Is It Too Late to Remake American Democracy?

"Nwanevu believes that the United States has never truly been a democracy, but that doesn't mean it cannot become one. For this to happen, according to him, would not only demand a radical reform of our political institutions-abolishing the Senate and getting rid of the Electoral College, for instance-but also transforming the American economy, which is to say that a real democracy for Nwanevu demands a certain kind of egalitarian political economy"

"The same hand-wringing remains, but its made more complicated by the fact he won a majority in 2024. Might Trump's victories instead indicate distrust and resentment of the political personnel and institutions that are failing to deliver on the promises of democracy? In other words, maybe it's not democracy that is being rejected per se but rather a political system that is failing to protect"

The United States has never operated as a full democracy. Structural institutions such as the Senate and the Electoral College concentrate power and obstruct popular rule. Achieving genuine democracy requires radical institutional reforms, including abolishing the Senate and eliminating the Electoral College. Political equality also requires economic equality; a democratic political order depends on an egalitarian political economy. Electoral outcomes that elevate anti-establishment figures reflect public distrust of personnel and institutions that fail to deliver democratic promises. Transforming both political institutions and the economy is necessary to create a functioning, more equal democracy.

Read at The Nation