 dl211 says: A populist movement is any that champions the rights and power of the people over elites. The Left has often embraced populism when it has suited them. President Obama got elected in part by adopting a soft economic populism. He made the implausible promise to cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans. And he campaigned with populist red meat like: “Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it…” And the Left has often framed their fight for universal healthcare in populist terms, as a campaign for everyday Americans against elite politicians in bed with evil insurance companies. Now, though, it is strong opposition to the Democrats’ overhaul of healthcare that’s provoked populist rage. At first, liberal policymakers and the media tried to ignore the passionate protests, dismissing town hall demonstrations as “Astroturf,” “manufactured” by “evil mongers” like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. But the backlash became too strong. So the Left began ridiculing concerned citizens, labeling them as ignorant, racist or as having a lack of empathy for uninsured Americans. We’ve seen this type of response before. During the 2006 populist backlash against plans to grant amnesty for illegal immigrants, those who spoke out were called xenophobic knuckle-draggers who should be ignored. Polls show Americans are unhappy with the job Democrats have done. But they are also uneasy about the GOP. Many Americans are just sick and tired of politicians of all stripes. So it is up to Republicans to be pro-active, and to make a better effort to understand the concerns of Middle America. It is a condemnation of many of the current crop of Republicans that the strongest arguments being made against the looming economic tsunami -- whether from seizing control of health care, the auto industry, energy policy or deficit spending -- come from courageous grandmothers and other ordinary citizens at town hall meetings. The GOP has done itself no favors by parroting the line “election... |
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