In the opinion article “America Is Not a Democracy” by The Atlantic journalist Yascha Mounk, the impact of elitist lobbying groups, federal agencies, the Supreme Court, and the basic foundation of our government is discussed.
According to the article, economic elitists and narrow interest groups are the most successful at influencing public policy. By frequently meeting with members of Congress and donating large sums to their campaigns, they are able to have their perspective heard and valued. On the other hand, ordinary citizens have virtually zero impact on public policy. Congressmen spend so much time with big donors that they do not have time to meet with average constituents and have no economic incentive to do so.
In a just democracy, the average citizen would have a direct voice in the government. Due to the size of the United States, it is unreasonable to expect every American to have a direct impact on public policy. However, when it gets to the point that Congressmen are only listening to the interests of big donors, we lose the true roots of our democracy.
Federal agencies can be viewed as an undemocratic expansion of the legislative branch. In a true representative democracy, the people vote for the people who make public policy. However, in 2007, Congress enacted 138 public laws, while independent federal agencies finalized 2,926 rules. These federal agencies are not elected by the people, so they are further removing the common man from the legislative process.
In the same light, the Supreme Court has recently shifted to include more judicial activists. These justices are deciding rulings based on personal beliefs rather than following stare decisis or the Constitution. Similar to federal agencies, these justices are not elected directly by the people, yet are still able to greatly influence public policy.
The last major point Mounk made is that the United States was not founded as a true democracy. The founding fathers believed that the common man was not educated enough to rule on public policy, and it was the responsibility of the wise, elitist representative to enact proper laws.
American students are taught throughout their education that the United States is the model democracy, however this is far from the truth. As more politicians spend time with lobbyists and big donors, the average person is being disregarded in policy matters. Due to corrupt campaign finance laws, our government encourages this behavior. Congressmen who do not act in this matter are quickly out fundraised by politicians who are able to better play the system. Federal agencies and the Supreme Court who are not elected by the people are becoming increasing more influential in policy matters. And since its founding, the United States was developed to work for the most elite members of our society.
Read the inspiration for this blog post, posted in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/america-is-not-a- democracy/550931/
Sofia Rubinson 