Liberalism and democracy are two conflicting tendencies. This is acknowledged in the literature. The most important liberty under liberalism is the liberty to p

Liberalism and democracy are two conflicting tendencies. This is acknowledged in the literature. The most important liberty under liberalism is the liberty to pursue property, and (or as Aristotle claimed) democracy threatens that since democracy leans more towards egalitarianism. The most important rights are the negative liberties of the rich. Which of course are universal on paper. The democracy part is a concession to popular pressure and also to serve as a unifying slogan, since democracy is valued even higher than liberalism in polite discourse. But it’s really just a thin veneer. All it takes is one vote for the “wrong candidate” or for someone to read the first three paragraphs on The Republic on Wikipedia for that high-minded ideal to go out the window. Then the specter of populism looms.