Is the World Waking Up?
What is populism? It’s formally defined as a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. We get that, and the pundits will never let us forget it’s why they think Donald Trump was elected president.
There are many “experts” who predict that populism will spread through the democratic nations of the world, but have they missed the most important aspect of every sovereign nation, the people themselves? There is a big debate in America about the classification of those “ordinary” citizens and what they really want. There is a sense that research is ineffective in predicting voter blocks. How many polls have been wrong and why are the pollsters so inaccurate?
Computer science has popularized the acronym GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) to explain outcomes that don’t match known results. Some blame dirty data for inaccurate results. In most cases, however, research fails to consider that people change their minds. Numbers don’t lie under pure math, but when trying to gauge the attitudes and judgements of the masses research can only look backwards.
One of the miscalculations of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, was that the populism in the United States with Donald Trump could be borrowed for his own election. The pollsters tell us how popular Trump is in Israel, but that could simply be a regurgitation of the propaganda from Netanyahu’s camp. The two recent elections in Israel demonstrated how many of its people want change. There is a timestamp on populism, and you can’t just pitch propositions, you need to deliver the goods.
In the UK, Boris Johnson has used a populism message of Brexit, even with lots of lies sprinkled throughout his propaganda, to gain power and force Prime Minister Theresa May out of the way. But now that the Brits have had time to take a sober look at what Brexit could mean, there is less of a populace mandate to leave the EU. At least, the prospect of a departure without a firm agreement and plan in place will cause economic damage and stir up emotional wounds in Ireland.
The UK Supreme Court has said that Mr. Johnson’s suspension of Parliament for five weeks is against the law. Supreme Court President Lady Hale said, “The effect on the fundamentals of democracy was extreme.” Of course, Johnson disagrees with the decision but he will obey. And that is what happens when the muscle of the mob of populism meets the well-thought-out rules, procedures and traditions of a country.
We shouldn’t get too excited about the rejiggering of policymaking; the sport is rather mercurial. Having watched politics for more than sixty years, I know that changes come slowly, but there can be a whip back to a conservative viewpoint to offset a wild swing to more liberal legislation. Most people will say they want something done by the government, and they might be solidly behind it, until they get the bill. Conservatives tend to warn us about too much spending and control by the feds, while liberals like the safety net, even if it means more taxes. But those definitions don’t always hold. A fake conservative in the White House has driven this country into deeper debt without any regard for a balanced budget.
Donald Trump doesn’t care about the science of politics or the battle tested policies and procedures that have kept America strong for more than 240 years. He’s a loud talking fathead who yearns only for love while not taking the time to comprehend what any of this really means. His narrative is his own composition without any proof that it will work. It’s not good when the concerns of the middle class are disregarded by an established political system, but what happens when one man takes on the world and decides that it’s his way or the highway? This imbecile of a president has forced our country into a trade war with China and many people have suffered. Trump’s tax cut did very little for the middleclass, but really helped the corporate power structure buy back stock and gave the owner class a way to own more.
One of the results of missteps by populists is that people get frustrated and walk away from politics. It’s not a Republican or Democratic thing, but rather a calculation of knowing what people truly want and delivering the goods. The waves of populism change quickly, and those who believe their result lasts forever are fools. Donald Trump is slowly losing the power of populism and many now see that he is just another corrupt politician. Hopefully, those who have been hurt by his policies will wake up and realize that it’s not just the stock market, it’s a way of life. Are we better off with Trump? Some think so, while those who look forward will see that tomorrow can be far better for more people with a better way to distribute the wealth of our great nation. Populism is not a government; it’s a fad.
Read About The Country We Love
The book that tells it like it is…
Gold, God, Guns & Goofballs shows how we’ve wasted our GOLD on bad wars and corruption. While GOD is there for many people as a spiritual enrichment and the provider of glowing feelings, the truth is just praying and believing will not change our major arc. We don’t determine who gets a GUN. We aren’t sure if we have paramilitary groups ready to storm the White House or a White Castle. There is no control of weapons. The GOOFBALLS with the power constantly try to manipulate us into spending more money on bombs and tanks and wars. When all of our institutions are infected with neglect and fall in disrepair, we will only have ourselves to blame. This book is not an antidote for the left or right, it’s an accelerant to move the middle off their collective asses to go do something positive for America.
Get the Kindle Version HERE. Or order your paperback edition HERE.