Elite politicians and their media allies are terrified by the increase in right-wing voters, whom they perceive as a threat to the best-laid plans of globalism and multiculturalism. Some so-called liberals even hold these populists and nationists in contempt; calling French populists “climate deniers” and American nationists “racists.” Elite leaders, such as Philip Macron and Angela Merkel, acknowledge that nationism (support for one’s nation) is growing worldwide, but their knee-jerk condemnations are misguided.
Merkel-Macron multilateralism had a set-back in the European Union elections last weekend. To wit, the center-right lost seats to Euroskeptic parties (such as the Alternative for Germany party) and the center-left lost seats to Green parties. For the first time since 1979, pro-European Christian Democrats and Social Democrats no longer comprise the EU majority. If you are still in denial, the Brexit Party routed both Tories and Labour in England, while Marine Le Pen’s National Rally garnered more votes than President Macron’s LREM party.
A fool might deny the winds of change, which are pushing almost all advanced nations away from multilateral power-sharing and multicultural laissez-faire. After all, Trump’s populist message carried the day in 2016 – not his worst idiosyncrasies. Ditto for Brazil’s Bolsonaro and Australia’s Morrison. Don’t look now, but the rising stars in Europe are Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Britain’s Nigel Farage – ensuring populist nationism will be a key geopolitical driver in the foreseeable future.
By the way, there is no evil when working-class Americans believe their country needs to be made great again and tax-paying French believe energy needs to be affordable again. In fact, a true liberal (open to new opinions) would listen to the people wearing MAGA hats and yellow vests with genuine curiosity. The message is really simple: I used to be gainfully employed and my heating bill used to leave money for other things. These everyday people are woke to their current situation, because they can objectively compare the present to their previous situation.
It’s patently illiberal for those who govern to ignore the situation of those they govern, but this is how Hillary Clinton campaigned and Philip Macron governs. Kellyanne Conway could not have been clearer at Harvard after the 2016 election: Clinton’s “identity” politics were no match for Trump’s “situational” politics everywhere but metro Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Further, it is not a nationalist sell-out to correct “unacceptable” situations at home.
Native-born Americans have every right to oppose illegal immigrants entering the USA, because tax-paying citizens pay politicians to enforce immigration laws and border guards to document who enters the USA. It is wrong-minded to lable as “racist” working-class Nebraskans, whose employers keep wages suppressed by hiring low-skilled immigrants. The Omaha resident’s situation is real and his anger is driven by low household income – not a Latino sitting beside him at McDonalds.
Tax-paying French have every right to oppose Macron’s green tax, because they pay politicians to protect their liberty and pursuit of happiness – not tax them into a lower standard of living. The yellow-vest protesters (gilet jaunes) originated in rural areas, where their long daily drives made the hike in fuel prices un-affordable, and their incomes were too high to qualify for welfare benefits. Further, Macron relaxed labor laws to benefit business owners and cut France’s wealth tax. The situational anger of the gilets jaunes is driven by a disproportionate tax burden – not a denial of global warming.
As a political matter, it is counter-productive to conflate “populist nationism” with nationalism or white supremacy. German populists don’t want to conquer their neighbors or even go it alone. Rather, they don’t want Islamic refugees to create crime-infested neighborhoods or undermine German culture. Angela Merkel should forego her global obsessions for just a moment and think about national safety and how German culture drives the German economy (great work ethic and innovation). It is a tired thinking-trap to suspect German pride will result in Nazism.
In the Wisdom of Crowds, author James Surowiecki makes a convincing argument for populism; the aggregation of information voiced by the many results in better decisions than the expert opinions of the few. To wit, does anyone think Nancy Pelosi understands the “border crisis” better than the aggregation of Arizona ranchers (who actually observe coyotes) or border guards (who actually observe the drug cartels)? I am convinced we are experiencing a great awakening of the crowd in every advanced nation, which is resulting in widespread rejection of the elitist Obama-Clinton and Merkel-Macron autocracies.
If Bill Clinton were coaching the liberal team, he would call an audible and wheel to the pragmatic. He scolded Hillary for not listening to and competing for working-and-middle-class voters in the Midwest. His singular talent was to walk with elites without forgetting the average voter. You can bet he’d react to the un-intended consequences of environmentalism, free trade and immigration. For this reason, Joe Biden is the only Democrat qualified to un-seat President Trump – because the rest of the so-called liberals don’t see the real situations of average voters.
Don’t hate the populist nationist down the street. His patriotic grandfather might have stormed the beaches of Normandy to defeat Nazism. Her Methodist mother probably hosted girl scouts or taught Sunday school for years. His brother might be working in an import-battered textile business. Her sister could be nursing un-insured immigrants in an emergency room. His son might be in a math class where the teacher struggles to teach students that don’t speak English. That is the real situation in America and many other advanced nations. And that is what drives populism and nationism – yes, and even some nationalism.