So, yes, democratic governments are slow and plodding in normal political times, but this also means that they get out of the way and let the blooming, buzzing confusion within their societies advance a multitude of options with a greater chance that at least one of them leads to major breakthroughs. It also means that they are more cautious and, therefore, less likely to make major blunders. As Machiavelli claimed, “one will see fewer mistakes in the populace than in the prince, and these will be less serious and easier to resolve.”15 Let
