MetaFilter posts tagged with populist

Spring Awakening

The Whelk — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:04:43 -0800

Mother Jones: The 10 'Occupy' candidates vying for seats in the US House Of Representatives and Senate and their prospects.

זו הכלכלה, טמבל

zarq — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:53:18 -0800

Over the past three weeks, Israel has experienced what may perhaps be the largest, spontaneous / grass roots social protest of the secular middle class that it has witnessed in decades. Thousands of demonstrators in cities and towns throughout the country have been protesting cuts in government funding to health care and education, and massive, exorbitant rises in taxes and housing costs -- and demanding change. Tent cities have sprung up in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and in public gardens and parks throughout the country. And they may not be going anywhere: polls indicate Israeli support is "exceptionally high". Protests and demonstrations are common in Israel, but they are nearly always focused on issues of war and peace. International media outlets don't seem to be paying much attention. In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the protestors were a "populist wave" and right wing parties have implied the protestors are trying to topple the government. But now, Netanyahu's base may be throwing their support behind the protestors. Many of Israel's Orthodox Jewish organizations and leaders are remaining silent, although that seems to be changing. From the Guardian link: "The current uprising has given Israeli liberals a voice again.... But the apolitical character of the protest is being challenged. Netanyahu is already claiming that the protesters are driven by political motivations. His intent is clear: he wants to delegitimise them and claim that their real goal is to topple his government. This, he hopes, will weaken nationwide support for their demands. On Monday, members of the Likud central committee started to say that the demonstrators are just a bunch of sushi eaters with nargilas (Arab pipes) – ie leftist radicals – and that the media was exaggerating their numbers.... If the Likud and Yisrael Beitenu step up their attack, the protesters will not have any choice but to confront the current coalition in the political arena as well. They will have to say that taxpayers' money in Israel has been spent lavishly in the occupied territories; that billions of shekels go to child support for the ultra-Orthodox, most of whom do not contribute to the economy; that the silent collusion of Israel's governments with the settlers is ruining the country morally, politically and economically. In the end, the call for social justice and the demand to reinstate liberal values in Israel cannot be separated."
The New Republic: What Caused the Current Wave of Economic Protests Across Israel?

Populism Then And Now

lysdexic — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:36:10 -0800

Populist
Etymology: Latin populus the people
Date: 1892
1 : a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people; especially often capitalized : a member of a United States political party formed in 1891 primarily to represent agrarian interests and to advocate the free coinage of silver and government control of monopolies
2 : a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people (Previously on Metafilter) Definition courtesy Miriam Webster. In the past: William Jennings Bryan - Had is own book, prosecuted in the Scopes trial and made a good showing amongst the farmers and poor during hard times. He provoked the first "What's the Matter With Kansas". Eugene V. Debs, known for running for president from prison, and getting measurable, if insignificant, votes. One I never heard of, but who intrigues me, Mary Lease. Who can forget Huey Long? "Every Man a King!"(Previously, really good) In the present there is considerable talk about Populists and who is or isn't one, and whether it's even a good idea to be one.

Party like it's 1892

nakedcodemonkey — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 17:14:29 -0800

Party like it's 1892! "Executive power and patronage have been used to corrupt our legislatures and defeat the will of the people, and plutocracy has thereby been enthroned upon the ruins of democracy."* In the late 1800s, the Populist Party, or People's Party, formed to merge the Farmers Alliance message of economic empowerment for growers with the Knights of Labor's movement to check the growing power and corrupt practices of big business (along with the Greenbacks Party critiques of monetary policy). With a strong base in the midwest and south, the party earned 9% of the 1892 popular vote, won the presidential electoral votes of four states (not to mention electing 10 congressmen, 5 senators, 3 governors, and 1,500 state legislators). However the party's power quickly faded as the Democratic Party co-opted much of the Populist platform while internal disputes culminated in the Populists placing the Dems' 1896 nominee at the head of their own ticket. Nevertheless, the populist movement's influence continued to be felt through various 20th century reforms including direct election of senators, presidential term limits, and abandonment of the gold standard.