Kamala Harris

Peter Suderman | 8.21.2024 11:59 AM

For years, populists on both the left and right have griped that Washington is in the thrall of libertarians, market fundamentalists, or perhaps neoliberals—despite the rarity of any politically powerful figure identifying as such.

Recent events should put those complaints to rest: With the elevation of Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio) to the Republican presidential ticket, and, in a different way, Vice President Kamala Harris, American politics is now in the grips of a kind of neopopulism, one implicitly founded on the rejection of that synthesis, and in particular on the abandonment of the free-market, limited-government worldview.

That, in turn, has created a new class of politically homeless: Call them fusionists, call them classical liberals, call them libertarians—but those who prioritize economic liberty have essentially no place in either major party. That's a significant shift away from foundational American values—and an unsettling departure from the worldview that made America prosperous and powerful.

The transformation is clearest in the GOP, thanks to the elevation of Vance to the GOP presidential ticket. Vance, according to most accounts, was selected in a moment of confidence, as an heir apparent meant to extend and intensify Donald Trump's core appeal rather than as a counterweight to the former president's electoral weaknesses.

Vance spent the last half-decade transforming himself into one of the GOP's most prominent neopopulists. He's an advocate of tariffs and trade restrictions, a walker of auto-worker picket lines, and a harsh critic of foreign labor. He's even complimented Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission chair who has helped lead the Biden........

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