Tensions of Democracy
18 April 2006

In an April 17 article in the New York Times, Edward Rothstein reports on a conference held at Yale which explored the “nature of political leadership” as it relates to democratic government.  The report notes that the conference explored the balance between democratic leadership and demagoguery. 

According to Rothstein, the conference investigated the idea that, while democratic leaders represent the will of the people, they also have significant power and take special prerogatives.  The report noted that ceding too much power to those who seem to express the will of the people, according to some conference participants, often leads leaders to abuse power and transform representatives into demagogues. 

This represents, Rothstein reflects, an essential “tension in democratic political life”.   The article cites real world examples of this characteristic of democracy, including Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus to protect the constitution and Hamas’ recent ascension to power.

The article reports that conference participants were given a copy of Lincoln’s 1938 Lyceum speech because it encompassed many of the issues the conference was considering.  Rothstein explains that in the speech,

the future president condemned mob violence and racial lynching but also considered the tension between a constitutional order and ambitious individuals who seek to transcend its restrictions. Such challengers, Lincoln wrote, aspire to greatness, and seem to come "from the family of the lion or the tribe of the eagle." How does a democratic order contain such ambition, and how can such ambition find satisfaction in democratic statesmanship?