The problem with declaring conservative populism dead and buried is that populism is less about the issues than the approach. So while Peter Beinart is right that the conservative line on immigration and terrorism and civil liberties is smudged and fading, that advantage is, for Democrats, a temporary one. The component parts of conservative populism -- anti-elitism, projected toughness, religious identification -- will easily endure the destruction of the issues they were most recently associated with. Populism is largely attitudinal, and as the Republicans lose their strongest issues, doubling down on the swagger and the anti-elitism will be the first move. Indeed, it's exactly what Rudy Giuliani has been doing.
