3 ms·
It seems like the words are all increasingly meaningless. It's about what connotation you can give to them for the people in your base. And if you can't change
by jjjjj55555 3y ago
It seems like the words are all increasingly meaningless. It's about what connotation you can give to them for the people in your base. And if you can't change the connotation, you just invent a new word.
I think I remember some on the left calling when Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama "populists", but in a good way. Or maybe the word was "grassroots." Nowadays the word populist has a negative, right-wing connotation for many in that group.
- frank_nitti 3y agoSanders is a great example case. As I recall, he was ultimately labeled as a populist with a negative connotation, framing him as a demagogue and “reminding” people of the danger of direct democracies (as opposed to democratic republics etc closer to the actual US system). This narrative emerged only when he became a legitimate challenger to the Clinton and Biden campaigns in 2016/2020. Prior to that, his populist designation was generally framed as a positive: a man who represents and embodies the will of the working class voters. The establishment Dems and their media allies found him useful to engage their base, but never intended for him to be considered for the actual nomination (as was made clear from the guccifer leak). Very interesting case study and a blueprint for weaponizing a term like “populism” in public discourse.