Freedom and responsibility can turn back the tide of populism

“[P]opulists invariably exploit cultural flashpoints to accumulate political power. Because their ideological compass is set by popularity rather than conviction, they have a remarkable ability to cling to power – and to transform the system to assure their grip never weakens.” Acton Institute

Discussion

I think the writer really needs to be a lot more specific about this one, as he’s more or less making “populism” a bogeyman that will inevitably be leading to despotism. Reality is that there are simply some very real complaints that people have that ought to be addressed, and the task of the person who advocates Biblical politics is simply to explain how this can be done with a minimum of taxation, spending, and regulation—and that attempts to do so in other ways have been counterproductive.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.