Just as state action is a zero-sum game, so is politics: some win and others lose. But if the term “populism” is supposed to be meaningful, populism must have some distinctive elements for it not to be confused with mere democracy. Although politics occur in different contexts, patterns emerge anyway—the idea of a class struggle is one. So, in the populist struggle, besides antagonism, the people and their political leaders denounce the established order of things—that is, the status quo. Populism thus stands in the midst of a class struggle. The struggle between the people’s concerns and...
