We are, as we know, a constitutional republic, not an unalloyed democracy. So what? Those who devalue the predominance of democracy are usually eager to point out the structure of our power sharing. We understand. Good thing we are not a fully enrolled democracy because our latest rating on the 2020 Worldwide Quality of Democracy Ranking slotted the USA at number 36, just below Israel and far behind Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany. Hard to claim bragging rights about being the world leader of democratic values. Because, let’s face it, we’re not! We think of ourselves as a democracy because at our foundation citizens make critical political choices, voting in or out those who represent us in public offices even though the machinery of government allows for several pillars of authority to support the weight of our nation. Okay, we know who we are and how we are governed. The debate over how we label our system of government is unproductive twaddle, especially when democracy itself is under attack.
Putting semantics aside and tipping our hat to literalists on either side of the silly controversy over which category we enjoy, republicanism or democracy, fair to say we are both. And we should be proud of it. Why quibble? Historically we have always defended democratic principles because they are at the core of who we are. But our democratic ways are uniquely American, flaws and all. You may recall those idealists who marched for this or that or whatever chanting, “Power to the People.” That’s the nut inside the shell of democracy, majority rules. But wait, in our system the majority doesn’t rule. We have checks and balances, a system which loses much in efficiency but gains a measure of favor in circumspection. And the flaw is as obvious as the crack in the Liberty Bell.
Turns out our democracy has given excess power to those who contribute the most money to the few who have the largest say in government. Once the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was amended and weakened by the Supreme Court, a few states can once again make it difficult for disenfranchised voters. As it happens, my email inbox is filled with requests for money or else everything—state, nation, world—will fall directly into fiery hell. Those requests arrive four, five times a day. Always urgent, the pleas for money demand immediate contributions. Tonight is the deadline. If you don’t respond right away, you’ll harm the nation, the people, God’s plan for America, blah-blah-blah. The opposition is ahead of us in money. We need to run more ads. Send money now. Make your contribution a revolving gift. Let’s save democracy for our children and grandchildren. Each month we’ll take your money. America’s brand of democracy is all about money, money, money, which leads to votes.
This is no way to run a railroad or a country. Let’s face it, we are less a democracy or a republic than we are a plutocracy, a nation governed by a wealthy few. Not surprisingly the top-shelf folks have the microphones, the daises, the pulpits, and their thumbs on the scales. The rest of us have our prie-dieu for devotional requests and an infinitesimal chance to win the lottery. In our system, the enormously rich cajole and coerce lawmakers to provide legislation favoring the wealthy, resulting in a government, to paraphrase Abe Lincoln, of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. We are disdainful of Russian oligarchs because they are Russians who own superyachts, but we have our own squadron of American oligarchs who have even bigger superyachts, and they get to sit at the head of the table and dictate rules. Our president loops medals round their necks. Billionaires scrape crumbs from their linen tablecloths to the famished unfortunates who supplicate beneath their feet. You have probably read about the stunning inequities of wealth. According to some figures, the richest 1% control twice as much wealth as the rest of the world put together (Oxfam International , 2023). It’s reported the richest 130,000 families own nearly as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. With money goes power. And, of course, the powerful aim to keep the scales of balance tilting in their favor.
Safe to say, our political system is off kelter. The odds, now, are against democracy making a comeback in America.