The rise of "anti-woke" punitive populism

Hawley has a book coming out with Regnery next week, The Tyranny of Big Tech, in which he presumably will herald his policy prescriptions to regulate the Silicon Valley into smithereens. “Order a copy today and own the libs,” he tweeted Monday. The book was supposed to be published by Simon & Schuster, but the company pulled the title after January 6. The publisher said it “cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.” Hawley, of course, followed the usual script: He described his lost book contract as an example of “cancel culture” and an attack from the “woke mob.” He’s totally not wrong. There is a culture clash underway. Hawley and the rest of the anti-woke crusaders are saying that corporate America must heed their “values” or get smashed. Just like Hawley’s rioters smashed up the Capitol when the Democrats didn’t agree with their “values” about “election integrity.” It’s all the same brute idea. Comply with my party, or get the fist. Forceful overthrow is what populism is, and always had been, about.