While there may be “growing populism” among voters in the U.S., compared to Europe, India, Thailand and other nations where it is surging, populism is not a significant trend.
Whenever the seeds of an uprising have taken root in the U.S., the public face of protest has been quickly and skillfully controlled by law enforcement. Look no further than the “Occupy” movement protesters for proof. Eventually, the promise of the movement was reduced to images of a few hundred weathered protesters occupying soggy, dirty tents in public squares while armed law enforcement officers stood guard.
Considering the monopoly the two-party system has over “the land of the free and home of the brave,” a true rise of populism in the U.S. is predicated on the true rise of a new political party or well-defined social movement that takes direct aim at challenging the legacy corruption and incompetence that have so masterfully cemented the self-serving bond between government and the corporate world. That one-percent echelon we hear so much about includes both.
We don’t see populism as a powerful 2014 trend in the U.S., but across the globe these movements will become even more powerful, well-defined and effective.