Populism Aversion Among Democratic Elites

These examples of charismatic leaders propelling themselves to dictatorial powers produced a populism aversion among democratic elites. None of them wants to see another Hitler rise to power on the wave of populism.

That however produces a paradox. A government that supposed to represent people and their interests end up ignoring people's needs and shutting down many popular ideas and proposals out of fear of populism.

Thus, public feel more and more detached from the government and the system that supposed to represent them, yet consistently ignores their needs.

That fundamentally however leads to the same problem the elites fear. The occasional populist politician who managed to strike chord with the crowd manages to get himself elected. Recent Donald Trump victory in the US presidential election is one of such examples.

Media and political class hysteria over his election reflects fears of political elites and their insecurities. That hysteria only further reduces confidence and trust in the system among the people.

However, calling Donald Trump a dictator is a hypocrisy. Populist leaders like Napoleon are not popular because they are dictatorial, they could become dictators only because they have become popular first. Its popularity that gives them their authoritarian power in the first place. Authoritarian power does not make anyone popular by itself.

Fundamental Principle

Fundamentally however a democracy that consistently ignores its people needs and desires is no democracy at all. It's just a bureaucratic rule of the elites, an oligarchy.

However, if elites consistently ignore people, then why people should stay loyal to the system that does not work for them.

That is what governing elites should keep reminding themselves of, if they want to keep their power.

Roman elites of the late republic too ignored their people far too long. This what allowed people like Ceasar and Augustus to take power and keep it.

One can expect people to defend a democracy, but they will not defend an oligarchy even if that oligarchy calls itself democracy. 

People will always look for their best interest, be those politicians, political parties or even political systems. Systems needs to evolve to be able to meet this basic principle or be changed. If system fails to respond to people's needs, then people will discard it in favor of something else.

Politicians should stop lecturing people like Hillary Clinton and start listening. Tony Blair did listen and won in 1997.