Power Line
Paul Mirengoff
May 12, 2018
William Galston of the Brookings Institution argues that liberal democracy “faces clear and present dangers†from a rising populist tide. Unlike members of the anti-Trump resistance, Galston is not in full panic mode. In his view, the various populist movements sweeping the West, including Brexit to Trumpism, are not at this time an existential threat to democracy. However, they are “beginning to question key liberal-democratic principles such as the rule of law, freedom of the press, and minority rights,†he believes.
Golston’s piece is well worth reading. However, David Azerrad of the Heritage Foundation finds Galston’s case unconvincing. He notes that the only damning piece of evidence Galston produces is a quote from a 2014 speech by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in which he embraces the idea of “illiberal democracy.†But even if Orbán turns out to be an autocrat (I’m a bit more worried that he will than David seems to be), this would hardly show that, as a general matter, the populism sweeping the West is a threat to rule of law, freedom of the press, and minority rights.
David finds no evidence of such threats in the U.S. under Trump. Nor is there any, as I will discuss in an upcoming post.
More...
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/05/does-populism-threaten-our-liberal-democracy.php
