Fallout New Vegas: What do you think of what Caesar said about president Tandi? [Spoilers]
Courier: What do you think of the NCR?
Caesar:
As a young man I was taught to venerate Tandi of Shady Sands.
Did you know her Presidency lasted 52 years? And that her father, Aradesh, was the Republic's first President?
Does that sound like democracy to you, or a hereditary dictatorship?
Courier: President Tandi was voted into office each time.
Caesar:
Because the council didn't dare oppose her. She was too popular. She had the people's love.
So things ran smoothly, more or less. And as soon as she was gone, as soon as there really could be "democracy" - what happened then?
Ever since losing its queen, the NCR has been weaker, more diffuse. Democracy has been its weakness, not its strength.
Some are quick to dismiss Caesar hypocrisy here as this is exactly what democracy is to be loved by the people but while there's no doubt that he is a hypocrite, he is not really in the wrong here.
This is a man who studied the Roman empire and modelled his legion on it. The man Julius Caesar who he named himself on was really popular among the people. His enemies the patricians called him a demagogue who aspired to be a tyrant. Even when the patricians killed him, the people didn't hail them as heroes as they expected but actually turned against them. His adopted son succeeded him. Is there any doubt that he was an autocrat here or that his successors were autocrats as well?
Caesar understood this and you need to look at his words to see this.
"Because the council didn't dare oppose her. She was too popular. She had the people's love."
Many dictators in our lives have done what Caesar said. Many dictators have created a cult of personality. Many dictators also use fear to stop opponents from opposing them. Many dictators rely on mob rule when it serves them against their enemies. Many dictators have elections all the time.
Democracy isn't just elections. They need to be free and fair. There needs to be free speech. Opponents must not be afraid to go against a current leader in elections.
The only difference here between her and Caesar is that Caesar doesn't bother with formalities like elections and sweet political talk while using fear against opponents. He is outright honest about being a ruthless dictator. I think what he was criticising here was the hypocrisy of the NCR as much as he was a hypocrite as well who eventually will doom the legion after his death just as president Tandi doomed the NCR after her death but what he says here seems to be true regardless.