‘The Myth of Mass Democracy’

There is a persistent and largely unquestioned myth that the United States is a “democracy” in that its government is of, by, and for its people. This myth resides in the idea that there is an “American people” that has a will, which it exercises by voting in large-scale elections to elect officials who will adopt policies that reflect this will, and that the people can hold these officials accountable by replacing them if they fail to enact the people’s will. Instead, the government of the Unit...