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 ...
WaPo.
‘Nuff said.
Click on another link.
Drivel. One part of me wishes these dopes would just shut up. Another part of me believes they should keep this crap up because it’s the kind of stupid narrative that America’s patriots and working families abhor. Articles like this keeps the left’s idiocy front and center, and may help finish off the Democrats in 2018 and 2020.
This dirtbag should never be permitted inside US borders for the duration of his life.
“Make up a good story to tell”
Hmmm. Nothing was made up. Trump just recited facts and grieviances against government incompetency.
What if someone somehow was able to rise up in VZ against the commies by appealing to how they’ve been screwed by government. That would be a populist wouldn’t it?
He sure seemed like more of a socialist globalist to me.
So where’s the “Barf Alert”?
Poor sick moron doesn’t understand the difference between a communist an American patriot but presumes to tell us to back a Communist. We tried that and that is why we are in the mess we are in.
But, jOkeass and the Bolsheckrats are to blame.
Just when you thought WaPo could not get any more asinine they show you they can.
Good’ole Jimmah Carter made sure Chavez won.. if I remember correctly
Wapo suddenly anti-Marxist?
SINCE WHEN????
“. Because in one regard, Trump and Chávez are identical. They are both masters of populism. “
Bullsh*t!
The word “populism” is being used by the liberals to mean something bad. The opposite would be “elitist”, and that is what liberals practice while they preach they want populism.
Populism is about “ordinary people”, the middle class, yet, liberals are using the word to mean “tyrannical”.
Well said.
WaPo daily puke-smelling garbage!
But, but, I thought Trump was HITLER, a Nazi! Now they’re saying he’s a COMMUNIST like Chavez? I’m so conFOOZed! /s
The people who run Venezuela are not populists they are communists there is a difference, you know.
What an asshole this guy is. One my best friends here in Utah is Venezuelan, and they would kill to have Trump president there. Trump is the anti-Chavez.
Ignorant morons. Trump is the anti-Chavez.
Obama’s populism and socialism is a lot closer to Chavez’s ideology and I was in constant fear we would end up the same way.
I am from Venezuela and I am in a constant state of sadness over it.
Sanders was the Chavez in our race. Duh.
And yeah Venezuela you could have stopped Chavez, he was deposed and arrested, your mistake was not immediately putting 3 rounds in his head before his treasonous supporters rescued him. Venezuela is on fire now, long years later, because the coup organizers were cucks that wouldn’t finish the job.
Mind your own GD business, Mr. Rondon.
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