Contrary to much conventional wisdom, populism is not defined by a particular electoral constituency – such as the lower middle class – or by simplistic policies pandering to the masses, as liberal observers often argue. Rather, populism is a thoroughly moralized conception of politics, and a populist is a politician who claims that he or she – and only he or she – truly represents the people, thus relegating all political opponents to the role of iniquitous pretenders.
与许多传统智慧相反，民粹主义并不是由某个特定的选民群体（比如中下阶层）或迎合普罗大众的简单政策（如自由派观察者常常指出的那样）定义的。反之，民粹主义是一个彻底到的话的政治概念，而民粹主义者是这样一种政客，他——也只有他——真正尊重群众，从而可以把一切政治反对者归为邪恶的伪善者。