NEW YORK, NY Dec. 21 (DPI) – In one of the starkest examples of the nation’s deeply polarized politics, remarks today from President Obama about Donald Trump exploiting working-class anxiety triggered a wave of angry and hostile posts from across the political spectrum.
More than 1,500 filtered comments today on nytimes.com still managed to convey the 360-degree range of views following Obama’s remarks in a radio interview in Hawaii. Some of those comments:
“Particularly blue-collar men have had a lot of trouble in this new economy, where they are no longer getting the same bargain that they got when they were going to a factory and able to support their families on a single paycheck. You combine those things and it means that there is going to be potential anger, frustration, fear. Some of it justified but just misdirected. I think somebody like Mr. Trump is taking advantage of that. That’s what he’s exploiting during the course of his campaign.”
The president’s comments were the most direct in criticizing a Republican candidate so far in the 2016 campaign. Some readers took them as a sign Obama is finally showing public support for Democratic front runner Hilary Clinton.
The lead NY Times article attached a large and surprising collection of responses, with a slight majority supporting the president on his “level-headed” and “no drama” approach to the country’s problems. But both editor and reader picks contained a substantial number of dissenting views that “Obama’s performance begat Trump” and his record on both the economy and national security has invited a backlash. One popular post: “I think Trump is exploiting Obama’s incompetence.” Another: “He and the Democrats have been doing this for years. Are only Democrat politicians allowed to exploit working class fears?”
To many observers, though, the comment boards look increasingly like an ideological battleground where armies of political supporters, some clearly organized and paid to post, are taking their shots.