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Arguing that "populism" refers to Bernie supporters but not Trump supporters is like arguing that "conservatism" refers to, say, Never Trumpers but not Trump supporters. Not sure what the point is, other than to avoid reckoning with what is actually happening in the country.
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Frank makes the the point quite well. He assumes Bernie is honest, Trump is opportunist.
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OK, but there's a huge difference between "Democrats believe in centrist economics to please the bourgeoisie and screw the poor," and "Democrats support centrist economics because they think it's the best they can get for now."
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That's not what either says. What both say is that that neoliberals are doing handstands to talk their book.
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I don't think it's fair. Democratic neoliberals would say they haven't had a chance (but for 2009-10) to enact their plans, and that bipartisan compromise is necessary for durable change. The second proposition seems discredited now, but was more plausible previously.
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Frank and Anderson both disagree.
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I guess I have more sympathy, historically, for supporters of neoliberalism.
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I don't. They make me money. I only say this shit here. I wink and smile at real elites. So do you. I'm happy with the scraps.
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It's amazing to me that you can write all these words without ever passing judgment on conservatives and the Republican Party, who are the biggest obstacle to doing anything about the things your authors are complaining about. You can complain about neoliberals all day long, but Obama got the ACA passed, over the objections of people like you, and it made a real difference in the lives of and healthcare for a lot of people. He didn't build on it because the Republicans took the Congress in 2010 and spent the next six years cynically trying to make him a failure. From what you've said, I take Frank to be a Bernie supporter who would rather complain about fellow Democrats than Republicans. Certainly, that is the net of what you've said here.
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Republicans are neoliberals. They all voted for Clinton in the 90s. And there's a whole bunch who'll vote for Biden. (It's about the pocketbook. Get yourself a better accountant.)
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If you want to cure things, support Democrats running in November. The Republican Party is terrible for the country, and things won't get better as long as it has power.
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The country's a fuckshow. Because of all of us, and most significantly, neoliberals.
Stop believing in things. Start protecting yourself. It's a defensive world, from an investment and general perspective, for the rest of our lives.
It's alright. It's still good. And you might be poised to capitalize like a madman. Look for the silver linings.
