If Obama can now resist the temptation of faux populism, if he does not rage, like Lear on the heath, against banks, he can be what Americans, eager for adult supervision, elected him to be: a prudent grown-up. For this elegant and intelligent man to suddenly discover his inner William Jennings Bryan ("You shall not crucify America upon a cross of credit-default swaps") would be akin to Fred Astaire donning coveralls and clodhoppers.I agree with Will at least in this, Obama should resist 'faux populism' (the same term that Andrew Sullivan used a couple of days ago). 'Faux' means fake, of course, and who, of course, wants Obama to 'fake' anything, including populism (leaning toward the common man rather than the elite)?
I thought (or better, was hoping) that Obama was a natural, genuine populist, if not in style, at least in substance. But apparently not. I certainly don't want him going down to the bar to down a few beers with the boys, just to get a little faux populist publicity.
No, I just want him to advance policies that advocate for the commoners of this land, and let the elites fend for themselves (which they're very capable of doing). That's what FDR did in the thirties, and it's why the rich thought him to be a bastardly traitor to his own class! And it's why income distribution in America was wider and fairer from the 30s to the 70s than in any other time in our country.
Oh, to have the rich and powerful, the bankers, the big Pharma and health insurance CEOs, cursing Obama! Yes, that will show that he is a true populist, not a fake mingling with the commoners at McDonalds. And it will also make him more popular with the Independents (and Democrats) than he is now.
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