I suppose one could argue that the people were to blame for tolerating the outrageously illegal and immoral behavior of Lincoln (and other criminal "presidents"), and failing to speedily haul him from his office to Justice Hill.

And they've tolerated much, much worse since then, and continue to do so. (For but one example, the vast majority of them still haven't figured out the fractional reserve scam, arguably the biggest crime in history, even though they've been its victims for hundreds of years.) Love them as we may and probably must -- they are our own folk -- it's nevertheless very hard not to conclude that many of them are simply too dumb to live.

They, the people, are not much different in the aggregate from spoiled toddlers. They desperately need real education, purpose in life, discipline, and strong, good leaders -- in short, they need an aristocracy worthy of the name.