Quote by Walter Lippmann
Where mass opinion dominates the government, there is a morbid derangement of the true functions of power. The derangement brings about the enfeeblement, verging on paralysis, of the capacity to govern. This breakdown in the constitutional order is the cause of the precipitate and catastrophic decline of Western society. It may, if it cannot be arrested and reversed, bring about the fall of the West.
Summary
This quote suggests that when public opinion becomes the dominant force in governing, it leads to a distorted understanding of power and its functions. This distortion weakens the government's ability to effectively govern and can result in paralysis and a breakdown of the constitutional order. The quote further argues that this breakdown has the potential to cause the rapid and catastrophic decline of Western society, unless it is halted and reversed.