Populist Reform of the Democratic Party

In a 2013 article at Slate, David Weigel a reporter
for Bloomberg Politics, posits that "A clutch of progressives—or,
if you prefer, economic populists" dragged the "media"
into a fake war between democratic centrists and the left-wing.

His premise is that with a working internet connection
activists can force issues to the forefront of the MSM's attention.

Here's how he thinks it's done

Weigel goes on to describe the 3rd-Way as "exiles" who
lost the ideological center to republicans and then
set out to build an "idea tank" to recapture the "center".
Notice the use of "idea tank" rather than "think tank".

In his narrative, he describes populists as "aggressive",
a "clutch of progressives", and waging a "fake war".
While legitimizing the 3rd-Way as sensible and reasonable.
In the following passage he uses an unnamed source to
smear Elizabeth Warren as using "McCarthy like" tactics.

In the context of Warren's concern about political donations
influencing political legislation she is described as thus...



Regardless of what follows, Weigel has made the connection that
calls for transparency through disclosure of political donations
is analogous to anti-communist fear mongering. "He's" not saying that...
he just quotes an unnamed source who does.

Weigle, concludes his piece by giving the 3rd-Way the last word.
He began this article suggesting that "economic populists"
are waging a "fake war" and has duped the MSM into complicity.
HE ends by presenting a 3rd-Way mishmash of what Populism
represents by commingling a right-wing vs Democratic visions.



So from positing that with a working internet connection
activists can force issues to the forefront of the MSM's attention,
he concludes that Populism is a muddy concept and centrism is
a ideologically more rational political platform.

In the end, Weigle does a poor job of representing
the Economic Populism characterized by Elizabeth Warren.
He does a greater service of legitimizing the 3rd-Way's arguments.
What exactly is the reader to conclude from his article?

These are the messages Populists will continue to face
as the next election cycle draws near.
We need to "understand the game".