We can safely now say that Bloomberg's propaganda ad against Bernie Sanders' supporters marks the establishment's official declaration of war on the progressive movement. Previously, corporate media revived the "BernieBro" myth in order to open the road for the war.
As we already mentioned, the anti-movement hysteria reached unprecedented levels when MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd compared Sanders' supporters to Nazi brownshirts! Todd's preposterous comparison wasn't accidental. He was specifically targeting moderate voters of the Democratic party. The aim was to scare them and prevent further popular-vote leakage from the establishment nominees towards Bernie during the next primary battles.
Michael Bloomberg grabbed the chance and tried to amplify further the BernieBro-scare through a blatantly propagandistic sample of negative advertisement. He doesn't have any movement behind him, but he has a lot of money to spend for smear campaigns, after all.
This short ad has two targets. First, to make viewers believe that Bernie's supporters form a dangerous mob (the thriller-type sound in the background of some 'angry tweets' is designed for that purpose). Second, to make viewers believe that Bernie is unable to control this alleged mob.
What we have here, is another case of some typical logical leaps and blatant simplifications that the establishment elements use to distort the reality.
First of all, online "angry behavior" is not restricted within the framework of a certain political group, not even the framework of a political process. Different people, from different backgrounds exhibit online hostile behaviour for a series of issues, beyond politics. Establishment's attempt to revive the "BernieBro" myth and try to expand it based on some angry tweets in order to harm a whole movement, is a very low effort. If nothing else, it reveals a degree of panic.
Moreover, social media are being used very often to manufacture a reality compatible to the desirable narratives. In our case, various troll armies paid by the establishment, could create thousands of "Bernie Bro" angry tweets in order to justify and expand the myth.
Establishment elements are even start to methodically weaponize the "BernieBro" myth to attack Bernie. As Alan Macleod reported for the MintPress News:
A shadowy new PAC calling themselves the “Beat Bernie 2020” movement has launched what it calls a “massive grassroots fundraising haul” among citizens concerned that “Bernie Sanders is creating irreparable division on the left that will create significant difficulties for the Party’s eventual nominee.” [...] Beat Bernie 2020 is insisting on keeping its members’ and donors’ identities a secret, due to what they call “a credible fear of threats and backlash from ardent Bernie supporters, a tactic they have become infamous for using ruthlessly on social media, especially Twitter.” [...] The anonymous “grassroots” campaign is strongly reminiscent of the organization Prop Or Not, which claimed to be a grassroots campaign of experts who were concerned about Russian propaganda and fake news but was likely the brainchild of CNN National Security Specialist Michael Weiss, who used it to defame alternative media organizations.
This is an interesting case because the establishment attempts to create a virtual grassroots movement (astroturfing) against the progressive movement and Bernie Sanders. This is a more sophisticated method that aims to make us believe that the fear against supposedly dangerous Bernie's supporters is authentic and has a popular base.
Now we know it. The establishment elements start to realize that Bernie's real power is exactly that movement behind him.
From now on and all the way to the primaries and beyond, the establishment will do everything to crush the movement. Yet, so far, cheap tricks doesn't seem to work. On the contrary, all indications show that the movement is getting stronger to the point that it will become almost impossible for the establishment to block Bernie's path to the final victory.
What we have here, is another case of some typical logical leaps and blatant simplifications that the establishment elements use to distort the reality.
First of all, online "angry behavior" is not restricted within the framework of a certain political group, not even the framework of a political process. Different people, from different backgrounds exhibit online hostile behaviour for a series of issues, beyond politics. Establishment's attempt to revive the "BernieBro" myth and try to expand it based on some angry tweets in order to harm a whole movement, is a very low effort. If nothing else, it reveals a degree of panic.
Moreover, social media are being used very often to manufacture a reality compatible to the desirable narratives. In our case, various troll armies paid by the establishment, could create thousands of "Bernie Bro" angry tweets in order to justify and expand the myth.
Establishment elements are even start to methodically weaponize the "BernieBro" myth to attack Bernie. As Alan Macleod reported for the MintPress News:
A shadowy new PAC calling themselves the “Beat Bernie 2020” movement has launched what it calls a “massive grassroots fundraising haul” among citizens concerned that “Bernie Sanders is creating irreparable division on the left that will create significant difficulties for the Party’s eventual nominee.” [...] Beat Bernie 2020 is insisting on keeping its members’ and donors’ identities a secret, due to what they call “a credible fear of threats and backlash from ardent Bernie supporters, a tactic they have become infamous for using ruthlessly on social media, especially Twitter.” [...] The anonymous “grassroots” campaign is strongly reminiscent of the organization Prop Or Not, which claimed to be a grassroots campaign of experts who were concerned about Russian propaganda and fake news but was likely the brainchild of CNN National Security Specialist Michael Weiss, who used it to defame alternative media organizations.
This is an interesting case because the establishment attempts to create a virtual grassroots movement (astroturfing) against the progressive movement and Bernie Sanders. This is a more sophisticated method that aims to make us believe that the fear against supposedly dangerous Bernie's supporters is authentic and has a popular base.
Now we know it. The establishment elements start to realize that Bernie's real power is exactly that movement behind him.
From now on and all the way to the primaries and beyond, the establishment will do everything to crush the movement. Yet, so far, cheap tricks doesn't seem to work. On the contrary, all indications show that the movement is getting stronger to the point that it will become almost impossible for the establishment to block Bernie's path to the final victory.
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