Framing Candidates as 'Buffers'

Political actors and sympathetic media increasingly present controversial figures not as extremists but as 'buffers' who shield the public from deeper threats. The tactic reassigns blame from the actor's rhetoric to an alleged worse alternative, changing how protests and policy debates are interpreted. — Recognizing this framing matters because it normalizes polarizing politicians, shifts public sympathy, and can lower resistance to harsh policies on migration and policing.