The Myth That Populism & Anger Lose Elections

[Douglas Carpenter]

:bounce:

Another great article from David Sirota

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/06/myth-that-populism-anger-lose.html

[demwing]

1. Populism is the future of the Democratic Party

Wise words:

"But the idea that voters are inherently turned off by any form of populism because it might be construed as angry is a very, very poor argument from very, very out-of-touch people who either haven't talked to average working stiffs at the local diner, or haven't spent much time thinking about what's really happened over the last 20 to 30 years in this country. "

great article, thx!

[Rowdyboy]

2. Its wonderful in theory, but give me just one case where its worked in

practice. Some consider Reagan a populist (I certainly don't). Truman was an angry populist, but he only won the nomination because he'd been hand-picked by FDR as VP.

Right wing nutcases like George Wallace and Ross Perot were angry populists but neither of them ever had a chance to be elected. Americans don't typically elect "angry" people. Don't know why, it just works out that way.

Please, feel free to correct me. I'd love to see a fiery populist blow the BFEE out of the water in 2008. But from a historical perspective, I don't see any rationale for expecting it to happen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. FDR

He did... he was a populist

Teddy Roosevelt, same story.

In some ways Kennedy was a populist...

It works,

Oh and yes Reagan... even if the package was done by Alwater

[Rowdyboy]

4. I'll give you Teddy Roosevelt.....

I have a hard time considering FDR a populist. Eleanor was to the left, but Franklin was pretty solid establishment. As a matter of fact, he by challenged by populists on the left and right-Senator Huey Long on the left and Father Joseph Coughlin on the right.

I definitely beg to differ with you on JFK. Kennedy was a moderate conservative based on his brief presidential record. The liberal gains associated with him came in the aftermath of his assassination and were due far more to Lyndon Johnson acting in Kennedy's name.

One could make a plausible theory that LBJ was a populist-he certainly started his career off that way. Jimmy Carter also ran as a "populist" but he really only was given the title by default. There were several Democrats who ran in 1976 who deserved to be called a populist before Carter.

Thinking about it in broader terms, you could make a good case that Bill Clinton won as a populist-though never an angry populist. His charm lay in his positive, upbeat outlook, much as did Reagan's.

I'm beginning to convince myself that populism sells, but anger doesn't.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Ah but you did not touch teddy

or for that matter Rutherford B Hayes (Yes his fraudalency), in spite of all his defects this is one thing he said... "This is now a Governemtn of the Corporations, and for the Corporations... "

Look anger is part of passion, and waht the Republcians are trying to convice people is that passion is wrong

[Rowdyboy]

6. Passion is necessary and anger is fine as long as its a small component of

the overall message. Sure, you want people to be fired up, but a relentlessly negative, angry approach is not the best way to go IMO.

I think, at heart, what I'm trying to say is that I don't equate populism with anger necessarily. Yes, it can be, but it isn't always. And in my political lifetime, when voters are angry, Democrats have usually paid the price.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. this is NOT politics as usual

this is very much a bad copy of pre 1929 America (the Rights wet dream) with some chunky pieces of Nazi Germany. Playing nice only got the Liberal Democrats and Communists a ticket to Bergen Belsen...

Anger and passion are needed now, and mister nice guy will NOT work... but hey we are free to disagree.

[Rowdyboy]

12. Thankffully, the right to disagree has not yet been taken....

Just wait until Jeb's second term.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Agreed

:-)


Though I suspect Jebbie will not see the inside of a white house after this is over....

Who knows we may see (I hope) some of these people actually facing justice

That is my hope

[Douglas Carpenter]

I think it would be quite fair to say LBJ was a populist

But besides the issue of electing Presidents, we have to look at electing a Congress, Senate and other many other offices. There populism really shows strength. Gov. of Montana Brian Schweitzer won as a populist Democrat in an overwhelming Republican State. Socialist Bernie Sanders-who is not even a Democrat--wins staunch Republican counties in Vermont by landslide proportions...Certainly the strongest message that Democrats have is that of economic populism..

[Rowdyboy]

11. You give two excellent examples that prove my point...

Both Brian Schweitzer and Bernie Sanders are diehard populists and neither exudes anger in any way that I've seen yet. Populism need to be primarily positive if it is to be sucessful. Anger doesn't sell well for Democrats in American election-at least it hasn't since 1932 (and maybe 1974).

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. Okay--let's go for happy populist--as long as they're not coporate-Demos

What we need is are are candidates with message of sticking up of the little guy--Ones that once in office demonstrate that too

[GRLMGC]

20. I agree

I think positivity works and a populist message can be extremely effective.

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. I think it would be quite fair to say LBJ was a populist

But besides the issue of electing Presidents, we have to look at electing a Congress, Senate and other many other offices. There populism really shows strength. Gov. of Montana Brian Schweitzer won as a populist Democrat in an overwhelming Republican State. Socialist Bernie Sanders-who is not even a Democrat--wins staunch Republican counties in Vermont by landslide proportions...Certainly the strongest message that Democrats have is that of economic populism..

[dolstein]

8. FDR didn't run as a populist; neither did Kennedy

Still, it was a nice attempt at revisionist history.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Ok not according to the books I have heard

the policies that FDR ennacted in his first 100 days WERE populists, the policies that JFK implemented, well there is this matter down in Dallas that gets in teh way of teh Jury... IMHO he did run as a populist (his tax cut was), but other policies place him right of center... in his case the jury is really out... from policies implemented, right of center... but he did run as a visionary and a populist, an economic populist (which his tax cut, which republicans like to use as an example nto realizing how different it was from Presnits), was progresive and did cut the rate for middle class Americans... increasing spending money in the middle.

[funflower]

15. Am I clueless, or did Bill Clinton not run as a populist?

Anger about the economy was his major issue, right? And he's got that down-home quality figured out, that's for sure. Maybe I don't have a clear definition of the term "populist"....

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. He did

very much so

[funflower]

18. Pretty darned successful, too....

[Selatius]

14. One example: Bernie Sanders

He talks about working class issues, and he enjoys near 60 percent approval heading into the US Senate race to take the seat of the retiring Jim Jeffords, an independent. The kicker is that he is an avowed socialist, and he's currently a representative in the House. Even folks like Howard Dean are urging Democrats to get behind this guy.

It's an example in progress as we speak.



http://www.bernie.org/documents/20050511.asp

[Douglas Carpenter]

19. Bernie Sanders is Great--isn't he?

Here are some really good articles about him:

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2126

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/04/who-is-bernie-sanders.html

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/05/anatomy-of-progressive-campaign.html