Populism is often associated with the revalorization of the democracy and even of people power by aspiring and charismatic leaders that purport to free these people from elite control. And yet, to return to this aspect of United States history reveals that Andrew Jackson is not only the first populist president, but also the first “democrat” to associate the elections with democracy. The discussion historically retraces the emergence of populist and democratic rhetoric within the context of electoral struggles for power, and suggests that progressive forces need not necessarily develop a “leftist populism” rather than return to the original meaning of the word “democracy,” that is, the direct power exerted on the people, by the people, for the people. This is what is otherwise proposed by contemporary social movements practicing public deliberative assemblies.