ELECTION = DEMOCRACY?

If elected officials refuse to be accountable for all their actions, then democracy seizes to exist and the entire system collapses and dies.

If democracy breaks down, elected representative can easily transform him, or herself into a despot. History has examples of democratically elected leaders who evolved into tyrants. Here are three instances in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Ferdinand Marcos - He was first elected as an idolized figure of the resistance against the Japanese in WWII. When he was ousted in 1986, his government was synonymous with corruption and repression.

Robert Mugabe - He was elected as a beloved figure with great popular support. He ended up as a hated and despised despot. He gradually used his elected power to corrupt and brutalize the country.

Adolf Hitler - This is history's most extreme case. Hitler was elected in 1933. His party won the most seats, but didn't win a majority. When he was appointed chancellor in a minority government, he called for new elections and mounted a ruthless campaign against opponents, partly with the help of the new power of the Chancellorship. Democracy disappeared from Germany until after his death.

How do Americans feel about the potential for democratically elected despots? How far are we prepared to stray from strict adherence to democracy in order to prevent them from occurring here?
The whole world is watching The United States of America.