{"id":26,"date":"2023-12-11T21:37:35","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T21:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/?page_id=26"},"modified":"2023-12-12T18:56:37","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T18:56:37","slug":"wheeeeeeeeee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/","title":{"rendered":"Politics have changed."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Populists Montage\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0yiZCHilDvo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Javier Milei clip courtesy of YouTube channel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kUYPNsTpO4Y\">Javier in English<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Vitriol has always been part of political debate. That\u2019s why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk\">clips such as<\/a> 2008 Republican nominee John McCain calling eventual winner Barack Obama \u201ca decent, family man\u201d whom he \u201chappen[ed] to have fundamental disagreements with\u201d have been able to retain their impact. They stick out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until recently, however, vitriol was very rarely the point.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many root causes of the world\u2019s changing politics, but there has been one clear result: the rise of modern right-wing populism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Populism is an approach to politics which stresses the battle between \u201cthe people\u201d and an othered group, often referred to either as a lesser, threatening group or an all-powerful one. On the left, this often manifests as references to class divisions and attacks towards \u201cthe 1%.\u201d On the right, this often manifests itself as anti-immigrant policies, heightened nationalism and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moises Na\u00edm, a Distinguished Fellow at the Carnegie Institution for Peace and former editor-in-chief of <em>Foreign Policy, <\/em>groups populism with polarization and the \u201cpost-truth era\u201d \u2014 a term used to describe greater dissemination of false information and a less clear reality \u2014 to form the three ways modern autocratic leaders aim to grow their power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the last decade, those issues have been met with significantly more aggressive rhetoric.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When accepting the Republican Party\u2019s nomination for president, Mitt Romney said \u201cWe are a nation of immigrants. We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d0f5707966a&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"1200\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cropped-JGD_0084-3-scaled-1-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54\" style=\"width:152px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cropped-JGD_0084-3-scaled-1-edited.jpg 750w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cropped-JGD_0084-3-scaled-1-edited-188x300.jpg 188w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cropped-JGD_0084-3-scaled-1-edited-640x1024.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ron DeSantis positioned himself as Trump&#8217;s successor, but has struggled to beat Trump himself (Photo by Jason Goode)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>His policies were not pro-immigrant, but the way Romney spoke about such issues never approached the bombast Trump and others like him have.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The party\u2019s next candidate famously called Mexican immigrants \u201crapists and criminals.\u201d Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have both sent immigrants to other states, some allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/latino\/migrants-flown-california-get-assistance-state-weighs-charges-desantis-rcna88008#\">under false pretenses<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The list of right-wing populist issues has expanded as well. News media was frequently attacked as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2017\/12\/11\/donald-trumps-fake-news-tactics\">\u201cfake news\u201d<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/437610-trump-calls-press-the-enemy-of-the-people\/\">\u201cthe enemy of the people\u201d<\/a> by a sitting president. Many politicians such as DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy have taken to labeling any social movement they don\u2019t approve of as \u201cwoke.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those in the audience for the second Republican presidential primary debate at the Reagan Library in late September shared in interviews their own views of populism\u00a0\u2014\u00a0namely that it means nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d0f57079d00&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"alignright size-large is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JGD_0067-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55\" style=\"width:291px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JGD_0067-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JGD_0067-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JGD_0067-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JGD_0067-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JGD_0067-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vivek Ramaswamy has no political background, but used his bombastic nature to gain support in early Republican primary debates. (Photo by Jason Goode)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t even register when they say the word \u2018populism,\u2019 it just doesn\u2019t resonate with me at all,\u201d said Dean Kunicki, who previously chaired the Ventura County Board of Education. \u201cI think it\u2019s just one of those platitudes that everybody throws out \u2014 now it\u2019s the popular buzzword.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou know what, I\u2019m not sure what that means to me but I know DeSantis and Vivek have been put in that category,\u201d said Tudy Trgovac, who attended in support of Ramaswamy but left uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t really mean anything, I don\u2019t know that word,\u201d said Alixe Mattingley, deputy press secretary under Ronald Reagan and then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fox News host Steve Hilton agreed with debate attendees that today, the word populism has little meaning. He does not, however, believe that was always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was a time when it was a useful indication of a new direction in terms of policy for the Republican Party,\u201d Hilton said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the last half century, Hilton postulated, the \u201cestablishment\u201d \u2014&nbsp;which he defined as the consensus between parties&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;was in favor of unrestricted globalization and trade, but relaxed about the consequences. Communities declined as manufacturing moved abroad, helping fuel inequality. Donald Trump\u2019s success as a candidate, Hilton said, came through his willingness to talk about that as an issue, as he did in the run up to the 2016 election in Detroit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe city of Detroit is the living, breathing example of [Hillary Clinton]\u2019s failed economic agenda. Every policy that has failed this city, and so many others, is a policy supported by Hillary Clinton,\u201d Trump said. \u201cShe supports the high taxes and radical regulation that forced jobs out of your community\u2026 and the immigration policies that have strained local budgets and the trade deals like NAFTA, signed by her husband, that have shipped your jobs to Mexico and other countries\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s not the only view on what motivated Trump\u2019s rise. Tim Miller was Jeb Bush\u2019s campaign manager in 2016 and witnessed Trump\u2019s political ascendence first-hand. He is now a prominent \u201cnever-Trumper.\u201d He acknowledges the issues Hilton mentioned had an effect, but disputes that a movement as large as Trump\u2019s would have come about because of widespread anger at trade policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller sees Trump\u2019s rise instead as a result of how society looks and what it values.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSome of it is just more of a loss of cultural cachet and a feeling among people on the right that god-fearing white men and straight relationships are no longer the heroes of our culture,\u201d Miller said. \u201cI was watching one of the New York Young Republicans&#8217; speech\u2026 and one of the speeches from that group was like \u2018Our heroes are Davy Crockett and Donald Trump, their heroes are Dylan Mulvaney and George Floyd.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt speaks to this, like, \u2018Heroes should be strong, straight, white guys who are in Christian marriages,\u201d Miller added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller also noted the changes in media over time. Conservative outlets of the past, he said, published articles on John Locke and classical liberalism. Now, however, the Rush Limbaugh model of populist talk radio has taken over.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-63\" style=\"width:206px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4.png 640w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4-249x300.png 249w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Radio host Rush Limbaugh set the stage for modern day right wing news coverage in America (Photo by Gage Skidmore, used under <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">CCA-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re a conservative, you\u2019re watching Fox, Newsmax, [One America News], talk radio, facebook, your Twitter feed, your TikTok is all very populist culture,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are exacerbating people\u2019s feelings of resentment. They are radicalizing people\u2026 It\u2019s more interesting to hear Tucker [Carlson] talk about how the elites are out to get you than it is to read a National Review piece about regulatory reform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although right-wing populism has had significant electoral success in recent years, it has struggled in many countries to remain effective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump\u2019s support in the Republican Party remains high, but his polling for the general election will likely drop off when he\u2019s back in front of people on a regular basis, at least outside of mentions of his court cases for the 91 crimes he\u2019s been accused of committing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also lacks a clear successor, in part because no politician in the country has managed to gain the same hold.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe is kind of like a Frankenstein monster built out of the New York tabloid culture,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe other thing, Trump just had these weird, heterodox personal views that just happened to overlap with what regular people felt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ramaswamy and DeSantis are two such examples \u2014 politicians who have attempted to emulate Trump but lack a key element of Trump\u2019s success. Ramaswamy lacks some of Trump\u2019s ability to line up on policy with his sect of the party and has struggled to avoid coming across as a nerd. Most of the time, DeSantis lacks Trump\u2019s bombast and ability to speak on his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like Trump, though, Ramaswamy and DeSantis are also significantly more popular within the GOP than at a national level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d0f5707ac59&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"624\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" 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height=\"628\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"39\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.18-PM-1024x628.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.18-PM-1024x628.png 1024w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.18-PM-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.18-PM-768x471.png 768w, 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2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d0f5707b4bc&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"610\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"42\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.58-PM-1-1024x610.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.58-PM-1-1024x610.png 1024w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.58-PM-1-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.58-PM-1-768x458.png 768w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.58-PM-1-1536x915.png 1536w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.58-PM-1.png 2014w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d0f5707b86e&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"637\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on-async--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-async-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-id=\"41\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.41-PM-1024x637.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.41-PM-1024x637.png 1024w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.41-PM-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.41-PM-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.41-PM-1536x955.png 1536w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-11-at-1.31.41-PM.png 1952w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Polling data courtesy of FiveThirtyEight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>DeSantis doesn\u2019t always struggle to speak with authority and panache, however.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, he managed to draw in a room of college students, mostly Democrats, and make them laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>USC\u2019s Center for the Political Future hosted a debate watch party during the event, during which thirty-odd students, professors and experts packed into a small lobby, jostled for space, and argued during ad breaks about what the debaters should be saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even in a strong performance, however, students noticed moments when he leaned into populism or was lax with the truth.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His brags that he \u201cback[s] the blue\u201d brought on sighs and rolled eyes. His claim that he \u201crefused to let [Florida] descend into a Faucian dystopia\u201d evoked similar reactions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Yale and Harvard graduate\u2019s references to the \u201celite\u201d never landed in the room. As he and Newsom talked over each other more and more, with Hannity doing little to stop them, students began to speculate that DeSantis&#8217; microphone was louder.&nbsp; They lamented that many questions asked denigrated California before the governors had a chance to respond.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The debate\u2019s advertised live fact-checking and stat-based questions did not go over well in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s interesting that <em>every<\/em> graphic shows Florida doing better than California,\u201d one student said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe graphs are way too general, the point of graphs is to be specific,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DeSantis&#8217; strategy in the debate didn\u2019t excite students, even though it elicited laughter. He hasn\u2019t taken a stance, one student complained in a room suddenly far emptier than when the debate started, he just said Florida works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Florida governor\u2019s continued denigration of Covid as having been a threat at any time, the individual anecdotes he used to deny or justify whole political issues and his outward reverence to respected governmental organizations \u2014 the military and police \u2014 all fall under the populist and post-truth umbrella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States is not the only country with populism on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMost of the analysis of America and of Trump I see tries to explain him based on things that happened here \u2014 You know, change in free trade policies, Trump\u2019s personality, The Apprentice,\u201d Miller said. \u201cMost of them kind of just ignore that you\u2019ve got mini-Trumps in Brazil and India and Hungary and France.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The United Kingdom has dealt with similar struggles with populism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2013, then-Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to promise he would run on an issue the right wing of his party had begun badgering him about: leaving the European Union. The issue had been bandied about in the fringes of the Conservative Party but was gaining traction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Renegotiations with the EU began in 2015, but the deal Cameron came back with was not to the right\u2019s liking. In early 2016, the then-Prime Minister announced a June referendum. At the time, polls predominantly showed the public as wanting to remain a part of the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52\" style=\"width:302px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image.png 640w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by Derek Bennett, licensed under <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\">CC 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Quickly, the \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteleavetakecontrol.org\/why_vote_leave.html\">Vote Leave<\/a>\u201d campaign got underway.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It claimed&nbsp; leaving the EU could lead to an additional \u00a3350 million pounds in funding for the National Health Service every week, even plastering it on the side of a bus. The campaign also advertised that Britain would be able to trade with whatever country it wanted, control its borders and have a \u201cfairer system\u201d of immigration. The primary slogan was \u201cTake back control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"852\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-1.23.03-AM-1024x852.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51\" style=\"width:338px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-1.23.03-AM-1024x852.png 1024w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-1.23.03-AM-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-1.23.03-AM-768x639.png 768w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-1.23.03-AM.png 1382w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Seven years after the vote, none of those have come to pass. The NHS budget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kingsfund.org.uk\/projects\/nhs-in-a-nutshell\/nhs-budget\">did not change<\/a> significantly, except during the height of Covid-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trade freedom espoused has been hampered at times by \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2023\/apr\/03\/no-10-concedes-that-brexit-played-role-in-traffic-chaos-at-dover\">traffic chaos<\/a>\u201d for goods entering and exiting the country. The \u201cfairer system\u201d of immigration now involves sending asylum speakers to Rwanda.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Brexit passed, the Conservative Party itself has struggled to find stability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cameron resigned as prime minister because he felt the country\u2019s leader should believe in the policy that would suddenly dominate the political discourse, giving way to Theresa May.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May struggled to get the party to come together on a deal with the European Union and abruptly called for a general election in the hopes of gaining enough ground in parliament that she could pass a Brexit deal without being at the whims of MPs who wanted to leave the EU without negotiating a deal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-60\" style=\"width:237px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-2.png 640w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-2-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Liz Truss managed to defeat Rishi Sunak to become Conservative Party leader, but that success did not last long. (Photo by Simon Dawson \/ 10 Downing Street)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Her plan backfired and she had to enter a coalition with the Democratic Unionists Party, a right-wing party in Northern Ireland. She quickly found herself under pressure from within the party and resigned. A party leadership race led to the promotion of then-Foreign Minister Boris Johnson to the premiership.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61\" style=\"width:158px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-3.png 640w, https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-3-240x300.png 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister less than two months after losing an election for that seat. (Photo by Simon Dawson \/ 10 Downing Street)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Johnson, like Trump, lacked a clear successor when he was ousted by his party for a myriad of scandals. As such, a tumultuous leadership campaign broke out between eight candidates, which began by having candidates make their case to other Conservative members of Parliament, culminating in a battle between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many Conservative Party members \u2014\u00a0British citizens who pay to be part of the party\u00a0and were the only ones with the chance to vote on the party\u2019s next leader \u2014\u00a0 were Boris Johnson supporters who felt betrayed by Sunak\u2019s early move to oust the prime minister they had elected, allowing Truss to claim victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within two months, she was gone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On her second day in office, the Queen died. On her 18th day in office, after a 10-day mourning period, she and her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, introduced a \u201cmini-budget\u201d which was received so poorly\u00a0 the economy crashed as the measure was being read in the House of Commons \u2014 the pound lost eight cents to the dollar in hours. The International Monetary Fund <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business-63051702\">publicly criticized<\/a> the budget. She resigned weeks later, and Sunak was put in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s five prime ministers in seven years \u2014 hardly a sign of a functioning party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only has the party struggled internally, its polling numbers have been some of the worst in its storied history. While Sunak initially stabilized the party\u2019s support after Truss\u2019 two disastrous months in charge and has used less populist rhetoric than his two immediate predecessors, the Tories\u2019 popularity has hovered at around 27% all year, compared to Labour\u2019s 45%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more on the international rise in populism, see the video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Populists\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kd4Le1VogRQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vitriol has always been part of political debate. That\u2019s why clips such as 2008 Republican nominee John McCain calling eventual winner Barack Obama \u201ca decent, family man\u201d whom he \u201chappen[ed] to have fundamental disagreements with\u201d have been able to retain their impact. They stick out. Until recently, however, vitriol was very rarely the point.&nbsp; There &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Politics have changed.&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50,"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26\/revisions\/50"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascjcapstone.com\/fall-2023\/nccurrie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}