A Brief History Of American Populism

With guest host Jane Clayson.

We’ll take a look at the history of populism in our country and how presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are carrying on that tradition.

Laura Meckler, Election 2016 political reporter for The Wall Street Journal. (@laurameckler)

Charles Postel, professor of history at San Francisco State University. Author of "The Populist Vision."
Michael Lind, co-founder of the New America Foundation, where he is also policy director of the Economic Growth Program. Author of "Land of Promise" and "Made in Texas" and co-author of "The Radical Center."

New Yorker: The Populists -- "Populism is a stance and a rhetoric more than an ideology or a set of positions. It speaks of a battle of good against evil, demanding simple answers to difficult problems. (Trump: 'Trade? We’re gonna fix it. Health care? We’re gonna fix it.') It’s suspicious of the normal bargaining and compromise that constitute democratic governance. (On the stump, Sanders seldom touts his bipartisan successes as chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.)"

The Wall Street Journal: Price Tag of Bernie Sanders’s Proposals: $18 Trillion — "Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose liberal call to action has propelled his long-shot presidential campaign, is proposing an array of new programs that would amount to the largest peacetime expansion of government in modern American history. In all, he backs at least $18 trillion in new spending over a decade, according to a tally by The Wall Street Journal, a sum that alarms conservatives and gives even many Democrats pause."

Bloomberg Politics: Can Donald Trump Be Stopped? — "The image of a brash, unrepentant iconoclast fits in well with Trump’s public persona, one that’s been forming for more than three decades. As a survivor of the Gotham City tabloid wars, as a best-selling author, as a ratings-rich television star, as a man of near-unerring showman instincts, Trump knows how to define himself on his own terms. Watch any video of Trump’s television appearances from the 1980s onward, and note how consistent his presentation has been over the years, from personal and political interests to style."