from Kevin Williams in National Review,  A Built-In Bias toward Peace

We often describe our mode of government as “liberal democracy.” (As opposed to illiberal democracy, or militant democracy.) We usually think of liberalism and democracy as things that go naturally together in a harmonious fashion, and they often are. But their relationship is the opposite of what is generally supposed: In a liberal democracy, the role of liberalism very often is to prevent democracy from doing what democracy wants to do — liberalism is the grown-up who tells democracy, “No.” That is why the items discussed in the Bill of Rights were put in a special place beyond the reach of voters. Voters often are full of ignorance and rage (see the Democrats in 1968, above) and in the best of times are guided by very little other than tribalism and poorly calculated short-term self-interest.

The need to keep democracy on a leash is why we have a Bill of Rights, why we used to have unelected senators, why we have an unelected Supreme Court, three branches of government, etc.

HKO

Kevin is a great writer and this is one of his best- read the whole thing.

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