Obama gives your wacky uncle a name

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Everyone, it seems, has an annoying right-wing uncle. He's the one who sends around those strange birther emails, makes inappropriate jokes at family gatherings, is impervious to reason and evidence, and seems a little too eager to believe everything he hears from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.

This phenomenon is so common that The Rachel Maddow Show has made good use of it. During our recent coverage of the trumped up "Fast and Furious" controversy, you may have noticed the screen behind Rachel read, "What Your Uncle Who Watches Fox News All Day Is All Worked Up About."

For his part, President Obama campaigned in Virginia today, and not only acknowledged the problem of the wacky Fox News-watching uncle, but took the next step of giving the uncle a name (thanks to M.Y. for the tip).

When talking about his plan to extend the Bush tax cuts for people making less than $250,000 a year, Obama blamed the network for contributing to misperceptions of his tax policy as president. He chose "Uncle Jim" as a random example of the average Fox News viewer.

"Uncle Jim, who's been watching Fox News, thinks somehow I raised taxes," Obama said.

He added: "In the case of friends like Uncle Jim, who watch Fox News -- let's be clear. I've lowered taxes."

I don't imagine Uncle Jim will find this persuasive -- for the record, the president is telling the truth -- but it's oddly reassuring to realize everyone has an Uncle Jim (or perhaps an Aunt Jill?) in their lives.