Tom Nichols

Like, you know, the 80s were the decade of greed, because we cut capital gains taxes, like, oh, no, this makes the 80s look like, you know, an era of restrained virtue. The other is, can we finally just admit, and I think this is where You know, so many people, both in academia and on the left, get this wrong. Can we finally admit what utter bullshit American populism is?

I mean, this is not William Jennings.

I mean, this is not William Jennings.

I mean, this is not William Jennings.

For history nerds, what a hilarious little call out there to keep praising and lionizing William McKinley. I was like, well, yeah, McKinley, the guy who was the enemy of populism and the choice of capital in his time.

For history nerds, what a hilarious little call out there to keep praising and lionizing William McKinley. I was like, well, yeah, McKinley, the guy who was the enemy of populism and the choice of capital in his time.

For history nerds, what a hilarious little call out there to keep praising and lionizing William McKinley. I was like, well, yeah, McKinley, the guy who was the enemy of populism and the choice of capital in his time.

But American populism, this notion that it's like the good sense of the working people and they're going to wrest power and economic well-being out of the hands of the tiny few rich oligarchs, that is – completely a sham at this point. There seems to be no way to get that message across in part, and I'm going to bang this gong again, in part because most people aren't doing so well.

But American populism, this notion that it's like the good sense of the working people and they're going to wrest power and economic well-being out of the hands of the tiny few rich oligarchs, that is – completely a sham at this point. There seems to be no way to get that message across in part, and I'm going to bang this gong again, in part because most people aren't doing so well.

But American populism, this notion that it's like the good sense of the working people and they're going to wrest power and economic well-being out of the hands of the tiny few rich oligarchs, that is – completely a sham at this point. There seems to be no way to get that message across in part, and I'm going to bang this gong again, in part because most people aren't doing so well.

Economic populism thrives in its pure, and I'm not a fan of populism. I don't think populism is ever the right solution to any of this stuff. But it thrives when people are like losing their farms and, you know, unemployment is heading toward double digits and inflation is out of control. And it's too expensive to eat, not too expensive to go to college.

Economic populism thrives in its pure, and I'm not a fan of populism. I don't think populism is ever the right solution to any of this stuff. But it thrives when people are like losing their farms and, you know, unemployment is heading toward double digits and inflation is out of control. And it's too expensive to eat, not too expensive to go to college.

Economic populism thrives in its pure, and I'm not a fan of populism. I don't think populism is ever the right solution to any of this stuff. But it thrives when people are like losing their farms and, you know, unemployment is heading toward double digits and inflation is out of control. And it's too expensive to eat, not too expensive to go to college.

And the fact that people are saying, well, there'll be people listening to this thing, but it is too expensive to eat. Demographically speaking, not for the kind of people who are supporting the MAGA movement. They are overwhelmingly a middle class, reasonably well-off group of people. This is all about culture wars.

And the fact that people are saying, well, there'll be people listening to this thing, but it is too expensive to eat. Demographically speaking, not for the kind of people who are supporting the MAGA movement. They are overwhelmingly a middle class, reasonably well-off group of people. This is all about culture wars.

And the fact that people are saying, well, there'll be people listening to this thing, but it is too expensive to eat. Demographically speaking, not for the kind of people who are supporting the MAGA movement. They are overwhelmingly a middle class, reasonably well-off group of people. This is all about culture wars.

I know Thomas Frank is a man of the left, but I can't keep throwing copies of what's the matter with Kansas at people. Because 35 years ago, you could see this coming of people in Kansas saying, how can we have been left behind despite the fact that we keep voting for these rapacious corporations that destroy our towns?

I know Thomas Frank is a man of the left, but I can't keep throwing copies of what's the matter with Kansas at people. Because 35 years ago, you could see this coming of people in Kansas saying, how can we have been left behind despite the fact that we keep voting for these rapacious corporations that destroy our towns?

I know Thomas Frank is a man of the left, but I can't keep throwing copies of what's the matter with Kansas at people. Because 35 years ago, you could see this coming of people in Kansas saying, how can we have been left behind despite the fact that we keep voting for these rapacious corporations that destroy our towns?

So that is the most amazing part of this, that Trump has seized this mantle of populism, when in fact, the Democrats could, when I was growing up, Tim, I know that's a long time before TV and in the early days of radio. The teletype machines. Faxes, telexes. You know, the Democrats were the working class party. The Democrats were the kind of the labor and the union party.