The US Democratic Party is trying to turn the upcoming midterm elections into a victory with the help of memes and social media. During the summer, the Dark Brandon meme joking about Biden’s omnipotence received special attention.
17:42•Updated 17:45
WASHINGTON The inflation package was passed. Al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri killed. Gas prices plummet. Kansas protects abortion rights.
This is how an internet meme listed “Biden’s week” in July. The president floats above the list Joe Bidenwhose eyes shoot laser beams.
It is one of the “Dark Brandon” memes that spread during the summer (you switch to another service) (Politico) on social media accounts of Democratic politicians and activists. In Finnish, “Dark Brandon” can be translated, for example, as Bad Brandon.
“Brandon” was first and foremost in the beginning Donald Trump’s a code name used by supporters for Biden. The apparent encouragement “Let’s go Brandon” was a roundabout expression, the real meaning of which was “fuck you Biden”, i.e. “skis to the fir tree, Biden”.
The purpose of the evil Brandon meme is to highlight Biden’s successes. The memes portray Biden as an all-powerful demon who dictates his will.
The internet meme thus turns the criticism directed at the president on its head.
Even their own voters have been disappointed To Biden, who has appeared powerless as the Supreme Court overturns national abortion rights and as Republicans block the progress of Democratic legislative initiatives.
During the summer, however, the Biden administration succeeded in many of its important goals. For example, the package of laws promoting the fight against climate change and health care equality, as well as tightening the taxation of the rich, was passed in Congress.
Among the first to share the meme was a senator Chris Murphywho posted on his Twitter account a Chinese artist Yang Quan’s in connection with the 2020 elections a work drawn by you (you will switch to another service).
– The Democrats are doing a good job and people are talking about it, says the Democratic strategist Grace Hagerty with satisfaction.
Hagerty works for a Democratic support organization called American Bridge, which has also developed its own social media strategy.
The organization has recruited reality TV stars to share messages supporting the Democrats’ agenda on their own accounts. For example, some of the stars of the popular Poikamiestyttö, or The Bachelorette series, talk about abortion rights on their accounts following Hagerty’s instructions.
The target group is above all young voters. Democrats are counting on them in the midterm elections in November.
In the 2020 presidential election, voters under the age of 30 were key in many key states won by Biden. Young adults’ turnout has also grown steadily (you switch to another service) (CIRCLE) since 2016.
Partly due to young people’s turnout have been influenced by the initiatives aimed specifically at young people by the Democrats. In August, Biden forgave some government student loans by presidential order.
Republican politicians criticized the order as unfair and said it favors those who have not paid back their loans regularly and who have generally acquired an education that was too expensive for themselves.
The Democrats also responded to these accusations on social media. The White House’s Twitter account shared information about how many PPP loans, i.e. “payday loans” given to companies during the corona pandemic, have been forgiven by Republican politicians.
The capture attracted a lot of attention on Tiktok, a platform popular with young people, where users quickly realized that the White House had hired a young woman in its communications team to be responsible for tweeting strategy.
About active social media campaigning despite this, the Democrats will head into the November midterm elections in a lower position, estimates the website FiveThirtyEight, which analyzes public opinion polls.
Site calculations (you switch to another service) according to the Republicans are likely to win the majority in the House of Representatives, although the Democrats may succeed in increasing their majority in the Senate.
In practice, the loss of the House of Representatives would allow Republicans to tighten the grip on the Biden administration.
The House of Representatives has the power to approve – or disapprove – the annual budget, and legislative initiatives cannot move forward without the approval of both the upper and lower houses of Congress. On the other hand, victories in the Senate are more permanent, as senators are elected at once for a six-year term. The entire House of Representatives is re-elected every two years.
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