Social media a channel for ‘risky’ populist politics
One of the United States’ top political advisers has described Jacinda Ardern’s ascent to prime minister as a ‘‘bright spot’’ at a time when populist movements were winning political success across the world.
John Podesta – who served as chief of staff for former US president Bill Clinton, was a top adviser for former US president Barack Obama and was chairman of Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential election campaign – made a short visit to Wellington as part of events for Global Progress, an alliance of ‘‘progressive’’ political movements.
In an interview with Stuff, Podesta spoke about the impact of populism – a way of appealing to voters who feel their concerns are being ignored by the political system or establishment.
Although Podesta believed a counteraction had been building in the US two years after the election of President Donald Trump, there was always a risk political movements would exploit fear.
‘‘In that regard, I think the prime minister’s election here was an example of someone who could connect in a very personal way with people, both in her own political career and her family,’’ Podesta said.
‘‘I think she also got that her task was to deliver a more sustainable and more equitable and fairer economy and made that argument and is now trying to implement that. The proof is in the pudding, that you can actually get the job done.’’
Podesta said that while Trump had run on a campaign of promising to help ordinary people, he had ruled like a ‘‘plutocrat’’, delivering tax cuts which largely benefited the most wealthy Americans.
The 2018 midterm elections saw Trump’s Republican party lose ground in many of the states which were key to his victory, part of what Podesta believed was a counter movement driven by the Democratic Party.
However, he warned that the use of social media could whip the public into a ‘‘frenzy’’ meaning politicians who exploited it would be an ongoing risk, risking democratic values.
‘‘The natural tendency [of social media] … is to move people into the extreme, to support, inflame and influence people through social media channels.’’
As well as in the vote for Trump in the US, Britain had voted for Brexit, a number of European countries had voted for staunch anti-immigration parties, while social media had created unrest in countries from India to Brazil.
‘‘That phenomena is real and structural and I think, particularly the big social media platforms – Facebook, Google, YouTube – have been slow to respond to that,’’ Podesta said.
‘‘That’s dangerous, dangerous for democratic values and dangerous for human rights, where people can get whipped into a frenzy through those channels.
‘‘The danger is all over the world.’’