ROGER KIMBALL: If We Love Democracy, Why Does ‘Populism’ Get Such a Bad Rap?

To modern ears, “democracy” is a eulogistic word. It produces pleasant vibrations. People feel good about themselves when they use it. “Populism,” just the opposite.

At first blush, this seems odd because the two words occupy adjacent semantic space. “Democracy” means “rule by the demos,” the people. “Populism,” my 1982 American Heritage Dictionary explains, is “a political philosophy directed to the needs of the common people and advancing a more equitable distribution of wealth and power”—that is, just the sorts of things that the people, were they to rule, would seek.

But the term “populism” is ambivalent at best. Sometimes a charismatic figure can survive and even illuminate the label “populist” like a personal halo. Bernie Sanders managed this trick among the eco-conscious, racially sensitive, non-gender-stereotyping, anticapitalist beneficiaries of capitalism who made up his core constituency.

Still, it was always my impression that in this case the term “populist” was less claimed by Mr. Sanders or his followers than bestowed by his rivals and the media in an effort to fix him in the public’s mind as one of the many lamentable examples of not-Hillary. Mrs. Clinton, by contrast, was presumed to be popular though not populist.

There are at least two sides to the negative association under which the term “populist” struggles. On the one hand, some commentators insist that “populist” and “demagogue” are essentially synonyms (though they rarely point out that the Greek demagogos simply meant a popular leader, such as Pericles ).

On the other hand is a disdain for the unedified masses, the soil in which populism takes root. Anyone who watched the commentary on Brexit, Donald Trump’s campaign, the early months of his administration, or the recent French election will have noted this.

Since (at least) the post-World War II era, elites in both parties have tried to slip their preferred policies past a populace that, they know, wouldn’t support them if it knew what was going on. “Populism” is what happens when the charade breaks down.

Roger, by the way, has a new book out: Vox Populi: The Perils and Promises of Populism.