Editing Demagogue (section)

===Fearmongering===
Many demagogues have risen to power by [[fearmongering|evoking fear]] in their audiences, to stir them to action and prevent deliberation. Fear of [[rape]], for example, is easily evoked. [["Pitchfork Ben" Tillman]]'s [[rhetoric]] was most vivid when he was describing imaginary scenes in which white women were raped by black men lurking by the side of the road. He depicted black men as having an innate "character weakness" consisting of a fondness for raping white women.<ref name="Dorgan-rape" /> Tillman was elected governor of South Carolina in 1890, and elected senator repeatedly from 1895 to 1918.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

After the [[September 11 attacks]] in the United States, terrorism and national security became prominent political issues. After Democrats lost control of the Congress in 2004, former U.S. president [[Bill Clinton]] opined: "When people are feeling insecure, they'd rather have someone who is strong and wrong rather than somebody who is weak and right."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/04/us/clinton-says-party-failed-midterm-test-over-security-issue.html |title=Clinton Says Party Failed Midterm Test Over Security Issue |author=Adam Nagourney |date=December 4, 2002 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> The Clinton aphorism was later applied to describe why the political tactics of [[Donald Trump]] were successful, and how Democrats might do better in related elections.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/594023-the-allure-of-strong-and-wrong/ |title=The allure of 'strong and wrong' |author=Bill Schneider |date=February 13, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://crooksandliars.com/2019/05/john-heilemann-strong-and-wrong-beats-weak |title=John Heilemann Warns Dems: 'Strong And Wrong Beats Weak And Right' |author=Aliza Worthington |date=May 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/opinion/democrats-biden-trump.html |title=Democrats Need to Stop Playing Nice |date=March 11, 2024 |author=Joe Klein |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>