The Big Fib: Democratic Ideals in an Unprincipled World

Abstract

In principle, democracy figures among the grandest of human aspirations. However, in practice, the democratic system in the United States has fallen far short of its ideals. This paper analyzes the dislocation between democratic ideals and practices. While organizational requisites impose unavoidable logistical limitations, democracy’s most acute failures tend to result from power brokers who tell big fibs about the distribution of power.