What Populism Is And Isn't

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What Populism Is And Isn't

DECEMBER 31, 2015 Hunter Lewis

 

Here we go again.

 

Franklin Roosevelt infamously redefined the meaning of the wordliberalism in the 1930s to mean more and more government control of the economy. This was in complete contradiction to what the word had meant for centuries, as defined by people like Jefferson: less government control of the economy.

 

Now advocates of more government control over the economy want to redefine populism as Trumpism. I hope they don’t get away with it this time. My definition of a populist is someone who wants what is best for the poor, the middle class, and ultimately all Americans ( the Latin root of the word means the people). By definition, a populist is someone who is not working on behalf himself or herself or other special interests. Since most government officials are closely allied with special interests, this leaves out most government officials.

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Can right-wing populism be stopped?

Damon Linker December 28, 2015

The Great American Populism Debate is well underway.

Not a single vote has yet been counted in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but with Donald Trump's campaign leading most polls for six months straight and showing no signs of slumping as we head into the final month before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, an array of politicians and commentators, fromBarack Obama and Bernie Sanders to the center-left Bill Galston and center-right David Frum, has begun to reflect thoughtfully on just what the hell happened to American politics in 2015.

All of them agree on three points: First, that Trump's campaign is a populist reaction to the economic decline of the white working class. Second, that Trump is exploiting the anger sparked by this decline for his own purposes. Third, that a more conscientious response would involve the Republican Party proposing a series of policies to address the interests and anxieties of these angry white working-class voters. http://theweek.com/articles/595715/rightwing-populism-stopped