Right-wing populism.

[hollodero]

(09-20-2016, 07:38 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: I think you're getting left and right confused.

But anyways, why is it that you think Trump is a Far Right Populist?

Left and right? Sure antiquated terms somehow. What we define "right" these days is mostly being nationalistic and anti-immigrant. Which indicates that the labels are not what they used to be, although still in use.

Trump is a right-wing populist I said. I really didn't say "far right". Right-wing populists might be quite "left" sometimes. 

What makes him a right-wing populist... I already tried to lay out the patterns (replacing fact-based debates with emotion-ridden talking points is the main operating clue). Here are some more similarities between Trump and the right-wing populists that spread all over Europe.

- Being anti-immigrant (see: they're rapists and whatnot)
- Being nationalistic (Make it great again!)
- Being opportunistic (see his reaction to Orlando)
- Referring to a core culture threatened by inferior cultures (e.g. being anti-islamic)
- Operating with people's fear (that's not just "my take", people's emotions are addressed, not their brains. Things he says are mainly fact-free. See what I said above.)
- Emphasizing Law and Order (threats are everywhere, only I can keep the country safe)
- Presenting themselves as anti-establishment, e.g. presenting them and their voters "victim" of the "establishment's opinion-making" when facing critizism
- Addressing disadvantaged people, suggesting they fell - or will fall, see "fear" - victim to the establisment denying them their fair share (by allowing abuse of social systems etc.)
- Being anti-intellectual
- Offering wild, radical promises (See: Mexico paying for a giant wall)
- Using right-wing rhetorics. Like putting things out without any verification ("I don't know, I'm just hearing" and all that - here it's "I'm just asking questions")
- A strange love for Putin
- The use of social media
- The dividing of society
- The tendency towards establishing a "strong man" fixing things radically and without consideration of the established processes.
- Editing in: Being anti-pluralistic. Based on the "silent majority" rhetoric they establish some kind of claim only they represent the "true" nation and their people and others - politicians and their voters - are corrupted by elites and not really part of the rightful societal spectrum.
- ...

All those things are clear similarities. To me.
Now there are differences, of course. Trump is much more of an egomaniac and really without any political "base" (the Reps are no base, at this point they are just eunuchs and deserve to perish - just my opinion). Trump is even far more radical in his whole anti-establishment, anti-PC rhetorics. The complete and deliberate lack of decency is astounding - even if you're a supporter you can't overlook that. See all his sexist comments towards that FOX reporter and Cruz' wife and then some. No politician ever - being at least in some way part of the political establishment - would have survived the things he gets away with. Money plays a big part here, a part that is not all that important in Europe. Americans also seem to have a certain special trust in billionaires, they are successful, therefore they might just know how to handle things. Maybe even more calvinistic, their success shows that God loves them and they are blessed or something like that. That wouldn't work here in that manner. And so on, bla.

Of course I'm biased here, right-wing populism is a new political low to me. I tried to be objective, but I can't. But to me there's no denying the similarities between Trump and the political figures of Europe that we slapped with the term "right-wing populist".

Hope I could answer your question.