Posted on 11/27/2016 12:38:58 PM PST by EveningStar
Populism? No thanks.
I am not now, nor will I ever be, a populist. Evidently, that separates me from a growing number of commentators, including some conservatives, wistfully engaged in Washington's latest fad: over-interpreting Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election.
The normally sensible Mike Lee, Republican senator from Utah, took to our pages to plead the case of "principled populism" -- which is akin to calling for a sober Bacchanalia. Not surprisingly, Senator Lee's brief doesn't get very far before strangling in its own illogic, as odes to populism inevitably do. The "characteristic weakness" of populism, he tells us, is the lack of "a coherent philosophy," which inevitably makes its "proposals" (I'd have said "careenings") "inconsistent" and "unserious." Well, yes . . . that is because populism is inherently unprincipled, inconsistent, and unserious, such that arguing for "principled populism" is so much nonsense.
Lee, a very smart guy, is anything but nonsensical. He is clearly trying to exploit Trump's supposed populist moment for conservative ends. In his telling, "principled populism" becomes a menu of conservative proposals "focused on solving the problems that face working Americans in a fracturing society and global economy." I'm all for the menu, but that's not "principled populism"; it's conservatism -- or, as Lee unnecessarily modifies it, "authentic conservatism."
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
I don't care if Rysh thinks you're swell. You're just another prissy, useless lawyer who's wrong about EVERYTHING.
Positive people interpret.
Negative people run around worrying they will.
Trump kicked your ass.
Now shut up.
Trump isn’t a populist. A populist is a socialist who wants restrictions on immigration. Populists usually want to raise taxes on the rich and corporations, not cut them.
Trump is a pro-growth supply sider in the Jack Kemp tradition, except without the open borders. That’s why you don’t hear him talking about what departments and agencies he will eliminate, rather he talks about building a strong military, how the VA should be reformed, empowerment zones in the inner cities and school choice vouchers.
Anything coming out of NR is waste of reading time.
People listen to you, like what you say, vote for you, and it’s a sin.
Is National Review now run by k-6th grade kids.
Finally, I get to his last sentence which worries about “statism” employed by Democrats vs statism employed by Republicans. Well, that’s nice Andy but when the nation is sliding off the fn cliff your hair splitting pontifications seem as blissfully irrelevant as your employer’s ignorant opposition to Mr. Trump turned out to be.
Excellent comments.
It wasn’t unusual for the “never Trumps” to do the same thing.
There’s a lot going on at the state level which is why the GOP now has most governors and state legislatures
Welfare reform? Partial birth abortion ban?
The nature of politics is that there aren't final victories or final defeats -- everything is up for grabs every minute -- and the nature of American politics on the national level is that it's hard to get much done at all.
And how many enduring conservative goals were achieved before 1988?
I'm not saying we were on the right track for the last 20 years, just that lasting policy changes in politics are rare in politics. If you're thinking you can change the direction the country's moving in if you just insist on it, you're going to be disappointed most of the time.
Another peterpuffing cuckservative at the increasingly irrelevant National Review spews GOPe nonsense.
Lord these people suck.
When they say populist, what they’re really telegraphing is “charismatic”.
A charismatic gets elected because he’s so popular. His policies don’t matter, he just mesmerizes the populace so much so that they vote for him anyway.
Works with women too, and guess what. Hillary Clinton was a charismatic populist, whose policies have nearly destroyed this nation.
So rather than focus on Trump, they’d do well to focus on the old hag, who is exactly what the accuse Trump of being, when he really isn’t.
His policies are time honored and rock solid.
Charismatic populast? LOL They wish! The folks had their number this time around.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me three times, not way Lefties... sanity has finally came into vogue again.
“Being bored, I painfully slogged through this overly wordy and meandering article authored by a National Review globalist/elitist looking for a point, indeed any point that might justify my time reading it.”
Thanks for doing the heavy lifting so the rest of us don’t have to bother. And the NR circle jerk continues...
There is no such thing as capital -P-, Populism. Populism is an ethereal concept that can take on any meaning. In its simplest form it means a political idea that is popular. Conservative ideals can be popular therefore part of the general concept of populism. Andrew McCarthey is a moderate blowhard and he should not be read.
cancel Obama’s unconstitutional executive orders
build the wall
repeal and replace Obamacare
simplify the Tax code
roll back twenty years of intrusive government regulations,
defund Planned Parenthood
canceling Common Core and return control of education to the States
The remainder can be taken up after the above have been implemented
end the assault on the Second Amendment
audit the Federal Reserve System,
deport illegals and Syrian invaders
prosecute Hillary and her crew
release the secret 28 pages from the 9/11 report
negotiate prescription drug purchases
repatriate $2.5 trillion in off-shore profits
stop the IRS from abridging the free speech of Christian Churches
reform the libel laws to remove the "public figure" distinctions
clean up the mess that is the VA
cutting waste, fraud and abuse where ever it is found
investigate the harmful additives in Vaccines and the coverup of studies at the CDC
and destroy the culture of Political Correctness
My version coherent philosophy for “principled conservatism” includes winning,, as the highest single priority.
Ivory tower philosophers may write, and pontificate. But when circumstances and demographics, war and peace, a crappy economy change the playing field, I insist on pragmatism.
I insist on winning above all. If that is “populism,” then populism is a good thing.
Nevertrumps regurgitate leftist talking points, about how the trump voters were less educated.
I have two degrees, but my brothers do not, my father did not, my FIL did not, my grandfathers did not. Most of my friends do not.
To get my degree meant 8 years and GI Bill. I do NOT look down on those who went into a skilled trade or vocation.
Their votes are just as meaningful as a college degree. They are the blood, sweat and tears of this nation.
And to think I liked you in Weekend at Bernie’s.
One of the great ironies of the last 40 years was that the height of the GOP’s conservative dominance came when Bill Clinton was in the White House. The post-1994 changes in the national political conversation were far more dramatic than anything the GOP came up with when that dope George W. Bush was the president.
If it were up to the charlatans at National Review Cankles would be the President-elect and they would be happy about it.
Populism sounds like a term the libtards wold use so they could redefine it to fit an agenda and make it sound evil. Truth is I’ve never heard the term used in conservative circles.bits the left up to their old dirty tricks...patriotism is a more fitting word.
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