Elites Beware: Eric Cantor’s Defeat May Signal a Populist Revolution
Democrats and Republicans need to ask themselves:’What side of the barricades am I on?’
By Ron Fournier
NationalJournal.com
June 11, 2014
WEST CHESTER, Pa.—Expecting House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to win his GOP primary in Virginia, I spent Election Day in Pennsylvania—interviewing angry Republicans, Democrats, and independents about the rise of political populism.
I was in the wrong state, but I had the right topic. Cantor’s defeat has less to do with immigration reform than it does with an uneven movement that should frighten conservative and liberal political elites to their shallow cores.
Americans see a grim future for themselves, their children, and their country. They believe their political leaders are selfish, greedy, and short-sighted—unable and/or unwilling to shield most people from wrenching economic and social change. For many, the Republican Party is becoming too extreme, while the Democratic Party—specifically, President Obama—raised and dashed their hopes for true reform.
Worse of all, the typical American doesn’t know how to channel his or her anger. Heaven help Washington if they do.
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