Rand Paul; Republic Vs Democracy. RWL stands with Rand

“The one prevailing evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.” - Lord Acton

 Rand Paul staged a filibuster against the nomination of John Brennan as CIA director lasting Twelve hours and fifty-two minutes and has raised the important issue of republic Vs democracy in governance.

Paul is one of the few in Congress who understands the importance of remaining a constitutional republic with strict limits on government contained within the enumerated powers in the constitution.
 
There is no inherent virtue in the term ‘democracy’ in its own right. It is simply a method of selecting those who will form a government. Without the strict terms and conditions under which a limited government operates, there is no real guarantee that the elected government will not be despotic.

 Technically, the government of Nicaragua, is democratic, yet few other than Sean Penn, Jimmy Carter, Joe Kennedy II, Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, The UN Human Rights Council, and The New York Times, really think this is a good thing. Also on the list of democratic nations are Iran, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Iran, and others.

 A despot is a despot regardless of the method of installation, elected or by coup. Governments have over the years managed to slither under constitutional protections like has happened in the US and Australia. This needs to be wound back.

Paul’s cause in this, is the refusal of the administration to rule out the targeting of American citizens by drone strikes or other methods even on US soil. While his opponents argue that this is not likely to happen, it probably will unless prevented now.