I just read this intriguing piece about Tucker Carlson and right-wing populism. Excerpt:
“Last Wednesday, the conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson started a fire on the right after airing a prolonged monologue on his show that was, in essence, an indictment of American capitalism.
“America’s ‘ruling class,’ Carlson says, are the ‘mercenaries’ behind the failures of the middle class — including sinking marriage rates — and ‘the ugliest parts of our financial system.’ He went on: ‘Any economic system that weakens and destroys families is not worth having. A system like that is the enemy of a healthy society.’
“He concluded with a demand for ‘a fair country. A decent country. A cohesive country. A country whose leaders don’t accelerate the forces of change purely for their own profit and amusement.’
“The monologue was stunning in itself, an incredible moment in which a Fox News host stated that for generations, ‘Republicans have considered it their duty to make the world safe for banking, while simultaneously prosecuting ever more foreign wars.’ More broadly, though, Carlson’s position and the ensuing controversy reveals an ongoing and nearly unsolvable tension in conservative politics about the meaning of populism, a political ideology that Trump campaigned on but Carlson argues he may not truly understand.”
Carlson seems to have digested the contradiction on the right between attributing the woes of the white working class to economic forces beyond their control, while attributing the problems of communities of color to supposed minority cultural pathologies.
This isn’t an endorsement of Mr. Carlson, whom I consider another of Donald Trump’s cheerleaders when push comes to shove. But it’s an interesting read nonetheless and, I would suggest, ties in to what Booman has written on the subject of re-engaging the white working class with the Democrats’ program.
It all sounds very incoherent and primal. Complaining about an excess of “foreign wars”, which are the natural result of unthinking (rightwing) jingoism and enthusiastic militarism? What’s the glorious bloated military to do in the vision of “right-wing populism”? At least Hitler had an answer for that one! But he also viewed capitalism and “elites” with studied disdain…
And if Carlson can look at the actions of (white) National Trumpalism as see it as leading us toward “a fair country. A decent country. A cohesive country”, then he is delusional, since Der Trumper most certainly does not make the slightest nod toward acting as though he is the president of ALL Americans.
But don’t feel bad, Tucker, Right-wing populist extraordinaire Adolf H. never could come up with a coherent ideology, either. The necessary “elements” simply don’t mix….
>>an ongoing and nearly unsolvable tension in conservative politics about the meaning of populism
like many political labels, the meaning of populism is vague anyway. The Vox article offers “Populism is a rhetorical approach that separates ‘the people’ from elites”, and one hallmark of right-wing populism is mis-identifying both of those groups. Republicans can’t criticize the economic elites who really are fucking us so they invented the concept of “cultural elites”
And of course for the right, ‘the people’ always means ‘white people’.
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h/t TMC at docudharma for giving us this quote today
I don’t see Tucker going that direction.
Q: wouldn’t “left-wing populism” basically tend toward socialism?