Topic: Political Memes

A Kenyan activist appearing on Democracy Now! introduced the terms "political ecologist" and "agroecology" into the climate discussion. These terms are identified as emerging memes within the environmental movement that shift the focus toward gender and social grievances.

Hillary Clinton appeared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" to argue that Donald Trump's comments about Muslims are "dangerous" and serve as a recruitment tool for ISIS. This narrative has become a prominent meme in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Donald Trump's mockery of Marco Rubio's frequent water consumption has evolved into a persistent political meme. The discussion explores how Trump engages in "meme wars" by highlighting the physical quirks of his opponents. However, the hosts suggest Trump is making a mistake by reacting too defensively to media labels like "thin-skinned," which only reinforces the narrative.

The phrase "lauded the dice" is introduced as a new meme meaning to perform exceptionally well or "kick ass." Additionally, a political narrative is identified involving Newt Gingrich and Greta Van Susteren, where President Barack Obama is characterized as a well-meaning patriot who is nonetheless incompetent and surrounded by cronies. This "means well" framing is predicted to be a primary line of attack for the next two years of his presidency.

A collection of photos documenting misspelled or nonsensical signs at Tea Party protests, dubbed "T-Bonics," is discussed as a potential manufactured meme. Suspicions are raised that some of the most egregious signs may be "astroturfed" by political operatives like David Axelrod to discredit the movement.

The hosts examine political catchphrases used by the Democratic Party, such as "gravitas" and "speaking truth to power." They trace the origins of the "truth to power" phrase back to a 1955 Quaker pamphlet and its later use by Anita Hill. Adam Curry jokingly proposes a "Truth-to-Power Ratio" (TPR) as a metric for measuring political authenticity.