Democracy

Luis Rubio

Democracy, that much-used and much-abused word, is a way of life—a manner in which societies organize themselves to make decisions, govern, and preserve legitimacy. For some, democracy is a terminal stage, almost a final achievement; for others, it is nothing more than a method of decision-making in complex societies that demand participation, in exchange for which they grant—or renew—the legitimacy of government. Some ascribe mythical values to it; for others, it is merely procedural. Yet nearly all of its advocates (even its eulogists) and detractors recognize the wisdom implicit in Churchill’s observation that it is “the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.”

One day, Mexicans will have to make up our minds about democracy—praised by some, denounced by others, but now cast into doubt, if not outright questioned. The Morena government has chosen to define it in literal terms (“we won the votes, therefore we can do whatever we want”) rather than liberal ones (which would imply power subject to limits and checks). This rebranding of democracy carries consequences—a circumstance that has led me to explore how countless thinkers over time have conceived and grounded the idea. Here I share a few anecdotes and relevant quotations on the matter.

“I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to ger up right now and go to the window. Open it and stick your head and yell ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore’”

Paddy Chayefsky, Network, 1976

“Whenever in history equality appeared on the agenda, it was exported somewhere else, like an undesirable.”

Mary McCarthy, 1971

“Vote. The instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and wreck of his country”

Ambrose Bierce, 1911

“Let the people think they govern, and they will be governed”

William Penn, 1693

“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary”

Reinhold Niebuhr, 1944

“Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”

Joseph Stalin, 1923

“The worst democracy is a thousand times preferable to the best dictatorship.”

Ruy Barbosa

“An electoral choice of ten different fascists is like choosing which way one wishes to die”

            George Kackson, 1971

“I am Shutruk Nahunte, King of Anshand and Sussa, Sovereign of the land of Elam. I destroyed Sippar, took the stele of Niran-Sin, and brought it back to Elam, where I erected it as an offering to my god.”

Shutruk Nahunte, 1158 B.C.

“The majority always has its way in the end. So does the undertaker. But neither gains in pleasantness by the fact.”

H.L. Mencken, 1916

“In tyrannies, governments rule; in liberal democracies governments represent.”

Allen Guelzo, 2024

 “The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants”

Albert Camus, 1951

“If uncertainty and distrust are two traits that shape the feelings of broad majorities in our societies, let us recognize that their solution will take a long time and will not be easy. Building trust requires persistence. Replacing uncertainty requires certainty. The quality of Latin American democracy is at stake.”

Gabriel Gaspar, 2023

“If asked, the population would surely prefer good urban or suburban transport over spending public money on a train from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo. But Morena does not represent the public policy preferences of the majority; it merely validates the decisions of those at the top. There is hardly any deliberation about anything. Today, they amend the Constitution faster than regulations used to be modified in the past. Morena’s legislators have no incentive to think about the electorate—especially now that Sheinbaum has already promised to end the re-election of legislators and mayors.”

Carlos Elizondo, 2024

“In El Horizonte (Debate, 2023), by Alejandro Ferreiro and Gabriel Pereyra, which brings together conversations between Julio Sanguinetti (1936) and José Mujica (1935), the two former presidents—ideological opponents—reflect, disagree, and sometimes agree. At one of the book presentations, Mujica said: ‘We do not abdicate our way of thinking, but we can sit down and talk,’ and Sanguinetti added: ‘There is much talk about consensus, but democracy is the opposite: it is about managing disagreements.’”

Jose Luis Martinez, 2025

“The challenge of democracy is efficacy. The political discourse often makes it all about transparency, honesty, authenticity. These things are important. But they don’t beat delivery.”

Tony Blair, 2022

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