Posted on 01/29/2017 12:00:35 PM PST by dirtboy
How to let a populist beat you, over and over again.
Donald Trump is an avowed capitalist; Hugo Chávez was a socialist with communist dreams. One builds skyscrapers, the other expropriated them. But politics is only one-half policy: The other, darker half is rhetoric. Sometimes the rhetoric takes over. Such has been our lot in Venezuela for the past two decades — and such is yours now, Americans. Because in one regard, Trump and Chávez are identical. They are both masters of populism.
The recipe for populism is universal. Find a wound common to many, find someone to blame for it, and make up a good story to tell. Mix it all together. Tell the wounded you know how they feel. That you found the bad guys. Label them: the minorities, the politicians, the businessmen. Caricature them. As vermin, evil masterminds, haters and losers, you name it. Then paint yourself as the savior. Capture the people’s imagination. Forget about policies and plans, just enrapture them with a tale. One that starts with anger and ends in vengeance. A vengeance they can participate in.
That’s how it becomes a movement. There’s something soothing in all that anger. Populism is built on the irresistible allure of simplicity. The narcotic of the simple answer to an intractable question. The problem is now made simple.
The problem is you.
How do I know? Because I grew up as the “you” Trump is about to turn you into. In Venezuela, the urban middle class I come from was cast as the enemy in the political struggle that followed Chávez’s arrival in 1998. For years, I watched in frustration as the opposition failed to do anything about the catastrophe overtaking our nation. Only later did I realize that this failure was self-inflicted.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
BS!
We just stopped our Chavez by electing Trump.
Funny how the left sung the high praises of Chavez and wouldn’t print anything wrong about him all through Obama’s term and even when Venezuela endured disastrous times it was NEVER Chavez’ fault...
Until now that he can be compared to Trump.
Comparing Comrade Chavez to Trump.
Not very bright, are they?
So now that he’s dead, and his Marxist policies have left that nation in ruins...they now call him a populist.
Must be the newest leftist tactic. Comparing Trump to Hitler isn’t working, so now they’re comparing him to Chavez.
Good grief.
It actually is a rather pointed critique of the antics of the anti-Trump movement. I agree the comparison of Trump and Chavez is absurd - but his description of the approach of the anti-Chavez movement could be a mirror of what we are reading today.
Whatever. The socialists keep comparing Trump to one of their own to try to discredit him. That just doesn't have much impact.
We voted against the socialist in order to avoid a future like that of Venezuela. The author of this article may have seen very well the destruction of Venezuela under Chavez, but he obviously has no idea of why/how Chavez destroyed Venezuela.
No - The anti-chavez movement in Venezuela IS the pro-Trump movement here.
The difference is - we won.
Trump is NOT a populist president. If you’ll recall these self-same smarmy leftists point out that Trump did NOT win the popular vote!
There’s NO comparison here!
Big difference, because one ruined the economy down there, and one will build the economy here. Besides that our leaders are limited to 2, 8 year terms, and the American public will not stand for a dictator that can never be removed. Including those of us who may be sorry and sad to see him go when that time comes.
Wash post = lying marxist opposition party media!
If you had five cents and everything this guy knows about economics and politics, well, you’d have five cents.
Thanks!
The left is flailing away searching for something that can defeat Trump.
Like a drowning man in that panicked death spiral.
Quite entertaining.
Best election ever!!!
“We just stopped our Chavez by electing Trump.”
exactly!
If Hillary had been elected, the first words out of my mouth would have been “welcome to north Venezuela”
We were trying to ‘stop’ Chavez? Who was? The US? Really? How?
What do you mean exactly by ‘stop’?
This is why I passed when my neighbor offered me his (unread) WaPo papers. It’s just more garbage to deal with.
Funny I thought the left ADORED Hugo Chavez..leftists have said over and over they want America to be like Venezuela, now they dont like Chavez anymore LOL
Mister Obama, Mrs. Clinton, Mister Chavez and Mister Castro all worked to make folks feel disenfranchised and promised to "fight" for them, if only the voters would put them in power.
Trump's approach is to defend our fine country against foreign foes and illegal aliens.
National defense, secure borders and the rule of law are not populist arguments. Making groups of people falsely feel subjugated and unfairly denied a "fair" chance because of the evil 1% is true populism.
The post knows this; and their argument can only be considered...
...populist.
#fakecomparison
Bravo!
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