Thanks Obama

Thanks Obama is an internet meme first appearing in 2009 as a hashtag (#thanksobama) in a tweet about President Obama's policies.[1]

WTF: U.S. considering national sales tax (ala VAT) #thanksobama.

@hvlucas, tweeting 12 May 2009

History

When the Republicans gained control of the House in the U.S. midterm election of 2010, the meme changed, no longer being used just by frustrated conservatives; a photo of a tired-looking Obama became the background for a meme that blamed Obama for all kinds of societal and economic ills.[1] During that time liberals took the meme up as well, in a satirical reversal.[2]

One notable example came in 2012, when a picture of a man spilling food with the "Thanks Obama" caption was popular. A subreddit was started as well.

By 2015 it seemed the meme had run its course[1] after Obama used it in a Buzzfeed video.[3] Obama himself revived it in 2016, using it to poke fun at his critics[4] and to thank a supporter who, during a speech, yelled out at and thanked him for $2 gas.[5]

On the January 19, 2017 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Obama's last day in office, Stephen Colbert's original conservative character from The Colbert Report used the phrase in a WERD segment to express gratitude to Obama for helping the Republican Party find a message of united opposition against him and succeed electorally again, only to later plead in fear for Obama to stay in office.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Schwarz, Hunter (13 February 2015). "'Thanks Obama.' The evolution of a meme that defined a presidency". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Roberts, Dan (7 May 2016). "#ThanksObama: president's greatest legacy may be Trumping of the GOP". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Izade, Elahe (3 September 2016). "The most memorable comedy moments of the Obama presidency". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "President's 'Thanks Obama' lets him have fun with critics". ABC7. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Obama thanks himself for lower gas prices #ThanksObama". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Robinson, Will (20 January 2017). "Stephen Colbert Says Thanks, Obama On President's Last Day". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
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