"Devil Terms and the Death of Democracy"
The New York Times and I are worried
The New York Times reports on the rise of “devil terms” in political speech after an analysis of more than 3.7 million tweets, Facebook ads, newsletters and congressional speeches linked to “divisive political content” and “used in polarizing ways.”
The Times found that in the current Congress, representatives who fought certifying the election used polarizing language on Twitter about 55 percent more often than other Republicans, and nearly triple the rate of Democrats. Objectors referred to their opponents as “socialist” in more than 1,800 tweets, more than twice as often as other Republicans. Democrats called the other side “fascist” about 80 times.
Elsewhere, a headline read,
“Fears Over Fate of Democracy Leave Many Voters Frustrated and Resigned”
Jonathan Weisman reported how Democrats in Wisconsin are coping with a state legislature that is so gerrymandered their candidates don’t stand a chance. “Voting isn’t making a difference right now,” one voter told a reporter.
What do you expect, after all that name-calling?
Of course, political invective is nothing new, and neither is gerrymandering. Writers like me have been looking for more ways to say “right wing extremists” for years, and on the other side they’re looking for words of more than one syllable sorry, other ways to sneer the word “liberal.”
But what’s different now is the expanding metaverse of places to attack political opponents. I used to have to rely on direct mail, newspaper ads and flyers that got handed out in person.
Now, political dirt is everywhere, on every platform, along with all the other worthless junk, semi-interesting diversions, gossip, updates from family and friends—and sometimes real reporting— most people get on their phones.
(I’ll spare you my argument about why everyone should read an actual newspaper every day, but it’s coming).
We’re seeing a lot of polls and reporting, and reporting about polls, that indicate the election is tightening, with the Republican messaging on crime, inflation and Joe Biden having an effect.
Maybe. Or maybe I’m right when I point out just how deeply flawed horse-race political polling has become. We really don’t know what the electorate is going to look like—how big will the MAGA vote be without Trump on the ballot?
Let’s focus on something we can control—like voter turnout.
In my op-ed for the Berkshire Eagle, I referenced my favorite Bobby Kennedy speech and also quoted Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration Poem, “The Hill We Climb.”
“Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken,
but simply unfinished.”
Voting matters, I said, because it’s not just about picking sides or winners. It’s about shaping the future and finishing our nation.
I know that young people share Amanda Gorman’s vision. But 78% of young people told @FiveThirtyEight they planned to vote in 2020--and only 51.4% did.
If just four or five percent of those voters kept that promise this year, we could see the election of some exciting candidates to the House and lift the blockade on progressive legislation in the Senate.
But first, they have to believe that politics can matter, and that voting can make a difference.
Do you have any political heroes? Who are they, and why? Leave a comment below.
But more importantly, go talk to the GenZ barista or young mom at the school pickup line about how it’s political leaders like the ones you admire who stand up for things like a woman’s right to control her body, or marriage equality, or school books that are honest about U.S. history.
What can a Congress that’s not deadlocked against progressive change do? Wouldn’t it be great to find out?
RT this if you agree:
