Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Quirky Online Fanbase Intends to Shitpost Their ‘Big Boy’ Into the White House
No one really knows what’s happening right now and each day, as we teeter closer and closer toward our nation’s potential descent into fascism, the chaos has predictably made for tremendous content. On Sunday, President Biden stepped down from the Democratic ticket. And as large swaths of the Democratic Party, especially the more online members of the base, come to embrace Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden, the VP rat race is officially on, too. Enter: The “Pritzker Pals”—a ragtag group of pro-Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) shitposters representing different, err, interest groups (Socialists for Pritzker, Libertarians for Pritzker, Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker, etc.)—who coalesced to register www.coconutbigboy.com last week. The website makes the case for their vision: There should be a “big boy in the White House,” specifically Mr. Pritzker, alongside Harris. Harris herself presents a textbook case of the surprising, potentially game-changing power of a good, running meme. Coconut tree imagery is all over social media as earnest supporters and irony-pilled leftists alike increasingly rally around her. Perhaps it started as a joke, Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker’s (NWP) admin told me, but the thing about “ironic” support for someone is that, quickly enough, “it becomes serious.” Harris, after all, has been surging among the Democratic base for weeks now. The “Pritzker Pals,” famous on Twitter for their quirky if not charmingly outlandish memes in support of Pritzker and his impressively progressive record, hope to forge a similar path for him onto the Democratic ticket. “Memes” may be a relatively new phenomenon, NWP said, but they’re also not: “Symbolism, deeper meaning behind imagery that can consolidate and mobilize a base of support, that’s existed in every presidential election,” he said, pointing to President Benjamin Harrison’s 1888 campaign and its iconic use of the image of keeping a ball rolling. He sees the same salience in the imagery of a coconut tree and a “big boy” like Pritzker. Socialists for Pritzker (SFP) compared the power of a viral trend to the power of earned vs. paid media: “You can’t buy or fake organic enthusiasm that people just have a lot of fun with—first they’re laughing and joking, they’re building positive associations with a politician even if they don’t typically like politicians, then maybe next, they’re looking into [Pritzker’s] policies, liking them.” ????????????we’ve got a website https://t.co/Jom6xWC33C https://t.co/D1So75FnKP — Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker⚔️ (@Nomads4Pritzker) July 18, 2024 I have no idea what’s going to happen. I doubt even top Democrats know what’s going to happen. But I do see the strengths of a, err, “big boy” like Pritzker on a Democratic presidential ticket: He’s popular, he’s from the Midwest, he’s rolled out strong progressive policies (particularly around abortion and medical debt), he’s not 81 years old. Right now, his main competition to be Harris’ hypothetical running-mate is presumed to be Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. I talked to the young people behind Socialists for Pritzker, Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker, Frat Bros for Pritzker (FBP), and Libertarians for Pritzker (LFP), who collaborated to bring www.coconutbigboy.com online. (All asked for their names to be withheld.) We spoke about the website; whether memes can present a real-world strategy to put someone in the White House; and the case for Pritzker over any of the aforementioned swing-state governors in the veepstakes. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Jezebel: Who are the "Pritzker Pals"? What is the vision for a “big boy in the White House?” SFP: Illinois residents know, our state has such a terrible record of political corruption…