Walter Bagehot Quote - Liberty Quotes Blog

"A democratic despotism is like a theocracy:
it assumes its own correctness."

by:	Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) British journalist, businessman, essayist
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Categories:	Congress, Corruption, Democracy, Government, President, Tyranny
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-- Robert, Newport
It's true that many Americans think that democracy is right because it's democracy. -- Johnson, Gainesville, FL
The political correctness of the statist theocracy infesting this land proves once again that those who forget history are doomed to relive it as, the quote is spot on. -- Mike, Norwalk 1
I no longer believe that Democracy or its proponents in DC assume their own correctness. They are a malevolent lot and they know it. Democracy is merely the vehicle for this broad and sweeping malevolence. -- J Carlton, Calgary 1
Who knows what motivates Marxists like Obama, Pelosi and Reid. -- jim k, Austin,Tx 1
The quote is blatantly wrong. Democracy never assumes correctness just reliance on current consensus, this current consensus changes and is always in flux. When elections are held the current consensus changes more dramatically. The only assumption of correctness that democracy has is that it believes that this fumbling along, seemingly incherent, try this approach and then try that approach, changing and fickle MAJORITY RULE is the best over time. As Churchill said. "It is the worst governemnt of all except for all of the others, which are worse.? -- Waffler, Smith 1
Majority Rule Waffler? The rule of the stong over the weak? The rule of the moneyed and powerful interests over the less prosperous? You're line of thinking assumes it's "own correctness" don't you think? What ever happened to something as simple as a free and liberated Republic with limited government? Oh yeah...Corporate/Government Cronyism under a Criminal Democratic System...that's what happened. :) Restore the Republic and Abolish the Fed. -- J Carlton, Calgary 1
Waffler has just proved the quote. No more elaboration is necessary. -- E Archer, NYC 1
Democracy is mob rule. Only the strong survive. "Democracy is like two wolves and a sheep voting on what is for dinner. Liberty, on the other hand, is a well armed sheep fighting for its rights."----Ben Franklin---- -- Publius 1
Islam is a theocracy and liberalism is a mirrored reflection of Islam. Liberals and Muslims assume they are correct. Even when you show them empirical evidence, they refuse to accept anything but their own view of the world. Philisophically, liberals and muslims are the same because, to them if it fits their agenda, A is not A, it can be anything they want it to be. That's why liberals can so readily twist and bend the Constitution to fit their agenda. Muslims say they are religion of peace, yet atrocious acts of beheadings and stoning to death of women is condoned? C'mon folks. Liberals claim to be tolerent and kind-hearted, yet they have kept the black race down by making them wards of the government and would love to take away any of our freedoms that keeps them from realizing their goals. Gun control and then banning them altogether is just an example of one of their fervent wishes. -- GunnyCee, Durham 1
Archer don't get it. Those who abhor democracy do so generally because they "want their own way", so do dictators. Oh yes it takes a load of patience to put up with democracy, that is, put up with your fellows opinions but the oppoite I say is either dictarotarship or the rule of the few. Carlton is on to something however with his complaint about corporatism etc all aided and abetted by right wing think tanks funded by guys like Scaife et al whose sole attempt like the Stalinists of old is to rob the average guy of his opinion by blatant lying propaganda a la Fox Network. GunnyCee delves into liberalism which is nto the same thing as democracy. Democracy allows liberals, conservatives, moderaters, and everything else to have a say, a voice, and a vote. I think Gunney has shown the hand of him and others who mistakenly consider democracy to be liberal but in their mistake and hatred for democracy they turn to totalitarian and minority forms of thinking rather than to the idea of We The People in totality. -- Waffler, Smith 1
How iit is that Archer said I proved the quote is beyond me. I said that democracy assumed No Correctness just a compromise. Compromises are seldom "correct" but just a gemerally accepted way of doing things in the public arena. In computing we long ago accepted "control, alt, delete" as a way to crash or turn of our computers. There is nothing correct about that just an accepted way of doing it. Tell me of a place where there is not these norms of practice, policy, or procedures for public interaction and law. The stupid "correctness" is winked at and gone along with until someone tries to get a mjority to change it. So there is no despotism or theocracy. -- Waffler, Smith 1
Go ahead break the computer despotism of "control, alt, delet" and shut down using "shift. comma, backspace" maybe that will make you fell free of the scandalous theocratic despotism. -- Waffler, Smith 1
Sorry for the protracted comments. Think of it like this; there are only two rules to operate a democracy or We The People Government. 1) The People are always correct. 2) When the people are incorrect see rule 1. The people and thus are government has been incorrect/correct for a decade running up 13 trillion worth of debt. Until the people and thus the government become correct/correct will things be better for them, the government and the nation. -- Waffler, Smith 1
Waffler has been proven wrong concerning his perception of what a democracy is so many times, his here lying comment only proves Carlton's, Archer's and GunnyCee's statements absolute. Those who abhor democracy do so because they abhor violence, abject poverty, tyranny, despotism, pain, suffering, loss of freedom, liberty, law, justice, and all else that is a protection against violations of the individual sovereign. If that's what Waffler means by "want their own way", count me in. The borg mob that is democracy is the only dictators mentioned by Waffler. Of all that Waffler offered, a democracy is the only entity that does not put up with others opinions, religion or thought outside the herd. Corporatism is a tool used by the mob's democracy (left - Soros, etc. and right) to beat the non-ruling elite into submission. Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc. all exist on blatant lying propaganda serving as the 4th branch's industrial media complex. Democracy only allows it patrons to vote (No, one can't vote in my state without a Social Security Number) for representatives of an imagined organic hegemony, not We The People, individually or in concert. A democracy only comprehends a greater mass and a lesser mass; that is the forest, not a tree, individually or in concert. The representative republic established by the founders is not swayed by majority or minority but rather, a government of law. Democracies recognize no law accept its own brutality. -- Mike, Norwalk 1
Exactly right Mike. Statists refuse to acknowledge the obvious...it's what makes them Statist's. (ignorant sheep) -- J Carlton, Calgary 1
Democracy is really a horrible form of government. We just assume all other forms are even worse. -- cal, lewisville, tx 1
Ain't it nice to live in a place where so much difference of opinion not only is permitted; it's encouraged ! -- Bob, Charlotte, VT 1
Waffler,as usual, is wrong. -- jim, Austin Tx 1
This fella is confusing mob rule, for democracy is never despotism, no assumption, it is correct. We have never authentically observed democracy, someday, however, we will respectfully exchange ideas. Democracy requires individuals who esteem and respect themselves. Socialism is the challenge of socialized behavior to create. -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 1

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