Encounter Books
Ben Weingarten
Feb. 20, 2018
Professor Victor Davis Hanson discussed his prescient contribution to Vox Populi: The Perils and Promises of Populism with our own Ben Weingarten. What follows is a full transcript of their discussion, slightly modified for clarity.
You can also listen to their interview in its entirety below. And to instantly receive Encounter Books Podcast interviews like these upon publication, be sure to subscribe.
Ben Weingarten: The term “populism†has been thrown around repeatedly throughout history and it’s often used pejoratively to put down one’s political opponents. How do you define it?
Victor Davis Hanson: Well, I think it’s an appeal to a group that’s not based on credentialing. In other words, politicians are…political leaders try to appeal to the majority of the population without referring to or relying on particular people’s credentials, and I guess we could call that an anti-elite appeal. In other words, an argument is to be adjudicated on whether it seems practical, commonsensical, not whether the person who’s advocating has a particular degree from a particular university or a particular job or a particular resume or a particular vocabulary or a particular manner of speaking, or appearance. It’s just common sense…The message is all that matters and it lives or dies by its own merits.
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