Form of Democracy - Populism and Limits to Popular Rule

What is Jan Werner Mueller's response to popularism?

'a democratic political system in which one or several of the branches of government are given extensive powers to combat domestic opposition to a liberal democratic order'.

The guardian claimed how many people have a leader whose speeches are populist?

2 billion people in 40 countries.

Inglehart and Norris

A counterrevolutionary retro backlash, especially among the older generation, white men, and less educated sectors, who sense decline and actively reject the rising tide of progressive values, resent the displacement of familiar traditional norms, and provide a pool of supporters potentially vulnerable to populist appeals.

What do Dzur and Hendrix call a thick populist movement?

A thick populist movement can create spaces for democratic renewal; their emphasis, unsurprisingly, is on deliberation.

Necessary features of populism

Claim to represent the people's will Claims of betrayal by the elites Populist leader = 'outsider' Anti-pluralist = no legitimate opposition Identity politics = the people vs... e.g. capitalists or elites or outsiders or minorities etc.

Jan-Werner Müller, What Is Populism?, claimed that...

"Populists, by contrast, will persist with their representative claim no matter what; because their claim is of moral and symbolic- not an empirical- nature, it cannot be disproven."

Yascha Mounk, The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It

"This worldview breeds two political desires, and most populists are savvy enough to embrace both. First, populists claim, an honest leader—one who shares the pure outlook of the people and is willing to fight on their behalf—needs to win high office. And second, once this honest leader is in charge, he needs to abolish the institutional roadblocks that might stop him from carrying out the will of the people."

Zbigniew Brzezinski (Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to President Lyndon B. Johnson) on populism

"We have a large public that is very ignorant about public affairs and very susceptible to simplistic slogans by candidates who appear out of nowhere, have no track record, but mouth appealing slogans"

Dictionary definition of popularism?

Any political doctrine appealing to the majority of the masses.

What explains the rise of populism?

Economic equality Meritocratic hubris Failures of technocratic government Longing for social unity and patriotism Backlash against equal rights for women/minorities More of a threat on the right wing.

Why does Patrick Dunleavy think that populism can be a good thing?

He shows how corporate "tax-shaming" campaigns, which exhibited many of the characteristics of populist politics, have successfully undermined the G20 and OECD consensus on company taxes, leading to increasing demands that multinational companies particularly pay higher and fairer tax.

Response to Green's argument.

However, in our political age populism is too heavily tied for us to have a positive interpretation. Sanitising populism by linking it to Rousseau and Marx. 1. The informed influence that democracy requires depends on public deliberation about common good. 2. Resort to lies, propaganda, silencing, bullying which undermines deliberation. 3. These are essential features of populism. Conclusion - populism undermines democracy.

Response to Werner Mueller's response to popularism.

Is this justified? Who authorises the actions? Which measures are permissible?

What is David Enoch's Kant-Einstein continuum and how does it relate to this topic?

It is two ends of a spectrum = opitimism (Kant) or look at negative evidence (Einstein) This relates to the topic we need to decide where we stand on this spectrum when judging democracy. In order to understand which side to pick we need to look at threats to democracy, populism and measures that democratic state could implement.

What is Leslie Green's sympathetic interpretation to populism?

Leslie Green's sympathetic interpretation - Shouldn't equalize xenophobic/racist etc. resurgence with Populism as it 'sanitizes' racism/fascism - Leads to misunderstand what it could be. - Populism = 'well-being of the people is the highest law' = Cicero. Positive interpretation populism Response to failing of liberalism = corrective against liberal elites - re-unite popular sovereignty with liberal politics.

Why is populism a threat to democracy?

Lies In his first 10 months, Trump told nearly six times as many falsehoods as Obama did during his entire presidency - NEW YORK TIMES Disregard of facts and expertise! Propaganda Undermining propaganda and supporting propaganda = manipulation Silencing and stigmatizing Claims to homeland etc.

Challenges to democracy from the inside

Loss of faith in democracy Anti-democratic opposition e.g. religion, authoritarianism and populism.

What are the two paradoxes of militant democracy?

Paradox 1: "Democracy furnishes its enemies with the means to fight it" - Democracy grants its opponents free speech and rights to organize - BUT: Putative vulnerability of D also its strength? E.g. "safety valve" for discontent? - As an effective feedback mechanism between governed and governing - So: Jury on the paradox still out Paradox 2: "Defending democracy by some means will damage democracy" - Any special measure would be democratically dubious, thus undermine democracy - Alternative formulation: - Enacting "militant" measures is unnecessary for states that can correctly implement them - Will destroy democracy in states that would need the

How might democracy respond to populism?

Pluralism - people/elites are not particularly bad - no coherent blocks of people - we ought to distribute power more widely. Militant democracy - Jan-Werner Mueller - 'a democratic political system in which one or several of the branches of government are given extensive powers to combat domestic opposition to a liberal democratic order.

Challenges to democracy from the outside

Political - terrorism and war Economic - financial crisis and unemployment

David Enoch

The elites, these voices imply, are guilty not just of past wrongs that have gotten us here, but also of patronising the masses right now, arrogantly failing to take seriously the masses and their concerns

What do Dzur and Hendrix call a thin populist movement

They see thin populist movements as mobilizing popular support to replace elite leaders by undermining or corroding the deliberative and inclusionary principles of representative government.

Dzur and Hendrix

Want to distinguish between thin populism, which they see as dangerous, and thick populism, which they see as beneficial.