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The 10 Populist Commandments [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-05
Populism is a political approach that claims to represent the common people, especially when they feel ignored or pushed aside by the elite or establishment. It usually paints politics as a battle between the "ordinary folks" and a corrupt or out-of-touch ruling class and corrupt media.
Do you have aspirations to be a populist strongman? It’s a simple formula, really.
Are you foxy enough to dominate Celebrity Apprentice?
enough to dominate Celebrity Apprentice? Do you have a large ego and amygdala , but are lacking the part of the brain that feels empathy ?
and , but are lacking the part of the brain that feels ? Do you have a sucking hole in your heart where your father’s love should be?
should be? Do you feel the burning need to overcompensate for physical traits like tiny hands?
If so, you’ve got what it takes to be a populist leader!
Here are the 10 Populist commandments:
1. Thou shalt proclaim thyself the sole voice of the forgotten.
Position yourself not just as a leader, but as the only one who truly understands and speaks for the people. You are “the will of the people,” and you must speak to them like children with simple solutions and words like, “special,” and, “incredible,” as you ease their fears and stoke their anger. If others disagree with you, portray it as an attack on the people themselves.
2. Thou shalt divide the world into patriots and traitors.
Every hero needs villains, and a populist thrives on an “us vs. them” narrative. There is no loyal opposition—only enemies, spies, and those who are not loyal.
3. Thou shalt promise greatness without detail, and progress without delay.
Big, vague promises ignite passion and demand loyalty. “A future golden time.” Details only invite questions—better to inspire than to explain.
4. Thou shalt wage war against the press and the facts they carry.
We all have different opinions, so what is “the truth,” or even “history?” A free press is the enemy of a populist strongman. Undermine the media early and often—if people stop believing the press, they’ll believe you instead.
5. Promise order, deliver chaos.
Promise to bring order to the world. Create or exaggerate threats so that your leadership feels like a fatherly shield. When people feel fear, they look not for laws, but for strength. The masses respect raw power and will flock to it.
6. Thou shalt brand dissent as treason and criticism as sabotage.
Label your critics as enemies, and turn every question into an attack. Loyalty becomes the only acceptable currency in politics. Publicly humiliate and punish those who disagree or dissent.
7. Thou shalt hollow institutions while claiming to defend them.
Publicly praise the Constitution, the courts, the military—while aggressively bending them to serve you. The façade of tradition and patriotism calms the masses while the machinery is rewired.
8. Thou shalt never admit fault, for weakness is fatal.
NEVER apologize. Blame others—bureaucrats, minorities, foreign powers—anyone but yourself. Accountability is for lesser men; your image must remain untarnished.
9. Thou shalt communicate in spectacle, not substance.
Rallies, slogans, nicknames, outbursts with a clenched fist—these are the tools of the strongman. Emotion beats policy every time.
10. Thou shalt wrap thyself in the flag and patriotic symbols
Nationalism has symbols; the flag, the fierce national bird, the colors... Seize them and use them liberally. If you appear as both savior and patriot, few will dare question your motives.
Simple, right?
Being a successful populist strongman is easier than controlling a pandemic with bleach.
Now, go out there and fire up a crowd with a 3rd grader’s vocabulary!
Chairman Meow haz spoken
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