In an interview with Vox conducted just one day after he engaged in a live conversation with YouTube stars at the White House, President Obama suggested that he spoke to Internet sensations GloZell Green, Bethany Mota and Hank Green in order to reach viewers that don’t want to be placed in a “particular camp” like Democrat or Republican.
Obama was specifically responding to a question from journalist Ezra Klein about the way in which his presidency has contributed to the polarization of America.
The president alleged that “our politics [are] more polarized than people actually are,” citing the YouTube stars and their audiences as examples of individuals who might not identify with a political party but certainly have opinions on specific political issues.
“I did three interviews with YouTube stars that generally don’t spend a lot of time talking about politics,” explained Obama. “And the reason we did it is because they’re reaching viewers who don’t want to be put in some particular camp. On the other hand, when you talk to them very specifically about college costs or about health care or about any of the other things that touch on their individual lives, it turns out that you can probably build a pretty good consensus.”
Obama also complained of the “balkanization of the media” that has produced programs and channels that lean to the right — like Fox News — and others that lean left — like MSNBC. The president alleged that such biased media outlets contribute to polarization and its perception.
“We just don’t have a common place where we get common facts and a common worldview the way we did 20, 30 years ago,” Obama said. “And that just keeps on accelerating, you know. And I’m not the first to observe this, but you’ve got the Fox News/Rush Limbaugh folks and then you’ve got the MSNBC folks and the — I don’t know where Vox falls into that, but you guys are, I guess, for the brainiac-nerd types.”
Brainiac-nerd types? It’s unclear whether or not Klein saw that as a compliment.
“But the point is that technology which brings the world to us also allows us to narrow our point of view,” the president continued.
Obama also blamed polarization on gerrymandering among members of Congress, but ultimately suggested that such divide between Democrats and Republicans has been evident during “periods of the past” and hence is not a new or particularly debilitating issue.
