Transcript Measuring Populist Discourses in the 2014

MEASURING POPULIST DISCOURSES IN THE
2014 ROMANIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
CAMPAIGN
Lect.univ.dr. Adriana Ştefănel
[email protected]
New Perspectives on Populist Political Communication
Workshop and Launch Event of the COST Early Stage Researchers Think Tank
26 to 30 January, Zurich, Switzerland
Parties should be eliminated completely as institutions of
power. [...] In this country, virtually without exception, parties
have become more of a hindrance to democracy; our current
system is designed to empower party oligarchy, not citizens.
Cătălin Avramescu Democracy without parties, Bursa, November 6th 2007
One’s populism is another's democracy
Ralf Dahrendorf
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A Brief History of the Romanian Populism
Populism roots can be trace in the very first act of
creation of the Greater Romania in 1918 but find its
apogee in the Corneliu Zelea Codreanu’s Archangel
Michel League (1927) and in its (quasi) military side,
the Iron Guard (1930).
During communist, populism shift from right to left by
simply conceal the People under the Workers label, but
keep governing in the name of the same privileged and
unmediated connection between the leader and the
masses.
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Democracy versus Populism in the Post-communist Romania
The unforeseen fall of the communist regime in Romania
was followed not by the instant institute of democracy but
by a slow, complicated and uncertain process which distant
many from the pluralist values.
Soon after the revolution, a significant part of
thepopulation begin to look with a greater distrust upon the
individualism and liberal parliamentary and easily accept
the alternative discourse, apparently similar, of populism.
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The National Salvation Front (FSN): a Populist Movement
FSN imposed itself by skilfully manipulating the
Conspiracy myth,
the exaltation of Solidarity
theme and the exceptionality of the Leader.
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The Ethnic turn of the Romanian Post-communist Populism
In 2000 the flag of nationalist-populism was held up solely
by Vadim Tudor; regardless of their ideological orientation
all democratic politicians and intellectuals banded against
him.
Traian Basescu: Mainstreaming the Populist Discourse
Traian Basescu was imposing himself as a Champion
of the People, appealing to those at the bottom who
could look up to him for assistance in time of need.
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Traian Basescu: Mainstreaming the Populist Discourse
The simple fact that he was reinstall in office be a
massive popular vote give Traian Băsescu’s populist
discourse scope and substance.
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Traian Basescu: Mainstreaming the Populist Discourse
The main target of his criticism were the political
system as a hole, along with the Parliament, defined
as a stronghold of corruption.
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Traian Basescu: Mainstreaming the Populist Discourse
At the end of his two mandates, one might say that
the true legacy of Traian Băsescu is the
popularisation of the populist rhetoric
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Talking about Populism or Speaking Populism?
We define populism as an ideology that pits a virtuous and homogeneous people against a set of elites and
dangerous ‘others’ who were together depicted as depriving (or attempting to deprive) the sovereign people of their
rights, values, prosperity, identity, and voice.
Daniele Albertazzi, Duncan O’Donnell (2008)
The Latin American point of view:
There is no populism in the absence of generous economic
politics directed toward the poor.
Populist discourse: a strategy of persuasion that pits a virtuous and homogeneous people against a set of elites and
dangerous ‘others’ who were together depicted as depriving (or attempting to deprive) the sovereign people of their
rights, values, prosperity, identity, and voice.
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The Thurstone scale applied in Discourse Analysis
The Thurstone scale: a set of statements about a certain subject that can be measured on an ordinal scale
RPD (The Romanian Populist Discourse ) scale: a set of statements about the politicians discourses that can
be measured on an ordinal scale:
Very often
often
rare
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Very rare
Peripheral system
Centra
l core
Selecting Items of the Scale
 The Thurstone scale: experts method
 RPD scale: experts method, not directly but meta-analysis of the papers writhen on populism
Corpus of meta-analysis:
15 articles and book chapters about Romanian Populism/Romanian
Populist discourse, published in peer reviewed journals and A class
publishing houses in Romania, between 2010-2014
 Every identified item was rated on a 1 to 15 scale (1 not important, 15 very important) considering the
author point of view. If an item did not exist in an article, it was rated with 1.
 we used mean to ordinate the items and standard deviation to exclude the ambiguous ones.
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RPD scale:
7. Appeal to the People
6.Denouncing the Corrupt Elite(s)
5. Exceptionality of the Leader
4. A crisis situation
3. A vigilante attitude of the Leader
Items with high standard deviation:
1. Referendum as a ruling tool (ϭ=2,64)
2. Replacing politicians with technocrats (ϭ=2,48)
3. Restoring Romanian’s lost dignity (ϭ=2,32)
2 Hostility of democratic mechanisms
1. Preference for radical solutions
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Corpus of analysis:
 3 Candidates:
 11 electoral debates and talk-shows:
2 final debates between Klaus Iohannis and
Victor Ponta
3 talk-shows (1XRealitatea TV, 1XDigi 24,
1XTVR1) with Klaus Iohannis
3 talk-shows (1XRealitatea TV, 1XDigi 24,
1XTVR1) with Victor Ponta
3 talk-shows (2XDigi 24, 1XTVR1) with Monica
Macovei
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7. Appeal to the People
 Those excluded from the political decision
 The People (as a collective personality) or parts of the People (the retirees, the teachers, etc.)
 In order to be label as populist, the People must be a vague, low conceptualised, homogenized category
We will coded as populist the following expressions:
the People (or the Romanians, the retirees, the teachers, etc.) wants…,
the People expects…,
the People are…
BUT ONLY IN OPPOSITION WITH
the Elite as a corrupt and unitary group
that deliberate disregards what
People wants, expects, etc.
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7. Appeal to the People
KI: Mr. Ponta, we live in a democratic country. Everyone is
entitled to vote. You have suppressed the right to vote, for
these people (...) Romanian citizens were roughed up by police
in other states when they have asked for their right to vote
(Realitatea TV, final debate)
KJ: (reading) I am a priest living for 7 years in France; I was
simply humiliated, we can not vote! or I seven hours spent
with my husband and my two young children. In front of the
consulate to get the chance to vote (…) Mister Prime minister, I
leave you these. Maybe you will delegate someone to write to
these people, and let them know why they have been
humiliated
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Monica Macovei
New Perspectives on Populist Political Communication
6.Denouncing the Corrupt Elite(s)
 Those who have power: political elite, economic elite, journalists
 In order to be label as populist, the Elite must be a vague, low conceptualised, homogenized category,
trans-partinic and having bad intentions when the People in concern.
 The place of the Elite is placed behind close doors, plotting and mocking the people.
We will coded as populist the following expressions:
Local barons
Wretched system (system ticalosit)
Puppets for capital holders
BUT ONLY WHEN
this system in trans-partinic
6.Denouncing the Corrupt Elite(s)
There are references in his speech to corruption, but
Icorruption
am only for
yearsassociated
in nationalwith
politics.
I had noTraian
time
is two
clearly
a person
to
be inand
thewith
Microsoft
case or in the EADS
Basescu
the PDLcorruption
party.
corruption
amdealt
an outsider
but Ithe
know
it, and I can
Corruption cases.
cases Iare
differently:
corruption
in
change
(Digi 24)
his ownit party
is used to show intransigence while the
corruption in the opposition is used to highlight Klaus
Johannis’s double language.
Soon after winning the elections Mr. Ponta, let them out.
He will sticks amnesty law and clemency, he will takes
them all out of prison and sends them out into society.
That is the future that Mr. Ponta preparing for us.
Pardoned all corruption. society (...) A young politician
comes with old tactics of FSN and PDSR because he is
pushed from behind by local barons (Digi 24)
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Monica Macovei
We have a political class howling from morning to night
on television, and solutions are not (...) we should be more
calm people, but we should solve problems once for the
name of God! (Digi 24)
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5. Exceptionality of the Leader
 Every politician during campaign is imposing him/her self as exceptional.
 In order to be label as populist, discourse, the exceptionality of the Leader must have a Saviour
dimension.
We will coded as populist:
mythological construction of the Savior, the one marked by fate and destiny to embody the moral
virtues, usually those that generally lacks:
he/she is faithful in a world that has lost faith;
he/she is modest while other are opulent;
he/she is professional in a amateurism world;
his/her careers is influenced by competence not by network of relationships;
he/she is firmly in the world of negotiations and compromise.
5. Exceptionality of the Leader
MM: Die Spigal wrote 22 millions of Romanians must thank
Monica Macovei for Eu integration
Monica Macovei decaloque with 10 commandments for
politicians and 100 solutions for the People
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Monica Macovei
New Perspectives on Populist Political Communication
4. A crisis situation
 The populist discourse, following the Manichean logic of binary opposition, favors tension of decision.
 The decision must be: here and now
We will coded as populist:
Any references to a crises (economical, moral, societal)
that the People are ask to decide wright here, wright now.
BUT ONLY WHEN
The crisis is not between two ideology,
or two economical ideas,
(in)equally legitimated in the public sphere
4. A crisis situation
KI: talk about the right way to vote and the wrong
way to vote.
VP: use the term crises often, when he talk about
the moment of the vote and the importance of
resolving this crisis by voting him.
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
MM: I am the only one who will move Romania
forward. Both Victor Ponta and Klaus Iohannis,
will get Romania back. The first with 25 years, the
second with 10 years.
Monica Macovei
Often
Rare
Very
rare
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3. A vigilante attitude of the Leader
•
For populist discourse the justice system is created (by politicians)
endless processes and procedures confusing for the uninitiated.
•
The populist discourse favors the law of the land, simple and easy to apply.
We will coded as populist:
Any vigilante attitude
Clear and prior judgements regarding who is corrupt or not
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to escape corruption
by
3. A vigilante attitude of the Leader
MM: there are nets of corruption in the parties. One
must shredded this net. Quietly. Not let them time
to vote laws against this (action) and build
institutions to cover their tracks (Digi 24)
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Monica Macovei
New Perspectives on Populist Political Communication
2 Hostility of democratic mechanisms
 Called lack of patience in politics and the tend to look light and radical solutions.
 Paradoxically, this hostility to democracy fits perfectly on appeal to the need for more democracy and a
more representative democracy.
We will coded as populist:
Any talk about short-cuts where the democratic mechanisms are concern
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2 Hostility of democratic mechanisms
KI: If you are man enough, Mr. Ponta, let us
go tomorrow in the Parliament and drop of
the amnesty law. (…) and since we are there,
let’s vote for lifting immunity for all the
corrupt politicians.
The populist twist of this topic is that Klaus
Iohannis is not a member of the Parliament.
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Monica Macovei
New Perspectives on Populist Political Communication
1. Preference for radical solutions
 The exceptionality time required exceptionality solutions.

In the time of crisis required radical measures, often undemocratic; recourse to verbal and symbolic
violence is justified.
We will coded as populist:
any discursive elements deviating from democratic political language;
labeling the speaker, not the idea;
and verbal violence and expressions of type cut the flesh, break them gang etc
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1. Preference for radical solutions
KI: stop. Reset the game. Start over!
MM: I am the only honest candidate (…) We
turn the page. There is an other type of
democracy, more participative (TVR1)
Klaus Iohannis
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Victor Ponta
Very
often
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Often
Rare
Very
rare
Monica Macovei
New Perspectives on Populist Political Communication
Calculated the populist discourse index:
RPD scale
value
Klaus Iohannis
Victor Ponta
Monica Macovei
Appeal to the People
7
2
1
4
Denouncing the Corrupt Elite(s)
6
3
2
4
Exceptionality of the Leader
5
2
2
3
A crisis situation
4
2
2
4
A vigilante attitude of the Leader
3
2
2
4
Hostility of democratic mechanisms
2
2
1
1
Preference for radical solutions
1
2
1
4
0,55
0,41
0,90
Total (0:1 scale)
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