to vote, and also (b) discourage those on the left who might not be paying attention to much more than the THEME of the media narrative. And in either case, the theme is "Obama is bad".
The media does not care which of the versions of the "Obama bad" meme one trends towards ... in fact, if you get confused and just give up and stay home, it works just as well.
That's why you'll see an angry voice from the right pared with an angry voice from the left. If you (or those in the middle who don't hear much more than the screaming) decide to hate the government (the GOP's standard starting position), they win.