Populisms Left and Right

[TexasTowelie]

You hear a lot of anxiety these days about the rising tide of “right-wing populism.” How in God’s name did Donald Trump increase his share of the vote in localities like Lee and Clinton counties in Iowa and Kenosha and Dunn ounties in Wisconsin? So, maybe it’s time to take a step back and think about what “populism” really means – today, historically, and for the American future.

Today, on one hand, we have strong performances by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primaries,running on overtly populist programs of fighting economic inequality and corporate control of government on all levels. On the other, there’s Trump consistently attacking “elites,” and increasing his share of the vote from the white lower middle class.

And the trend extends beyond the election. A December 1 Washington Post editorial tabbed the anti-elite posturing of Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri as “what GOP politics after Trump will look like.”

Many commentators have remarked that the entire election process had a populist taste, but in their rush to emphasize both-sides-now, they have missed the crucial truth. Populism in the United States has always existed in two very different flavors – Left and Right. Their superficial appeals, “it’s us little folks against the elites,” sound the same, but their histories, their underlying theories, their organizing principles, and their leaderships are drastically different. And most importantly at this juncture, their prescriptions for how the country might respond to existential challenges involving class, race and democracy are radically different.

Read more: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/12/06/populisms-left-and-right/

[Freddie]

1. Great read, thank you

[TexasTowelie]

2. You're welcome

and it was an educational experience for me also.

[TexasTowelie]

4. You're welcome.

I occasionally will find some great articles on the local level sites.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Yes, great read. Backs up my ideas on how Conservative populism..

is based on what's good for me. Liberal populism is based on what's good for us.

[rampartc]

6. good article

why are these "conservative" authoritarians even considered to be populists?

[beastie boy]

7. Populism, left or right, is antithetical to representative democracy.

Representative democracy is a political system that is based on majority rule, no matter whether I personally agree or disagree with the majority currently in power. It also provides, at least in theory, basic protections for various minorities against the despotism of majority rule. The defining characteristic of populism, on the other hand, left ot right, is not only to ignore the democratic rules, norms and institutions, but undermine and even destroy them in the name of "the people", a term that more often than not is applied to a minority that has gained the power to impose their will on the majority. Historically, this approach has been shown to be destabilizing and even destructive to societies and nations. From Hitler to Berlusconi, from Stalin to Castro, history is full of examples. Being a passionate proponent of representative democracy, I view populism in all its forms to be dangerous in its core.

[JI7]

9. Exactly, and FDR was not populist .