Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Romney versus Palin (Elitist versus Conservative Populist)
3/3/2010 | Vanity

Posted on 03/03/2010 5:02:54 PM PST by Brices Crossroads

I noticed in the last few days that Mitt Romney has warned ominously about "the temptations of populism." In an interview with the Boston Globe, Romney says:

“The populism I’m referring to is, if you will, demonizing certain members of society: going after businesspeople, going after Wall Street, going after people who are highly educated, people who are CEOs,’’ Romney said in an interview. “That kind of ‘All of our problems are due to that group’ is something that is unproductive.’’…

“Populism sometimes takes the form of being anti-immigrant, and appearing anti-immigrant, and that likewise is destructive to a nation which has built its economy through the innovation and hard work and creativity of people who have come here from foreign shores,’’ Romney said.

I believe this is a preemptive attack on conservative populism, and its most visible spokesman, Sarah Palin, by trying to characterize the philosophy as bigoted, benighted and destructive to the capitalist system. Conservative Populism is none of the above.

In his excellent article in the Weekly Standard, The Palin Persuasion, A Case for the New Populism, Matthew Continetti argues persuasively that there are four separate iterations of populism in American political history represented by Andrew Jackson, William Jennings Bryan, Ronald Reagan and, currently, Sarah Palin. All three share the common thread of "rule by the people, of competitive commercial markets and of individuals lighting out to the territories."

Continetti observes that populism has assumed a distinctly conservative orientation as the government has both grown rapidly and has become both a tool of the elites, as well as an elite unto itself:

Over the last century, the popular energies that fueled Jackson and Bryan shifted to the right side of the political spectrum. Increasingly, the public directed its animosity at the bureaucratic and governmental elites who robbed ordinary folk of liberties in the pursuit of "social justice." At the judges who designed busing schemes that disrupted neighborhood schools. At government-induced inflation and high marginal tax rates that destroyed savings and prevented the taxpayer from spending his earned income as he saw fit. At regulatory agencies that micromanaged the trucking, airline, power, and telecommunications sectors to the detriment of competition, innovation, and affordability...

When the average American looks at the headlines, he sees the government bailing out large, failed, politically connected enterprises even as the unemployment rate rises to 10 percent... He sees the president and Congress eager to pass a costly health care bill against the public's wishes; businesses funding Democratic campaigns so as not to be punished; the rich increasingly voting Democratic. In short, he sees a river of power and wealth flowing inexorably to Washington, D.C.

Continetti perceives that the current climate creates an opportunity for the right candidate:

All of which creates a gigantic opening for a politician to display imagination and leadership. An opportunity for a figure who will separate the good populism (championing free-enterprising individuals) from the bad (concocting loony theories and vilifying "enemies of the people"). Someone who will give voice to the millions who don't want government aggrandizing the powerful; who don't want government risking dangerous fiscal imbalances; who do want public policies that create the conditions for a general prosperity. Someone, in other words, who can play the same role in contemporary politics that Jackson, Bryan, and Reagan did in the past.

She lives in Alaska.

Comparing the four, he acknowledges the differences not the least of which is Palin's only very recent appearance on the national stage, but goes on to note:

But it's nonetheless true that a couple of traits span the centuries and unify these four political figures. The first is the reaction they provoke among the elites of their age--what one might call the "Coonskin Cap Critique." The second is their advocacy of dispersed power, open markets, and American individualism.

The "Coonskin Cap Critique" is the condescension and contempt in which all four were held by the elites of their day.( He observes that a good sign of condescension is when someone tell you that things are more complicated than you think. Recall Jeb Bush's warning to Sarah Palin just last week in the Newsmax Interview) All four were underestimated by their opponents. In all four cases, their supporters were referred to as "an ill-kempt and dangerous mob." He provides many examples of the Coonskin Cap Critique for all four of them , which I will not repeat here.

Second, the four share in common their advocacy of dispersed power, open markets and American individualism:

Because Andrew Jackson was the founder of the modern Democratic party, we have a tendency to look at him through big-government eyes. We draw a line that starts with Jackson, runs through Bryan, Woodrow Wilson, and FDR, and ends up at Barack Obama. But the facts are more complicated than that. Jackson and Bryan were representatives of an American system where self-made men reaped the fruits of their labor without government meddling.

Reagan (a former Democrat) had a similar distrust for the Government, which Palin shares with him. The prescription for action among the four is simple and straightforward as well (not complicated as the elites always maintain):

Identify the obstacles impeding the American spirit and eliminate them.

Is tight money dampening economic growth? Kill the national bank. Are tariffs depressing farm wages? Reduce them. Is inflation robbing the middle class and high taxes limiting investment? Squeeze out inflation and lower the tax rates. The people will take care of the rest.

But, does Palin have a history similar to Jackson, Bryan and Reagan of confronting elites who are manipulating the government to their advantage and to the prejudice of the taxpayer? He answers:

And Palin? Time and again, she has run against elites who, in her view, are ignoring the public interest. She overthrew a three-term incumbent mayor of Wasilla because he wasn't as conservative as the people he represented. She used sales tax revenues and bond issues to help the town grow into a thriving suburb. She knocked off a Republican energy commissioner, a Republican attorney general, and an incumbent Republican governor because she felt that they were helping themselves and their friends and not the Alaskan people. As governor, she passed a sweeping ethics reform, changed the tax code so Alaskans got their fair share of oil revenues, and introduced competition and transparency into the construction of a natural gas pipeline.

The next time Mitt Romney or one of his minions tries to smear Palin as a populist and tries to misdefine American populism as some European socialism, don't let him get away with it. Mitt is the elitist, who is perfectly comfortable with the government subsidizing the largesse of he and his friends. Sarah Palin is the CONSERVATIVE populist, who is going to peel the greasy fingers of the elite off the levers of governmental power and disperse power to the people and to the states, as that great populist conservative document, the United States Constitution, rightly requires.

The link to Continetti's entire, and excellent, article is below.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/12/opinion/main5630041.shtml


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: acorn4romney; buyhisbook; buyromneysbook; criminals4romney; dnc4romney; du4romney; fisters4romney; illegals4romney; liberalkendoll; mittthejackmormon; monkeys4romney; msm4romney; palin; pimpmittsbook; populism; promiseall4romney; rinos4romney; romney; romneygoaway; sarahpalin; sellmittsbook; truthers4romney
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-29 last
To: Brices Crossroads

There’s nothing wrong with objecting to those who use privileged positions to stomp on hard working folks.


21 posted on 03/03/2010 7:33:04 PM PST by Rich Knight
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: curiosity

Populism is the path to victory in politics, so saying it is the opposite of conservatism is unhelpful as well as incorrect.


22 posted on 03/03/2010 7:34:06 PM PST by Rich Knight
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jabba the Nutt
Why do many working class people vote Democrat?

Another reason is that they have 'skin' in the game- of big government, that is. Many are public employees or other union members where they are insulated from market fluctuations that can be devastating to non-union/government protected employ. Look at the unemployment numbers a find, if you can, where Fed, State, or Local government employees go to fill their soup cans.

It's a giant game of Musical Chairs where last year, millions of chairs were removed each month whenever the music stopped. It wasn't played by all, though. Those connected in some way with government or a union remained seated throughout the 'game'. If they gave up a seat, it often came with parting gifts (pension, full benefits, etc.) at an age hardly approaching the 'golden' years.

This recession and the bankrupt nature of states and government in general may prove an exception. President Smoking-Jacket and his sidekicks, Reid and Pelosi, are, without a doubt, the worst prescription for a pneumonic economy. Together, they're likely run big government and big bureaucracy types into the ditch usually reserved for the private sector. Won't they be surprised to find their chairs ripped-out from under them, then?

23 posted on 03/03/2010 10:29:13 PM PST by budwiesest (It's that girl from Alaska, again.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: rintense
The Republicans are innocent victims in this. How many hundreds of millions of dollars in paid advertising do Republicans do every year? How many dollars worth of free media exposure do Republicans get every year? Have you ever heard the Republicans argue against this stereotype? The country-clubbers running the GOP store embrace the 'boss man' stereotype, support subsidies for Big Business (ie 'pro-business agenda') and all in all are completely clueless in how to expand their brand to more people.

The GOP has plenty of tools (and tools) to make their own destiny. The Stupid Party, they got that way the old-fashioned way, they earned it.

24 posted on 03/04/2010 3:15:20 AM PST by Jabba the Nutt (Are they insane, stupid or just evil?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Brices Crossroads

Palin’s willingness to take on Big Business when it is operating outside the bounds of fair competition is one of her strengths. This has nothing to do with “populism.” She has proven likewise willing to take on out-of-control Big Government and completely out-of-control Big Media. This woman fights back, that’s what she is and does.

I don’t even know that Romney was talking about Palin when he said his piece about populism. Populism has, by and large, been nothing more than a rhetorical device in which class envy is wielded to wedge voters away from Establishment candidates. It’s usually all bluster and blather and no real substance — like Ross Perot. To the extent that he explained himself, I actually agree with Romney on this.

We don’t need populism. We need smaller government, less spending, reduced taxes, to start kicking radical Islam’s butt, drill here/now, and someone who will kick ass and take names to make it all happen — and that person is Sarah Palin. She’s already shown us she can fight.


25 posted on 03/04/2010 6:57:00 AM PST by PaleoBob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SoCalPol

Romney versus Palin, a person who writes his own books versus someone who pays others to write hers. A person who answers questions versus someone who gets the questions ahead of time and writes the answers on her hand to give the false impression of someone who can actually think on her feet. Turn it into a joke, that’s ok, I’m sure many of Jones followers laughed at the the cute little things he did too. Laugh if you must, it will make you feel better while you continue to be deceived!


26 posted on 03/04/2010 10:00:26 AM PST by rodeo-mamma
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: rodeo-mamma

Romney had a ghost writer.
Your comments re Sarah Palin are wishful thinking on your part.

I don’t expect someone who supports Neo Leftists to lika a Conservative Republican.


27 posted on 03/04/2010 11:33:33 AM PST by SoCalPol (Reagan Republican for Palin 2012)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]


28 posted on 03/04/2010 11:35:05 AM PST by SoCalPol (Reagan Republican for Palin 2012)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: rodeo-mamma

Why do you hate Palin so much?


29 posted on 03/08/2010 9:07:44 PM PST by conservativebuckeye
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-29 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson