Democracy's Achilles Heel: Was Madison Right?

Henrik Ibsen, 1870.

In the summer of 2018 I watched a film dramatization of Ibsen’s powerful play An Enemy of the People. Like many influential works, most people have heard of them but never read or experienced them first-hand, and in this case I numbered myself among the majority. Until then.

I’d just finished reading a biography of James Madison, who authored the Federalist Papers and was instrumental in creating the founding documents that formed the foundations of the United States, a beacon for Democracy. Our leaders and representatives are chosen. The people have power in the process of electing a representative government, via the voting booth and caucuses.

Though Madison accepted giving power to the people, he was uncomfortable with this notion. At the time, his belief was that this was only going to work as long as we had an elite (educated) voting public. Once derelicts figured out they could vote for reps who would serve their more base interests, democracy would be in trouble. The elite "knew what was best" and power should reside in "their capable hands."

You can read the rest of this essay here.

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Related Links
Why James Madison Hated Democracy
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Excerpt: Voters generally favor policies that enhance their own well-​being with little consideration for that of future generations or for long-​term outcomes. Politicians are rewarded for pandering to voters’ immediate demands and desires, to the detriment of growth over the long term.Politicians are rewarded for pandering to voters’ immediate demands and desires, to the detriment of growth over the long term.