The Real Winner In Tomorrow’s Midterms: The Meme Culture

Posted by | November 3, 2014 08:00 | Filed under: Bob Cesca Contributors Opinion Politics Top Stories


It’s times like this when it’s really difficult to not become even more cynical about the intellect of the American voter. In my nearly 30 years covering politics, I’ve seen very elections that are quite this incomprehensible and, sadly, I don’t think it’ll be the last.

Yes, the Republicans will likely win enough seats for a majority in the U.S. Senate for the first time since 2006, likely elevating more crackpot tea party weirdos like Joni Ernst. The reasons for such a shift are baffling — not just in an “I Can’t Believe Candidate X Won” kind of way — but in a totally contradictory, idiotic kind of way.

The other night on Real Time, Bill Maher recapped a series of indicators that should be quite familiar to anyone who reads my articles here. Indeed, we’ve covered this territory many, many time over the last several years and yet tomorrow America’s pervasive voter ignorance will be fully illustrated in uncontested terms in spite of the following:

–The deficit has been cut from $1.4 trillion in 2009 to $500 billion today. The only Republican president in the last 70 years to leave office with a reduced deficit was Eisenhower, while three Democratic presidents, including Obama, have achieved this status.
–6.1 percent unemployment, down from 10.2 percent, and expected to drop to 5.4 percent by next Summer.
–4.3 million jobs created, in spite of taking office when 800,000 jobs were being lost per month.
–The DJIA has climbed from around 6,000 to a record high of 17,000.
–63 consecutive months of economic expansion following the worst recession since the Great Depression.
–25 consecutive months of increased domestic manufacturing.
–The lowest growth rate in government spending in 50 years.
–Domestic automakers are turning record profits.
–Even though there are serious environmental concerns, we’re exporting more oil than we import for the first time since 1995.
–Gas prices are well below $4 per gallon.
–More than 10 million Americans now have affordable, comprehensive health insurance.

While we’re here, Obama… CONTINUE READING

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Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Bob Cesca

Bob Cesca is the managing editor at The Daily Banter (www.thedailybanter.com) and a Huffington Post contributor since 2005. He's worked in journalism since 1988 as a print writer/editor, a radio news anchor, a digital media columnist/editor, a book author and blogger. He's the co-host of the Bubble Genius Bob & Chez Show podcast and a Thursday regular on the syndicated Stephanie Miller Show. He's appeared on numerous other radio shows including the John Phillips Show and Geraldo Rivera Show in Los Angeles. Bob has been a commentator/analyst on the BBC (TV and radio), MSNBC, Current TV, CNN and Sky News. Following him on Twitter: @bobcesca_go

10 responses to The Real Winner In Tomorrow’s Midterms: The Meme Culture

  1. mea_mark November 3rd, 2014 at 08:32

    The greater God ‘Meme’ is pleased. His dominance over the weak minded is almost complete. Soon all the world will be his.

  2. mea_mark November 3rd, 2014 at 09:32

    The greater God ‘Meme’ is pleased. His dominance over the weak minded is almost complete. Soon all the world will be his.

  3. OldLefty November 3rd, 2014 at 09:34

    Cokie’s Law;

    “It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it’s out there.
    At this point, it doesn’t much matter whether she said it or not because it’s become part of the culture. I was at the beauty parlor yesterday and this was all anyone was talking about.”
    Cokie Roberts 1999

    About which John Cole summed up nicely;

    “Here’s how it works- Obama says something,
    Republicans completely lie about it.
    The media notes the lie is catching on without ever actually calling it a lie
    The Democrats have to waste resources and respond to the lie.
    Republicans double down.
    This sucks the life out of everything else for a couple weeks, and in ten years it will be conventional wisdom that Obama called Americans lazy, just like Al Gore claimed to invent the internet and the rest of the BS that wingnuts have adopted as received
    truths (snow in November refutes climate change, the more you cut taxes the
    more government revenue you raise, if a bombing campaign does not make people
    like you it means you didn’t bomb hard enough or your targeting was off,
    liberals lost Viet Nam, waterboarding isn’t torture, etc).”

    This is how what once promised to be the “Information Age” has become the Disinformation Age.

  4. OldLefty November 3rd, 2014 at 10:34

    Cokie’s Law;

    “It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, it’s out there.
    At this point, it doesn’t much matter whether she said it or not because it’s become part of the culture. I was at the beauty parlor yesterday and this was all anyone was talking about.”
    Cokie Roberts 1999

    About which John Cole summed up nicely;

    “Here’s how it works- Obama says something,
    Republicans completely lie about it.
    The media notes the lie is catching on without ever actually calling it a lie
    The Democrats have to waste resources and respond to the lie.
    Republicans double down.
    This sucks the life out of everything else for a couple weeks, and in ten years it will be conventional wisdom that Obama called Americans lazy, just like Al Gore claimed to invent the internet and the rest of the BS that wingnuts have adopted as received
    truths (snow in November refutes climate change, the more you cut taxes the
    more government revenue you raise, if a bombing campaign does not make people
    like you it means you didn’t bomb hard enough or your targeting was off,
    liberals lost Viet Nam, waterboarding isn’t torture, etc).”

    This is how what once promised to be the “Information Age” has become the Disinformation Age.

  5. crc3 November 3rd, 2014 at 11:10

    You can’t change stupid and total ignorance and this is why Republicans will likely win the Senate and keep the House tomorrow. People who vote Republican are either big money contributors are just totally uninformed and even if they are informed they refuse to believe the TRUTH. They will vote against their own best interests which further proves their ignorance and is just what Republican candidates are counting on….

  6. crc3 November 3rd, 2014 at 12:10

    You can’t change stupid and total ignorance and this is why Republicans will likely win the Senate and keep the House tomorrow. People who vote Republican are either big money contributors are just totally uninformed and even if they are informed they refuse to believe the TRUTH. They will vote against their own best interests which further proves their ignorance and is just what Republican candidates are counting on….

  7. Blue2016 November 3rd, 2014 at 11:53

    I am a little puzzled by how much of the news media is declaring the Republicans the winner already in the Senate. Huffpo has a huge headline “Republicans Rise” and they are giving them a 77 percent chance of taking the Senate now. By their own polls on the same page, here is what they have:

    11/1-11/2
    2014 Colorado Senate
    Gardner48%Udall45%
    Public Policy Polling

    11/1-11/2
    2014 Alaska Senate
    Sullivan46%Begich45%
    Public Policy Polling
    1 Comment

    10/28-10/29
    2014 North Carolina Senate
    Hagan47%Tillis46
    With Greg Orman polling a point ahead and a close race in Iowa, is it me, or is there a very real chance we may hold the Senate after all? I think Representative Wasserman-Schulz may be on to something.

    • eyelashviper November 3rd, 2014 at 13:31

      And the fright wing dares to call the media Liberal…

  8. Guest November 3rd, 2014 at 12:53

    I am a little puzzled by how much of the news media is declaring the Republicans the winner already in the Senate. Huffpo has a huge headline “Republicans Rise” and they are giving them a 77 percent chance of victory. But on the same page they have these polling results:

    11/1-11/2
    2014 Colorado Senate
    Gardner48%Udall45%
    Public Policy Polling

    11/1-11/2
    2014 Alaska Senate
    Sullivan46%Begich45%
    Public Policy Polling

    10/28-10/29
    2014 North Carolina Senate
    Hagan47%Tillis46
    Rasmussen Reports

    Every one of these races are within the margin of error, and many feel that the results have been overtly skewed to the GOP. (In fact, in the last two elections the GOP has polled about 3 or 4 points above where they actually finished.) Keep in mind that our ground game in Colorado was vastly underestimated in 2012 and the Latino vote in that state is always under-reported . With Greg Orman polling a point ahead in Kansas and a close race in Iowa, is it me, or is there a very real chance we may hold the Senate? Representative Wasserman-Shulz and Princeton’s Sam Wang seem to think it’s possible. Wang goes into detail on Alan Colmes’ new blog:

    http://www.alan.com/2014/11/01/how-to-tell-if-the-polls-are-wrong/

    • eyelashviper November 3rd, 2014 at 14:31

      And the fright wing dares to call the media Liberal…

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