White-Collar Populism

On the politics of professional-class anxiety.

Illustration by Luca Yety Battaglia


“We draw the line against misconduct, not against wealth.”

— Teddy Roosevelt

At a recent Los Angeles town hall, Elizabeth Warren greeted an adoring crowd with her three big wishes — to “attack the corruption head-on, get some structural change in our economy, and protect our democracy.”

She explained how her colleagues in the Senate all tell her to pipe down about her complicated plans: “People don’t want to hear all that, they said, it’s too complicated.” The flattered crowd fired back, “Yes, we do!” She compared herself to the suffragettes and closed by chanting her new campaign slogan: “Dream big, fight hard, and let’s win!”

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