The importance of negative theological forms for Baudrillard's, and later, Derrida's thinking of political representation is highlighted. Baudrillard's introduction of a concept of the secret in Fatal Strategies is remarked as is the way in which it relies again on an implicit account of language close to that given by Derrida in his deconstruction of Bataille. Derrida is noted to later take up the secret himself and, in particular, is seen to use it to charcaterize public space. Baudrillard's conception of the masses as that which resists political representation is contrasted with Derrida's more complex argument that the idea of public opinion is an admission that representative institutions can never represent absolutely at the same as being a concession that that which is not currently represented might come to representation. Derrida thus finds democracy to be defined by its lack of closure and hence always to come. In conclusion, it is suggested that when one seeks to speak of that which resists final comprehension, one must adopt literary strategies that will always deny a simple comparison of two thinkers.