Political confusion about "bigness"

by YankeeJim | April 9, 2012 at 05:27 am

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What is confusing to me is how some anti-big people are Republicans and some are Democrats.

In the article discussed here, Chris Cillizza talks about the Occupy movement being anti-big (anti-big business) and presumably they are mostly Democrats. Then he talks about populist Rick Santorum being anti-big (anti-big government) and he is a Republican. Mitt Romney is for big-business and smaller government, though he is big wealthy. If I were President Obama, I would not slam big business but rather get them to align with helping the Middle Class. He can do that by 1) communicating with them and 2) advancing policies to give incentives to do that. I don’t know, Chris, if the subject is really about “bigness” as it is about fairness.

“We are in a populist time when distrust of institutions — banks, Congress — is at an all-time high and the chasm between the haves and the have-nots is growing wider. People believe the system is rigged — and they are angry.

“A common thread that reflects this populism is the anger at out-of-control big government echoed by the tea party and the anger at out-of-control big business echoed by the Occupy movement,” said Dave Beattie, a Democratic pollster. “The commonality of ‘anti-big’ ties both together.”

Channeling that populist ire is a political gold mine in 2012. Need evidence? The rise of former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum was built, in no small part, on a populist economic pitch centered on his upbringing in western Pennsylvania.

“Santorum’s miner grandfather shtick has been the best stump material of the year,” said Rob Stutzman, a California-based Republican consultant.”