Why can't populists win presidential elections

or even work together. It seems that neolibs and neocons can close ranks and work together when they need to, but populists can't. Robert Reich wrote an interesting piece on 6 common issues populists on the left and right have in common. I've also gotta give credit to Dan Carlin again for speaking about this on his podcast.

I will bet just about everyone on this board agrees with these 6.

http://robertreich.org/post/84984296635


1. Cut the biggest Wall Street banks down to a size where they are not too big to fail.

2. Resurrect Glass-Stegall (separate investment and commercial banking preventing companies from gambling with their depositors money)

3. End corporate welfare. Even Ted Cruz is for this.

4. Stop the NSA from spying on us.

5. Scale back American interventions overseas.

6. Oppose trade agreements crafted by big corporations. When Elizabeth Warren asked to see the details of the TPP she was told if Americans knew what was in the TPP they would be against it.

Something else I find revealing is the whole insider vs outsider thing. Larry Summers told Elizabeth Warren when she was elected that she had a choice, she could be an insider or an outsider, outsiders say whatever they want, and insiders don't listen to them. Insiders get lots of access and they get their ideas pushed, powerful, powerful people listen to them, but they never ever speak negatively about other insiders.

You can actually see this take place here recently some new politician criticized John Boehner, Republican Mark Meadows is his name, he then immediately gets stripped of subcommittee chairmanship.

We are going to end up with another insider as president. This is why Trump and Bernie are doing so well in the polls, because they aren't insiders, but make no mistake, we will end up with Bush or Clinton, or Walker, insiders.

 

Trump can afford to buy a ticket to get inside. Bernie can't

 

Where do you fall on the 6 items?

 

I agree with all 6.

 

The wording is phrased in a slanted way but I'm not against trade agreements.

 

Me either, but recent trade agreements have been great for corporations yet horrible for the country, devastating to blue collar Americans and the middle class.

 

How so? He seems like a guy that was part of the wheel.

 

Not sure if I'd put him in that classification, but he's as close as we've come in a very long time.