"Populism," the Most Abused Noun in the English Language

[marmar]

from the Texas Observer, via AlterNet:



....(snip)....

'Populism' is surely the most abused noun in the English language these days. If you’re a white, well-educated sort who detests government and worships the mystical powers of free markets, you’re a populist. If you’re protesting health-care reform and Photoshopping toothbrush mustaches onto images of President Obama, you’re a populist. If you’re Gov. Rick Perry, rhetorically bashing government while using it to enrich the rich, you’re a populist. If you’re Perry’s political paramour Sarah Palin, declaring at the National Tea Party Convention that “We got into this mess because of government interference in the first place,” you’re not merely a populist; according to that paragon of the establishment media, David Broder, you’re espousing “pitch-perfect populism.”

Except that you’re not. You’re doing exactly the opposite.

If anybody ought to understand this, it’s Texans. Populism—the real kind—was born here, after all, when the Farmers Alliance movement was formed in Lampasas in 1877. The Alliance helped spawn the People’s Party, which had a brief but heady national run in the 1890s and dreamed up damn near every significant progressive reform of the 20th century.

Populism was—still is—all about making government a force for economic justice. It’s about class warfare, straight-up and unapologetic. It’s the sworn enemy of the right-wingers now claiming the name. As Peter Beinart wrote recently on The Daily Beast, “The Tea Partiers aren’t standing up for the little guy; they’re standing up to the little guy.”

Lord only knows what these folks would do if we had an actual populist in the White House. “We believe that the power of government—in other words, of the people—should be expanded,” declared the original 1892 platform of the People’s Party, “as rapidly and as far as the good sense of an intelligent people and the teachings of experience shall justify, to the end that oppression, injustice and poverty shall eventually cease in the land.” ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/news/146689/%22populism%2C%22_the_most_abused_noun_in_the_english_language

[Demeter]

1. The First Chore of Fascism Is To Debase the Political Language

They did it to "liberal". They did it to "feminist". Now they are doing it to "Populist".

They did it to Small Government. They did it to the Bill of Rights. They did it to habeus corpus.

They did it to the Declaration of Independence.

They did it to free and fair elections.

They did it to all of us. It cannot go on.

[swilton]

2. They also did it to Marxism and Socialism

Read the Communist Manifesto - it lists among its objectives as free education and health care for all and abolishing child labor - among other ideals.

[bemildred]

3. Word. Populism is nothing if it is not about economic democracy. nt