What's the herd? The fact that liberals and conservatives from coast to coast vote the same way on an issue? Sounds more like conviction to me.
The herd is full of conviction but conviction is more dangerous to truth than lies.
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
Morality is herd instinct in the individual.
That's some of my favorite thinking from Nietzsche: Herd morality. There are those that think and are great because of it and those that live in superstition or in the confines of tradition.
Members of the herd (or unwashed masses) are not capable of profound or insightful thoughts and thus follow the lead of the other members of the herd.