www.alphadictionary.com

Posted: **Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:57 pm**

Consider "populist" as a good word. Here in Louisiana, the Longs were branded as populists, probably so they would not be called "liberals," which is a cussword down here. However, I noticed in Time last week that Rand Paul was being called a populist. That's a 180 degree switch. The word obviously has to do with people: of the people, by the people, for the people; but it's the connotations here that grabbed my attention. Anyone traced the journey of this word, or is it merely a weasel-word (a fascinating phrase in itself).

Posted: **Thu Nov 25, 2010 2:22 pm**

populist
1892, Amer.Eng., from L. populus "people." Originally in reference to the Populist Party, organized Feb. 1892 to promote certain issues important to farmers and workers. The term outlasted the party, and by 1920s came to mean "representing the views of the masses" in a general way.