Demonization and Demoralization
Oct. 2nd, 2004 08:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sigersonThis is a Disinfopedia.org piece, largely quoting Paul Krugman, about the process of 'demonizing the opponent' in politics.
Excerpt:
"As a result, many people in the center become turned off by it all and no longer bother to vote. Political dialogue becomes a series of epithets and bombast hurled at opponents over the airwaves in attack ads or on talk shows. It even becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since centrist voters find little to like in either party, they quit voting. That just prompts both parties to try even harder to mobilize base voters to win increasingly low-turnout elections. Fewer centrist politicians run for office or work in politics. Instead, the humorless zealots and true believers rise to the top."
Gee, now why does that sound vaguely familar?
I continue to be tired of anger and helplessness. I must do SOMEthing--and I don't want it to just be throwing money at the issue. But what?
Excerpt:
"As a result, many people in the center become turned off by it all and no longer bother to vote. Political dialogue becomes a series of epithets and bombast hurled at opponents over the airwaves in attack ads or on talk shows. It even becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since centrist voters find little to like in either party, they quit voting. That just prompts both parties to try even harder to mobilize base voters to win increasingly low-turnout elections. Fewer centrist politicians run for office or work in politics. Instead, the humorless zealots and true believers rise to the top."
Gee, now why does that sound vaguely familar?
I continue to be tired of anger and helplessness. I must do SOMEthing--and I don't want it to just be throwing money at the issue. But what?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-10-02 05:06 pm (UTC)I think you're right, but I also think that there is a fair amount of demonization going on between the two parties, and that this results in disheartened centrist voters.
Neither side is totally polarizing themselves; in order to demonize the other, you don't have to. You have to say, "Look, centrist voters, I am in the center! He, on the other hand, is a foul-mouthed defeatist blue-collar-hating baby-eating traitor. So you want to vote for me, right?" or "You might not agree with all my ideals, but you don't want to vote for the next thing to Hitler, right?"
I think Krugman's wrong, because I believe the demonization that happens is an attempt *not* to mobilize base voters but to sway centrist ones, and that the demonization increases as centrist voters become more disheartened.
But I hadn't thought about it at all in the context of Dean and Kerry. Thanks.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-02 06:15 pm (UTC)It's actually not clear to me whether Dean lost because he was extremist or whether the Democrats perceived him as too extreme to win in a general election. That is, I can't tell whether other Democrats listened to the press saying "this guy has no shot at Bush" or whether they legitimately preferred Kerry on his own merits. It's an interesting question because if the former is true, the candidates could in a sense be giving their bases exactly what they want by betraying their interests.