{"id":2664,"date":"2024-06-03T22:33:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T22:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/josephrauch.com\/therauchreview\/?p=2664"},"modified":"2025-07-16T20:56:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T20:56:25","slug":"our-philosophy-populism-leftism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/josephrauch.com\/therauchreview\/articles\/our-philosophy-populism-leftism\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Mean When I Write About Populism and Leftism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPopulism\u201d and \u201cleftism\u201d \u2014 as well as all their conjugations, variations and synonyms \u2014 are words you\u2019ll see frequently on The Rauch Review, especially in our reviews of political nonfiction books. The goal of this article is to make sure we are figuratively and literally on the same page about what I mean when I use these words.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m the founder of The Rauch Review, and I usually label myself a populist and\/or leftist. My contributors may write these words as well. As editor-in-chief of the publication, I\u2019m doing my best to ensure our connotations are consistent.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re coming to this article through our content that isn\u2019t overtly political, a reminder that a big theme of The Rauch Review is the intersection of the world of literature and politics. In addition to this article, readers curious about that topic should also check out our politics page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When I explain these topics, my intention is never to be patronizing. Many people in my life, some of whom are definitely far more intelligent than me, often ask me to explain myself simply because they aren\u2019t part of my political community. Perhaps wisely so, they have not chosen to dedicate so much of their mental real estate to politics.<\/p>\n

Editorial Note:<\/em><\/strong> Do you enjoy political literature? Check out our full review of “America: The Farewell Tour” by Chris Hedges<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Understanding Leftism in the Context of the Entire U.S. Political Spectrum<\/h2>\n

Based on my experience participating in rallies and online events, I estimate that the faction of the political left I align with consists of only a few million people across the U.S. Compared to the overwhelming majority of people who always vote within the two-party system, we are a fraction of the population.<\/p>\n

Unlike what many corporate media outlets would have you believe, the left is not synonymous with supporting the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is in the center of the U.S. political spectrum. Even in the context of U.S. politics, the Democratic Party is center-right. Relative to the centrist parties in many other industrialized nations, the Democratic Party is conservative.<\/p>\n

Then there is the actual left, which is sadly split into two opposing factions<\/a>. I wrote a separate article that extensively explores this issue, but here I\u2019ll explain the basics. Both factions of the American left hate each other. Both believe they are the \u201creal left\u201d while the other is the \u201cfake left<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither side has an official name. The faction I\u2019m aligned with calls the other side \u201cThe Boutique Left<\/a>,\u201d among other pejorative names. The Boutique Left calls us \u201cThe Dirtbag Left<\/a>\u201d or \u201cThe Dum Dum Left<\/a>.\u201d I think the latter label has become more popular. The Dirtbag Left was more intact and aligned when Bernie was running.<\/p>\n

Based on my experience, many Dum Dum and Boutique leftists agree that the Dum Dum Left is further left than the Boutique Left. The difference is that the Boutique Left views this positioning as negative. Some Boutique Leftists and progressive politicians have also referred to us as \u201cthe far left<\/a>.\u201d The connotation is that we are extreme, similar to the \u201cfar right\u201d language.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how I view the full spectrum:<\/p>\n

Far left<\/a>, Boutique Left, Center, Populist Right and Libertarians, Neoconservatism<\/p>\n

There are dozens of substantive policy and strategy differences between the two sides of the left. The most simple distinction is whether we vote for Democrats on a national level. The Far Left, my side, typically does not vote for national Democrats. We withhold our votes, vote independent or vote for a left-aligned third party.<\/p>\n

How People On My Side of the Left Define Populism and Leftism<\/h2>\n

We often use populism and leftism interchangeably. Some people say \u201cleft populism\u201d to further demarcate it from right-wing populism.<\/p>\n

Populism is the practice of supporting policies that more than 50% of the population wants. We consider most of these policies to be leftist. There are some exceptions. Reparations<\/a>, for example, is a leftist policy, but it is not populist yet.<\/p>\n

Here are the policies and positions that define modern leftism for the Far Left, or whatever you\u2019d like to call us. This is a broad list of ideas, not necessarily specific bills, executive orders, supreme court decisions, etc.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t expect the majority of my readers to agree with all of this. If we agree on even a few key points, I\u2019ll be happy.<\/p>\n