Everything is what it is, said Bishop Butler, and not another thing. There has been a revival of American nationalism, but it is unhelpful to call this populism, which is very much another thing. There have been American populists, of course. Pitchfork Ben Tillman comes to mind, along with other racists and religious bigots. Which is why calling someone a populist is to smear him, and that is why the term is bandied about by American leftists to describe their opponents.
Not merely is American nationalism different from populism, but if properly understood the two are mutually exclusive. That is because the core icons of American identity are the liberal ideas of our founders, which is what makes Americans out of Americans. American nationalism is necessarily a liberal nationalism.
Read Full Article »