Rationality in politics is a formidable long shot. Painful as it is to realize that both the Democrats and the Republicans will still be holding their primaries a year from now, that is one of the high prices we pay for democracy. Seldom does the initial "front-runner" in either party's primaries end up being the actual candidate when election ... MORE
Majority rule can be dangerous. The Economist magazine recently published "What's gone wrong with Democracy ... and what can be done to revive it?" The suggestion is that democracy is some kind of ideal for organizing human conduct. That's a popular misconception. The ideal way to organize human conduct is to create a system that maximizes ... MORE
by Victor Davis Hanson. The principle is clear. Western civilization’s creed is free thought and expression, the lubricant of everything from democracy to human rights. Even a simpleton in the West accepts that protecting free expression is not the easy task of ensuring the right to read Homer’s Iliad or do the New York Times crossword puzzle. ... MORE
by Keith Weiner. As the famous story goes, when Ben Franklin left Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia had a question she wanted answered. “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” No one today (well, seemingly ... MORE
Or does it need more freedom? During turbulent times like the present, Americans make fervent appeals to “democracy,” which they equate with freedom. President Bush is eager to impose democracy on Iraq and other countries whose governments he disapproves of. Woodrow Wilson only wanted to “make the world safe for democracy” ... MORE
