Where are the Populists?

[Joanne98]

There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it." William Jennings Bryan, 1896


Populism is broadly defined as "political ideas and activities that are intended to represent ordinary people's needs and wishes." The majority are deliberately held down by the financial elite. Removal of the financial elite is the vehicle to realize the "people's needs and wishes." (Graph)

The statement from William Jennings Bryan is pure populism. It becomes less pure as he proceeded with his speech. He used a metaphor of burning down the nation's big cities since they were, he claimed, the stronghold of the financial elite and support for the gold standard for currency.

In practice, populism almost always entails anger and resentment.

A combination of factors has the United States ripe for populist sentiments. The financial collapse which surfaced fully at the end of the Bush administration resulted in help to both the major financial firms and the people. The financial firms got $14 trillion dollars worth of bailouts. The people got $1.8 trillion in President Obama's stimulus package, much of which consisted of tax cuts for political favorites.

On a more basic level, the disparity in wealth shows that the top just 5% of the population controls 59% of the nations wealth. Include the next 5% and you find that 10% of the population controls 71% of the wealth. The parties and the media can trot out all the diversions they want, people know this and they're increasingly upset as the recession/depression bears down on the vast majority of citizens.

continued>>>>
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Where-are-the-Populists-by-Michael-Collins-100212-753.html

[grok]

1. populism is not necessarily "resent the rich"

But it is, in it's purest sense, RESENTMENT. Resent the the "jewish/white/european" bankers, that's populism. Resent the "black" who wants his fair piece too(out of yours), populism. Resent the hispanic who is willing to work hard for peanuts and take your job, populism. Resent those that try to tell YOU how to manage your financial worth and family, populism.

Populism is a VERY powerful political tool. Maybe the most powerful and the most easily abused by those willing take advantage of towards their own ends. Think of all those that HAVE misused it in history. You KNOW who they are.

Some of us(myself included) chose not to become rich, even though we were more than capable of doing so. Many of us merely want ot be fairly compensated for their labors. To be able to take of the basic needs of their family,self and health.

The Rich can merely move if it gets too hot here for them. With the tools/assets that got them rich in the first place. The move has already started. Just in case.

When they leave, who will we have to resent? Each other.

That's Populism.

[diane in sf]

2. nonsense

[Enthusiast]

4. Why is it nonsense? nt

[blue97keet]

3. Yes resentment of our own government not working for us.

[Uncle Joe]

5. The author's logic is backward.

"In practice, populism almost always entails anger and resentment.

A combination of factors has the United States ripe for populist sentiments. The financial collapse which surfaced fully at the end of the Bush administration resulted in help to both the major financial firms and the people. The financial firms got $14 trillion dollars worth of bailouts. The people got $1.8 trillion in President Obama's stimulus package, much of which consisted of tax cuts for political favorites.

On a more basic level, the disparity in wealth shows that the top just 5% of the population controls 59% of the nations wealth. Include the next 5% and you find that 10% of the population controls 71% of the wealth. The parties and the media can trot out all the diversions they want, people know this and they're increasingly upset as the recession/depression bears down on the vast majority of citizens."

Anger and resentment entail populism, not the other way around.

The critical questions being.

Does the anger and resentment have a righteous basis?

Does Populism offer a logical, productive solution to the anger?

I believe the answer to both is yes, on many issues from health care, to dysfunctional, unsustainable income disparities, to legalizing or decriminalizing drugs, to for profit prisons and our world record breaking prison population, to ever increasing corporate supremacy over "We the People's Government and in turn over the people, to ignoring and downplaying the critical implications of Global Warming Climate Change and it's devastating consequences against the average American.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.