Notes on Democracy is a harsh critique of democracy. The book places political leaders into two categories: the demagogue, who "e;preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots"e; and the pandering politician, "e;who listens to what these idiots have to say and then pretends that he believes it himself."e; Mencken depicts politicians as "e;men who have sold their honor for their jobs."e;