In recent years, Washington has seen a surprising amount of bipartisanship, contrary to the popular belief that the city is too polarized to get anything done. Examples include House Democrats supporting a Republican House speaker, and progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren working with conservative Senate Republicans on legislation. President Biden has signed numerous bipartisan bills, including those related to infrastructure, semiconductors, gun violence, and the electoral process. This has led to a new emerging consensus called neopopulism, which combines capitalism with government intervention, skepticism of big business, free trade, high immigration levels, and concern about China’s rise.
Neopopulism is a response to the failure of neoliberalism, which dominated policymaking for years. Neoliberalism focused on market capitalism leading to prosperity and freedom, but it did not deliver on its promises. Incomes grew slowly, and countries like China and Russia moved away from liberal democracy. Neopopulism reflects the changing opinions of Americans, with both Democrats and Republicans adopting it to address the challenges of the modern world. Policymakers are recognizing the shift in public opinion, with a new consensus emerging on key economic and global issues.
Experts and officials see this shift as a positive change, with the center of gravity in policymaking moving towards neopopulism. Oren Cass, who runs a conservative think tank, and Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, both acknowledge the emergence of a new consensus around the problems facing the country. The recent period of bipartisanship and collaboration between different ideological groups reflects this change. However, there are concerns about the potential excesses of populism and threats to this newfound bipartisanship in the future.
The essay discussed the history of these ideas and speculated on the future of neopopulism in American politics. It emphasized the influence of public opinion and the failures of neoliberalism in shaping the current political landscape. The article highlighted the potential for neopopulism to address the challenges and concerns of Americans, especially related to economic issues, big business, trade, immigration, and China’s influence. While bipartisanship has been more common in recent years, there are still challenges ahead in maintaining this consensus and addressing the potential downsides of populism.
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