What is a demagogue?

A demagogue is a political leader who seeks support by appealing to people’s desires and prejudices, rather than using rational argument. It’s someone who exploits prejudice and ignorance with false claims to gain popularity. Demagogues overturn established customs of political conduct and accuse thoughtful and moderate opponents of weakness and disloyality. They appeal directly to the poor and uninformed, telling lies to stir up hysteria and exploiting crisis to intensify support for their calls to immediate action, and violence.

Since the Greeks, one is considered a demagogue if four criteria are met: 1. Claims to represent the common people, opposed to the elites. 2. Inciting intense passions among those people. 3. Exploiting those passions to attain power. 4. Breaking or threatening the established rules of political conduct.

Under a demagogue, every democracy eventually decays into to strong-hand government of violence. Is this where we are headed?

Richard Trerise

Spokane