Biff wrote: ↑20 Sep 2022, 22:01
Del wrote: ↑20 Sep 2022, 20:00
Troubadour wrote: ↑20 Sep 2022, 16:45
"Populism" has always been left-wing to the core no matter which party embraces it. To the point that most left-wing "political philosophy" is decidedly populist in some way or another. I think this is why some say that Trump isn't a real "conservative".
I admire the effort you must have gone to in order to think that way.
Or just plain ol' simple insanity.
A very specific sort of insanity, to be precise. My good friend Chesterton describes people who cling fiercely to ONE BIG IDEA, and use it to smash all the other truths. It is a very common sort of insanity, and very seductive.
Orthodoxy, Chapter II: "The Maniac" It's a short read. And a great one -- changed my life and how I understand the world.
Chesterton's exact quote (from somewhere else, not this link) is:
To such persons I say (in a voice not untinged with admiration), "What a great effort you must have gone to in order to think that way."
Anyhow, Troubador is not entirely wrong.
If
populism means "appealing to the mob," then modern Leftism is as old as Emperor Commodus and his policy of "Bread and Circus."
- Promise the mob that they can live without responsibilities ("bread") -- abortion, generous welfare, guaranteed income, free healthcare, student loans forgiven, blame all their problems onto Jews or Christians as scapegoats.
- Promise the mob easy pleasure ("circus") -- casual sex, porn and prostitution, legal cannabis, plenty of illegal drugs.
Elites can control the plebeians and the proletariat thus, until it all falls apart into tyranny, shortages of staple goods, secret police and gulags.
But there is another view of
populism -- a governing principle that listens to the people who don't want to be slaves. People who want good jobs so they can provide for their own families. Good schools so their kids can provide for themselves as adults. Safe neighborhoods so their kids can play and learn. Strong borders to stop the barbarian invasions and cartels. This is the populism of the American Founding Fathers, and the essence of grassroot conservatism.
When the elite Republicans weren't satisfying this need, American populism developed the TEA Party, Trump, and DeSantis. Canada saw the Trucker Protest and now Poilievre.
Back to insanity:
If you are an "elite" who believes "Leftism is the One Good" -- then you won't see conservative populism. Those people can't be bought or controlled. They are deplorable semi-fascists. They must be eliminated.
If you are a "prol" who believes (in some vague way) "my Bread & Circus is the One Good" -- then you won't see conservative populism. Those people are imposing their values on me, and I'm such a good person. So they must be bad people. They must be eliminated.