Will the Real Populists Please Stand Up?

“At its root, populism is a belief in the power of regular people, and in their right to have control over their government rather than a small group of political insiders or wealthy elite.” (vocabulary.com)

The mainstream media (MSM) has been promoting the idea that US politics is currently experiencing the rise of a new populism, a form of extremism on both the left (as exemplified by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, et al) and the right (as exemplified by most, if not all, of the Republican candidates for President).

This attempt is designed to dismiss both as extremist departures from the traditional moderate positions of the Republican and Democratic Parties – in the center – which is supposedly the only way to win elections and to govern.

There are two interrelated problems with this analysis. The first is that to equate what is happening on the left and the right and to call both populist, totally eviscerates the meaning of populism. Sanders and the “Warren wing” of the Democratic Party are, in fact, true populists in that they represent “the power of the people” in the struggle against the wealthy elite which dominates politics in the US (and unfortunately both political parties). The policies they put forth have the potential for broad support among the populace and they offer a vision of what a government of all the people can look like.

Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Walker, Bush and the rest of the Republican circus represent the existing power structure and the wealthy elite. While they use fear, uncertainty and distrust to win “popular” support for some of their ideas, their base is not that of ordinary people, but of the ruling classes. Their vision is that of a government that serves the interests of that elite, providing protection at home and abroad for their wealth, promoting privatization of the commons, etc. all designed to increase the wealth and power of the few at the expense of the many. That’s the antithesis of populism.

The second problem with this analysis is that it diverts attention from the content of the true populist platform. Because that platform has broad appeal, the ruling elite will do anything it can to prevent it from being aired. They are terrified by the prospect of another “New Deal” which might reinstate (and, heaven forbid, even expand) the rights and protections of ordinary Americans, which have been eroded over the past forty years. Their goal is to marginalize this populist sentiment; one way to do this is to equate it to the reactionary idea that they themselves have supported on the right.

The real populists are standing up for all of us. We need to support them in any way we can.

George Vlasits

September 7, 2015