I believe the implication of decrying something as populist is that it would not actually be good for the masses. So a populist promise is one that the masses want and think will be good for them, but in actuality would be bad for them. Then a populist politician is one that promises popular policies regardless of whether they will be net good or bad.
I think whether or not someone considers populism bad is downstream of whether or not they think the masses can accurately assess what would be good for them.
I believe the implication of decrying something as populist is that it would not actually be good for the masses. So a populist promise is one that the masses want and think will be good for them, but in actuality would be bad for them. Then a populist politician is one that promises popular policies regardless of whether they will be net good or bad.
I think whether or not someone considers populism bad is downstream of whether or not they think the masses can accurately assess what would be good for them.