j.r. leonard

There’s reactionary populism (Trump) and progressive populism (Bernie). Either way, it’s an approach rooted in appealing to “real people” by denigrating elites or other perceived outgroups

Is there a version of progressivism that isn’t also considered populist? The definition I thought was about avoiding legal parameters to do what was popular.

I would say that most of he Democratic Party is that, progressivism rooted in technocratic interventions

Is there any intervention that isn’t accomplished through technical mechanisms though? Like isn’t it all going to be a regulation or bureaucracy of one kind or another?

I would just say that we can recognize a difference between Obama and HRC, and Bernie or between Romney and McCain and Trump

I guess, but like, I can’t think of a policy intervention that isn’t “technocratic.” To me if the idea is that Bernie isn’t a technocrat... I urge folks to read his Medicare for all bill. It’s highly technocratic imo.

A lot of the difference isn’t about policy per se, but about messaging. I think politically involved people underweight how much the median voter is moved by the narrative more than a specific set of policy preferences

I can’t think of any real narratives that aren’t linked to policy.