Florence, Irma, Maria

Earlier this week, long awaited and publicized Hurricane Florence pummeled the eastern seaboard with a swell of ocean spray and high winds. Thousands of citizens living in North and South Carolina were effected by the terrifying category 4 storm; at least 20 people have been killed. The storm has made headlines not only for the the horrible situation it has caused for families on the east coast, but because President Trump has fired up a tweet-storm that can only be matched by Florence herself.

After the devastation caused by back-to-back hurricanes Irma and Maria last year, Trump visited the island of Puerto Rico to express condolences, survey the damages, and throw paper towels. Obviously the president made efforts to clean up the island and restore electricity and normalcy - but the effort has been lambasted for its inefficiency and overall clownery. The viral video of Trump throwing paper towels to effected families was similar to T-shirt cannons at a football game. Not necessarily the presidential mood that should be exuded towards victims of a natural catastrophe.

To be fair, there were funds guaranteed to both Houston and Puerto Rico to help restore systems and provide aid - but sources claim that the help was too little, too late. Just a few weeks ago, official sources raised the death toll in Puerto Rico to nearly 3,000 fatalities - much higher than the 10-20 victim count in 2017. Trump came out hard against the Democrats for making his administration look "as bad as possible" and adding "I love Puerto Rico!" Outrage has ensued over the comments - it seems very disingenuous to claim political theater over a disaster like Irma/Maria.

With Florence reeking havoc on the Carolinas and FEMA springing into action; perhaps President Trump will provide more aid and more attention this hurricane season. If not for the sheer good-nature of helping those in need, maybe for political notches on Trump's belt.

Beto and Ted

       

This November, hundreds of House seats are up for grabs for hopeful candidates across the U.S. - same as every midterm election cycle. This year, however, the stakes are much higher than any run-of-the-mill congressional situation. Throughout social media the threat of a swelling "blue-wave" could potentially unseat House and Senate Republicans and replace them with a flood of Progressive Democrats. To counteract this social media tidal-wave, conservatives have branded the defense of Congress as the "red-wave" - a very, very unfortunate connotation for any political movement.

Across the country, Progressives are making a statement: winning districts and party candidacy in massive numbers. One hopeful, the Democratic candidate for Texas, Beto O'Rourke is fighting against the highly publicized Ted Cruz. Although Ted failed in his bid for president in 2016, Cruz is attempting at holding out in Texas as some sort of a personal (and political) redemption. Ted maintains a 4-5 point lead over Beto - but social media is playing a powerful impact as we loom closer to November.

Almost ironically, Ted Cruz's PR team circulated a photo of their guy as a badass sort of Republican gangster. Beto has had video surfaced of him skateboarding and photos of him in his 20's goofing-off with his band (in drag). No politician wants to admit it, but races are centered around personality and popularity first, platforms in a close second. The Twitterverse™ has gone wild over the Cruz posters and Beto being a "cool-kid". November is coming fast, and these next crucial weeks are important to establishing a strong base, while getting apathetic Americans to vote for you.

Needless to say, being the "cool-kid" may work out in Beto O'Rourke's favor in November - especially if Ted Cruz's PR team can't figure out how to use social media trends to their advantage.

Kaepernike, Nike, and The Frenzy

Yesterday evening, Nike announced their roll-out of the long awaited 30-year "Just Do It" campaign. Athletes across the country and across the globe set goals each day to be a Nike spokesperson - very few ever get to share the glory of being at the pinnacle of their sport. Similar to a Wheatie's athlete, the "face on the box" is an accomplishment to be proud of - yet many are irate at Nike for choosing the controversial ex-NFL quarterback and political figure, Colin Kaepernick.

Although Kaepernick hasn't played in the NFL since the end of the 2016 football season, the QB has remained in the spotlight. Kaepernick and his team of lawyers have speculated that the reason he isn't employed in the NFL is because of his controversial kneeling campaign - thought by many to be a political jab at the player's "taking a knee" during the national anthem to protest police brutality in the U.S.. Regardless of whether the action was collusion by NFL owners or simply an adept PR move, Kaepernick is back in American thoughts with his signing-on with Nike as the "Just Do It" centerpiece.

The highly provocative ad is a simple black-and-white still photo of Kaepernick with the phrase "believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything".

Obviously, this advertisement has gone completely viral. Earlier today, President Trump remarked "I think it's a terrible message and a message that shouldn't be sent. There's no reason for it" adding fuel to the mass media frenzy. People on Twitter are legitimately burning their Nike gear, political pundits are sounding-off either for or against the ad, even the PRESIDENT is commenting on this situation. Nike stock has fallen by several points on the exchange today and several angry Twitter users are short a few pairs of Nike socks, but the influence of mass media on political theater is on show this week - more than ever.