Unmarked wooden ballot box with visible slot

Original artwork, not a still

Don Marquis

A demagogue is a person with whom we disagree as to which gang should mismanage the country.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker offers a cynical joke: a demagogue is simply anyone backing the other side. Both factions are assumed to run the country badly, so the label reflects preference rather than principle. It mocks partisan name-calling by exposing how little separates the rival camps.

Context reviewed

Share this quote