Re: Populism - Good or Bad?
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:48 am
I like history shows. Back before the election, Back Story Radio did a segment called People's Choice: A History of Populism.
Populist movements call for all kinds of things - a bigger government that takes care of the people, a smaller government that doesn't get in the people's way, a stronger military to restore the glory of the nation - populism is not a set of policies, but a kind of messaging.
The message of populism is "make America great again" - or "make Germany great again", "make Venezuela great again", "make Russia great again". We once had it. We lost it. The people were in power, now the system is rigged against us. We need to take our country back.
The American Revolution promised to put the people in power. So did Obama. So did Hitler, Lenin, Castro, and Chavez. When leaders make this kind of promise, we should be a little skeptical, and we should keep our eyes open to make sure they aren't taking power away from us and giving it to themselves and their friends. Don't judge a leader by his marketing message, judge him by what he actually does.
Let's keep our eyes open - is Trump concentrating power in the office of the president, or is he working to make sure that the various branches of the government work well together? Is he making it easier for lobbyists to have their way, or limiting the power of money in government? Is he making government more transparent or less transparent? Is he turning American into more of a police and surveillance state, or a country where we do not need to fear that the government is spying on us? Is he balancing the budget and making sure that the money we spend actually improves the lives of everyday Americans, or spending lots of money to make a big splash in the short run?
If he promises to bring back factory jobs, lets grade him on that promise over the next 4 years. If he promises more power to everyday Americans, lets ask him to make that promise concrete - how exactly is he going to do that, and how can we measure it over the next 4 years? Can we make a list of the concrete things we the people should measure 4 years from now?
Populist movements call for all kinds of things - a bigger government that takes care of the people, a smaller government that doesn't get in the people's way, a stronger military to restore the glory of the nation - populism is not a set of policies, but a kind of messaging.
The message of populism is "make America great again" - or "make Germany great again", "make Venezuela great again", "make Russia great again". We once had it. We lost it. The people were in power, now the system is rigged against us. We need to take our country back.
The American Revolution promised to put the people in power. So did Obama. So did Hitler, Lenin, Castro, and Chavez. When leaders make this kind of promise, we should be a little skeptical, and we should keep our eyes open to make sure they aren't taking power away from us and giving it to themselves and their friends. Don't judge a leader by his marketing message, judge him by what he actually does.
Let's keep our eyes open - is Trump concentrating power in the office of the president, or is he working to make sure that the various branches of the government work well together? Is he making it easier for lobbyists to have their way, or limiting the power of money in government? Is he making government more transparent or less transparent? Is he turning American into more of a police and surveillance state, or a country where we do not need to fear that the government is spying on us? Is he balancing the budget and making sure that the money we spend actually improves the lives of everyday Americans, or spending lots of money to make a big splash in the short run?
If he promises to bring back factory jobs, lets grade him on that promise over the next 4 years. If he promises more power to everyday Americans, lets ask him to make that promise concrete - how exactly is he going to do that, and how can we measure it over the next 4 years? Can we make a list of the concrete things we the people should measure 4 years from now?