I honestly don't remember at the moment if you are either left/right leaning at the moment - but from the tone of the comment, sounds like you were sarcastic - but I will bite anyways.
Yes - Yes they did. While there were goals of the two movements that were different from one another, both had followers and ideas that shared many of the same principles from one another. And while leaders of each side did sometimes hate one another (IE Teddy Roosevelt vs W.J.B., Fighting Bob vs half his state, etc.) the movement coupled with progressivism helped set a new tone and shifted the political center to a further left than it ever had been.
Populism did manage to change economic policy to quite an extent and led to a decoupling away from the gold standard and policies still used by the Fed today. Populists were able to get direct election of senators and influenced the Democratic party heavily on farm policy [To an extent that even when FDR was present, populist principles had been adopted and implemented in both subsidies and tax reforms]
So basically, weasel words plus two statements that vaguely approach policy specifics but fail to meaningfully link Populist policy specifics to Progressive ones. Cool.
Oh, and "cynic" is my position on the political dung-pile, too. I don't know why you thought you might remember me having had a political position when I haven't really held one since you joined!
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Actual quotes:
"The proper strategy consists in inflicting as telling blows as possible on the enemy army, and then in causing the inhabitants so much suffering that they must long for peace, and force the government to demand it.
The people must be left with nothing but their eyes to weep with over the war."
-LTG Philip H. Sheridan, to Otto von Bismarck, fall 1870 (following the Battle of Sedan); italics mine
"Six o'clock! The 120-mm gun on Hill 696 fires the signal shot and all batteries at the ready, from field guns to the heavy mortars, fire a salvo at the Russian positions. It is followed by thunder and booming, slamming and banging, as 700 guns open fire and hurl hissing iron and steel through the air. The shells explode in the ground, throwing heaps of earth, wood splinters and obstacles yards high into the air."
-GdI Hermann von François,
Gorlice 1915, describing his corps' bombardment that began the campaign that ended in German conquest of Russian Poland
, here is a book I recommend you read to learn more about the Populist movement and its relations with the Progressive movement.
