Jonathan Turley vs. the Mob |
Jonathan Turley vs. the Mob
Jonathan Turley reveals the threat that mobocracy embodies against a healthy, stable republic
Warren Beatty | May 3, 2026
The MSM, radical left Democrats, and progressives like Hillary Clinton, spout that we are experiencing an 'existential threat to democracy.' For example, Dr. Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way wrote, "U.S. democracy will likely break down during the Second Trump administration in the sense that it will cease to meet standard criteria for a liberal democracy -- full adult suffrage, free and fair elections, and broad protection of civil liberties."
Hillary says, "Our democracy is in crisis..." Her claim sounds ominous, worthy of further investigation.
Demosthenes (384 BC -- 322 BC) was a Greek statesman of ancient Athens, was a staunch defender of Athenian democracy. He also saw how democracy could easily descend into mobocracy, then into anarchy.
Ever hear of 'mobocracy?' It's a term that refers to the direct democracy of ancient Athens -- a system of 'majority power.' Athens' democracy frequently encountered mob demands that caused democracy to evolve into mobocracy, then anarchy. Anarchy and mobocracy are different government concepts. While both involve a lack of formal governance, anarchy refers to the complete absence of government. Mobocracy refers to governance by the desires of the majority, which often leads to anarchy.
Dr. Jonathan Turley, attorney, legal scholar, historian, writer, and commentator, is a professor at George Washington University Law School. Turley, in Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution wrote the following about Athens' democracy and its descent into mobocracy:
"...The descent into mob justice was accelerated by intellectuals or orators who sought to ride the passions of the public. As Demosthenes warned:........