"Perhaps if the progressive-left looked beyond the evening news they would realize that 'image' is something created on Madison Avenue and rarely something of substance. Credibility, on the other hand, is earned."

Despots can hide behind the word democracy, they can hide behind rigged elections, but they can't hide behind the actions they take that limit liberty. It's all about the liberty thing...not the democracy thing. If liberty is being devalued, limited, decreased or otherwise compromised then we have to scrutinize the leadership for what they are doing. Bottom line, those who limit liberty are no friends to freedom.