An article in Michael Booberg’s outfit uses classic sales tactics to propagandize the meaning of the word “Populism”.
When you first encounter the word “populism,” you might think it’s a close cousin of democracy, with all the positive connotations that go along with it. And for some, it may well seem a purer form of a process by which politicians harness the will of the majority.
But that’s only part of the picture. Populism—ostensibly a belief in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people—often requires a bogeyman, be it an existing government, the supposed cultural elite, the media, or a particular ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Let’s take that in parts, shall we? In the first paragraph, there’s the obvious trap that you (according to Booberg) probably fell for, then a buff for the word Democracy. Finally, a handy excuse for you to let yourself out of the obvious trap. Then the second paragraph educates you out of your former stupor, while damning you if do not change your ways — racist, slob, genocidal bigot.
The problems with this article are legion, and one of them is that in a Democracy, populism is very likely the fast road to Hell, but in a Republic (you see where I’m going), populism is but one of the many forces tethered to certain ranges of effectiveness. Democratic populism is riots in the streets — whitey is your bogeyman. Republican populism is rage against big government in the ballot booth — Trump winning despite what all of our betters in the “government, the supposed cultural elite, the media” have told us.
“Populist” will be used to describe every ill for the next two years at least, just as Mom and Pop in Indiana are the “Taliban” because they don’t think they should have to pay for spring cleaning of Sandra Fluke’s frequent-flyer uterus.
“spring cleaning of Sandra Fluke’s frequent-flyer uterus” Crikey, howz a guy supposed to drink his coffee hanging around this place?!?!
Copy that, TW…Drinking tea is just as hard. This is gonna be fun!
Yes, Nanda!
This is a republic so what does it matter. at this point.
I was bothered, reading Mrs Clinton’s concesssion speech how often she referred to our “constitutional democracy.”
The Left is just dying to get us to a pure democracy. So we are hearing about having the president decided by the popular vote instead of the electoral college, thereby insuring NYC, LA, and DC choose any further politicians we get. Just look at the county-by-county map of how America voted this time and you will see that most of the country becomes irrelevant if we move to a democracy.
Or look at what happened to us when we passed the 17th Amendment. A good part of the basis of our republic, the states, simply became mostly powerless as the rabble took control of the senate.