Populism

I recommend Paul Krugman's column in the New York Times Dec. 17. He is suspicious of politicians who campaign on bringing us all together. He argues that change will require confrontation and Edwards' anti-corporate rhetoric is appropriate. Krugman says, "There’s a strong populist tide running in America right now. For example, a recent Democracy Corps survey of voter discontent found that the most commonly chosen phrase explaining what’s wrong with the country was “Big businesses get whatever they want in Washington.”

And there’s every reason to believe that the Democrats can win big next year if they run with that populist tide. The latest evidence came from focus groups run by both Fox News and CNN during last week’s Democratic debate: both declared Mr. Edwards the clear winner."

Your Troublesome Economist tends to agree with Krugman.