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brooklynite

(94,535 posts)

23. Populism is broadly aimed at "for the people" (e.g. "us") vs power interests and outsiders ("them")

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Wed Jun 24, 2020, 11:48 AM

Jun 2020

It plays on the perception that "I" or "we" are disadvantaged by entities with power and influence who impose that power on "us" (they tell us what to do, they get tax cuts and Govt support that we don't get, etc.). It's worth noting that, like libertarianism, it can have both a leftist and rightist streak.

The high water mark of the populist movement was in the 1880s when the People's Party elected several House members and Senators from rural States and districts, and who targeted "Wall Street" and "Big Business" that was making farming uneconomic.

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What is a populist? [View all] kentuck Jun 2020 OP

Differences in populism between the 2 parties JonLP24 Jun 2020 #1

Umhm. Defined by the current leaders, the LW version was class warfare Hortensis Jun 2020 #4

This message was self-deleted by its author JonLP24 Jun 2020 #6

Class warfare has already been declared by the rich onto the rest of us, how dare we attempt to... Humanist_Activist Jun 2020 #15

Suspect my moving most of my comment to its own post Hortensis Jun 2020 #8

I misread your post so I sent you a reply that had nothing to do with what you said JonLP24 Jun 2020 #10

Oh, been there, done that! :) Hortensis Jun 2020 #11

Demagogues Doc_Technical Jun 2020 #2

A euphemism for "unpopular and crazy?" lagomorph777 Jun 2020 #3

I disagree with significant portions of this academic description Tom Rinaldo Jun 2020 #5

Yours is the imagining of earnest supporters of change, Hortensis Jun 2020 #9

A populist movement can be a tool to destroy a nation. Or it can be a tool to redeem one Tom Rinaldo Jun 2020 #13

Problem is, they almost never redeem. Populist leaders Hortensis Jun 2020 #18

I think the crux of this debate revolves around the terms "populist movement" vs "populist leader" Tom Rinaldo Jun 2020 #19

Good national leaders try to draw everyone Hortensis Jun 2020 #20

A good national leader has a strong moral compass Tom Rinaldo Jun 2020 #24

Yes. And must always be very clear-eyed about what is moral. Hortensis Jun 2020 #26

Here we reach full agreement Tom Rinaldo Jun 2020 #27

:) Nice! Hortensis Jun 2020 #28

The most telling proof that populism is more a harnessed negative energy Hortensis Jun 2020 #7

I've always thought of it as politics for low info folks BannonsLiver Jun 2020 #12

Like Hope and Change JonLP24 Jun 2020 #21

This.... Hotler Jun 2020 #14

As a stand-alone political ideology, it's vague, tricky and poorly defined; as a frame or flavor on WhiskeyGrinder Jun 2020 #16

'Populist' is an abused term, imo empedocles Jun 2020 #17

My guess is it's different depending on country & era. In the US post-1960? Racist. Drunken Irishman Jun 2020 #22

Populism is broadly aimed at "for the people" (e.g. "us") vs power interests and outsiders ("them") brooklynite Jun 2020 #23

Your first paragraph. Is that populism or just the truth? JonLP24 Jun 2020 #25

We also have to think of the term in context of the dominant social and political paradigm. Caliman73 Jun 2020 #29