What Makes the Masses Different?

In his book Populism and Elitism: Politics in the Age of Equality, Jeffrey Bell gets at the gap between the elite and the people. Politics—the fight for power—has historically involved battles within the elite. The masses, when separated from their elite “vanguard”, have been outside the power arena.

It's true that Franklin Roosevelt, using the power of radio, successfully made the masses a part of his New Deal. But Roosevelt also built a new elite, one that dominates the country today. Republicans are still the party of small business, an elite group. But government, government-supported academia and non-profits, the constitutionally-protected elite of media, arts and entertainment, along with the lawyers who turned constitutional protections into dollars--all are growing, and all are linked to Democrats. By now, this new elite is large enough to be the elite.

As the elite recolored from Republican to Democrat, Reagan developed the first truly effective response to the New Deal's government-led legacy. Like Roosevelt, Reagan drew on his ability to communicate (via television) to the masses, and thereby mobilize them.

Bell chronicles Reagan's relationship to populism/anti-elitism. The elite care about character. Being in the elite club means getting things done through personality; helping someone who helps you in return. Your credentials are important, doing things right is important, and any faux pas is devastating. You must be there to play in tomorrow’s big move. We now know that people who rise to the top feel an endorphin rush as significant as any drug provides. Members of the right club, the elite focus on personalities, not issues.

Reagan and populism encompassed the different way common people view politics. They care much less about character. For the people, it’s not about who you know, and they don’t mind if some leader, like themselves, screws up from time to time. The public does, however, care about issues. They care because issues affect their daily lives—war, jobs, health, crime, money, values. Reagan instinctively understood popular concern with issues, while the elite missed that change in American politics.

The elite see issues as a means to a desirable end—power. They select a leader based upon character. For the masses, issues are the end. Vote for somebody who will make your own life more bearable.