Meaning
What does I Love Democracy mean?
Origin
What's the origin of I Love Democracy?
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones premiered in the United States on May 12th, 2002.
In one of the scenes, Senator Palpatine (played by Ian McDiarmid) is giving a speech to the Galactic Senate, after he has been elected Chancellor.
He utters the words “I love democracy” in this scene, assuring the Senate that he will lay down the power he’s been given.
Spread & Usage
How did I Love Democracy spread?
The first instance of the phrase used in a humorous manner originates from a 2004 post from the TheForce.net forum, where a user likened Joe Lieberman to Senator Palpatine.
Reaction images of the scene started spreading on the r/PrequelMemes subreddit in April, 2017.
“I love democracy” would remain a popular reaction image format on numerous platforms, including Imgur, Reddit, 9GAG, Instagram and Facebook, emerging in relation to topics such as political elections as well as games like Stellaris or Among Us.

External resources
- Fandom – Star Wars Memes Wiki