If, like Guido, you think democratic success in the age of mass media and now social media is to a degree about providing panem et circenses, there is no doubt that Silvio Berlusconi was a master of the business. He was a showman who built a mass media business that he used to buttress his frequent grasp on power. He made the Italian right competitive, uniting the various parties despite the volatility of Roman politics. He was an extraordinary force and a flawed individual. Riposa in pace Silvio.