Populism and Socialism Aren’t So Different

“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within.” ―Durant

Much like the modern left has been hijacked by socialists, the modern conservative movement has been taken over by populists. Neither movement is based on principles or reason, but more-so on harnessing the anger of a vocal base that feels they were dealt a shorthand in life. 

While populist movements may align with conservatism from time-to-time, it is incompatible with a principled belief in limited government and free markets. Like progressives, populists welcome government intervention to solve their problems, just in different ways. It is no wonder the two movements mirror each other so closely in their tactics. 

As we saw yesterday with the attempted insurrection on Capitol Hill, the far-left does not have a monopoly on lawless acts of political defiance. As conservatives, we cannot associate with a populist movement that is more concerned about the results than the means they take to get there and willing to engage in domestic terrorism to achieve their ends. 

French politician Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin is widely attributed with having said, “There go my people. I must find out where they are going so I can lead them.” Sadly, spineless, so-called leaders in the conservative movement have taken a page out of his book in a desperate attempt to find a political base by pandering to the populist movement. 

If you were active in politics in the late 2000s or early 2010s, you are likely familiar with the Tea Party that ushered in historic Republican majorities in Washington and in state legislatures across the country. One of the main tenets of that movement was that our government was spending too many taxpayer dollars at a time that our national debt was reaching historic levels.

The populist movement built upon this anger and resentment without the core philosophical beliefs necessary to channel these sentiments into policies that would reduce the size of government and move us towards a fiscally responsible federal government. 

As a result, our national debt has ballooned to $27.5 trillion. While every Republican in Washington relished the opportunity to speak up against the irresponsible spending during the Obama Administration, I can count on one hand the number of elected leaders willing to do so with a Republican in the White House. 

Populism hasn’t just hurt us in moving forward with our public policy priorities, it has led to countless poor political calculations electorally. 

For example, focusing on reversing the presidential election (something outside of our control) instead of fighting to win the U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia (something we could control). We had a golden opportunity for the conservative movement to unify around maintaining a majority in the U.S. Senate, and instead wasted two months venting our frustrations at “Stop the Steal” rallies. 

As a result, the Biden Administration will enter office with complete control over the federal government and the opportunity to eliminate the filibuster, pack the United States Supreme Court, and enact whatever agenda they so please. 

All because populists within the Republican Party prioritized “saving” a charismatic individual over the conservative movement and the preservation of our union. And now all of us will pay the price as we watch a unified Democratic federal government enact policies for the next two years with very little recourse.

Was it worth it? Maybe for the few politicians who share higher ambitions who have now raised their profiles in the populist elements of our party and movement. But the end result is it will have made our lives worse. 

As Ludwig Von Mises so eloquently stated: “The struggle for freedom is ultimately not resistance to autocrats or oligarchs but resistance to the despotism of public opinion.”

We have long-term problems that will never be solved if politicians cannot overcome their addiction to short-term praise from a fickle populous that will shift their loyalty to the next person who promises them more.

Someone has to be the adult in the room and look past the rhetoric of the vocal fringe on both sides of the aisle and make the tough decisions necessary to unify this nation and return civility to the public discourse.