Sen. Sherrod Brown

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) penned an op-ed describing what "populism" actually is, or should be. In his eyes it doesn't look much like the racism-infused nationalist movement shuddering through America and Europe right now.

Populism speaks out against a church shooting, or a threat against a Jewish center, or the bombing of a mosque. A populist stands in solidarity against all acts of hate. Populism is a belief that you build the economy from the middle class out, not by demanding tax cuts for the most affluent, with the long-discredited argument that prosperity will trickle down.

I don't know that populism needs to be either defended or reclaimed, but if someone wants to give it a go I'm all for it. For a very long time Americans have been suckered into thinking that people who live in gilded mansions are the very people we need to finally give the little guy a fair shake, which is an odd thing to think when the people in the mansions are holding you upside-down while they give you that fair shake in order to collect whatever falls out of your pockets.

Is this presumption the fallout of the prosperity gospel? Do we generally assume fabulously wealthy people are, by nature, fair and kind? That they are smarter? That they are more experienced in the ways of life? It's weird, that's what it is. Put a hundred of these supposedly kind and brilliant and experienced Americans on an island and ask them to survive a week without premium catering and it will make Lord of the Flies look like a treatise on effective government practices.

Come to think of that, we just tried that exact experiment. News reports suggest it didn't go well.