The Greek philosopher Plato was suspicious of “democracy,” and for good reason. Read his famous analogy “Ship of Fools” (Ship of State), imagining a sea voyage where all of the travelers feel entitled to run the ship. Those who shout the loudest, yet know nothing of the skills of navigation, are at the helm. Discipline and order go overboard and what results is a kind of drunken pleasure cruise, rather than a rational, well-organized journey. Does that sound familiar?
Actually, distrust of direct democracy began with the Founding Fathers and the Constitution — thus the Electoral College. This not trusting the direct vote of the people flowed on down to state legislatures. A good example of this is the current thwarting the will of the voters here in Utah as to legislative redistricting (Prop. 4), by continuing their gerrymandering schemes.
Welcome to American democracy; as Winston Churchill stated, “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all others.” We know this firsthand. These next four years will likely determine if we survive as “E Pluribus Unum” or become a Brazil of the North.