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OPINION

Populist Movement Far from Over

we the people means everyone

(Thomas Morris/Dreamstime.com)

Lee Steinhauer By Tuesday, 01 August 2023 12:27 PM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

There are those, particularly in the establishment wing of the Republican Party, that want nothing more than to return to the days of former-U.S. House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and former President George W. Bush.

When the twin globalist ideologies of neoliberal economics and neoconservative foreign policy ruled unquestionably over the GOP.

That is, those in vogue before Donald J. Trump emerged.

With any luck those days are not returning anytime soon. Good riddance to them.

For though the policies perhaps made sense during the Reagan administration of the 1980s, when they were bold, fresh, and appropriate for the nation’s then unique circumstances, 40 years hence they are well past their expiration date.

And for far too long conservatives blindly followed them as if they were the equivalent of political gospel.

Indeed, to do otherwise, was to be branded a heretic. Or worse still — a liberal.

Moreover, these ideologies and their corresponding policies were taken to absurd and illogical extremes that even Ronald Reagan never would have countenanced or considered prudent.

This was often done at the behest of corporate donors and moneyed interests, for whom these policies, and their benefits, were increasingly intended.

And they continued long after it was clear that they were no longer in the nation’s best interests. In fact, they're responsible for many of the ills plaguing America today.

Globalization and its unfettered free trade led to China’s rise and the decimation of America’s industrial base.

Open borders and mass immigration suppressed worker wages and caused the breakdown of social cohesion.

Neocon foreign interventionism caused the forever wars that severely drained America’s morale along with its coffers.

All while the American middle class was squeezed and the nation burdened with crumbling infrastructure, subpar schools, and monstrous levels of federal debt.

Just to name a few.

Indeed, many now rightfully ask, what did these so-called "conservatives" actually conserve anyway — certainly not the country that was bequeathed to them, that is for sure.

In fact, looking at the dismal state of the nation today, one even wonders what is the point of conservatism at all, when there is nothing left to conserve anymore?

No, at this point, the nation must be rebuilt.

Significantly, this cannot be accomplished using the old establishment Republican playbook — which got us here in the first place.

President Trump, to his great credit, instinctively understood this when he ran for president on his populist platform in 2016.

It was a significant reason why he was ultimately victorious.

Trump knew that the nation, and not merely its elites, must once again be at the center of every consideration and action, and that the American people needed and deserved real solutions.

To that end, Trump cared little about whether those solutions were then considered "conservative" or fit neatly into the establishment’s prescribed right or left boxes — always largely artificial anyway, and throughout American history, changeable.

Especially as the establishment of the Democratic Party in Washington, D.C. increasingly came to resemble that of the Republican one, and vice versa, with both interested in the old crony globalist ways continuing.

Trump also knew that the generic appeals to abstract notions like democracy and capitalism were no longer sufficient and anyway have been rendered all but meaningless in America today, as they have been perverted beyond any recognition.

Besides, what do such things truly matter when you are losing your job, nation, culture, and heritage.

Based on his current policy platform, Trump appears to understand this fact even more keenly this time around.

For these reasons, like Reagan before him, Trump has successfully brought scores of new voters over to the GOP column.

Many of whom were formerly politically agnostic or even once staunch Democrats.

This has triggered the start of a new political realignment in America — one which continues to this day.

The immense popularity of conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson is further testament to this fact.

As for that matter is Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is generating tremendous interest on both the right and left side of the political spectrum.

Like Trump and Tucker, RFK Jr. is directly challenging his party’s governing elites and their ideological and globalist beliefs with his own populist platform.

Trump, Tucker, and RFK Jr. are illustrative of a strong populist movement among both Democrats and Republicans. It posses strong and viable potential to continue; forging new common ground and purpose between them.

This presents a golden opportunity to finally rebuild the country for the American working and middle class and return it once again to greatness.

One that should not be wasted or be allowed to be stymied by establishment elites.

Let us not forget, even Reagan was once considered a dangerous radical and populist when he ushered in his own successful revolution.

Lee Steinhauer is a strategic policy and political consultant known for his book "The Art of The New Cold War: America vs China. What America Must Do to Win." Lee is a frequent guest on Fox, Fox Business, Newsmax, and a published policy and opinion writer for numerous media publications. Read Lee Steinhauer's Reports — More Here.

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LeeSteinhauer
Trump, Tucker, and RFK Jr. are illustrative of a strong populist movement among both Democrats and Republicans. It posses strong and viable potential to continue; forging new common ground and purpose between them.
rfk, reagan, tucker
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2023-27-01
Tuesday, 01 August 2023 12:27 PM
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