In a republic leaders are sensitive to the desires and interests of the people but will not be stampeded by the mob. Democracy can be the mob. In an oligarchy the leaders fear the mob and ignore the wisdom and desires of the people. It is apparent why it is so difficult to maintain an effective and legitimate republic. The leaders are tempted by power and fearful of a populace that may become unruly and threatening. Because of their morbid fear of the people, the political leadership continually seeks to purchase the affection of their constituents by using the public treasury to purchase their goodwill. The political process is reduced to a series of transactions that have no basis in principle and no moral justification in reality. As a republic becomes more “democratic,” the buy/sell relationship between the political class and the governed reaches a fever pitch. This enhanced democratization is advanced by professional peoples’ representatives who undertake to advance the desires of clusters of constituencies. They interact freely with the political class and serve as ready conduits between the elected officials and the citizens. They are advocates. They are association or industry representatives. They are lobbyists.
Although the existence of lobbying as a necessity for advancing the concerns of various organized groups and policy advocates seems to distort the governing process, their presence is quite natural when a system morphs from a republic into a democracy. In a small democratic group each individual can make her or his voice heard over the din in the room. As the democratic universe grows larger and more removed from the citizens, it becomes vital for competing interests to gain access to the policy and law makers. While it is an obvious development, it does create an insular layer of unaccountability between the governed and their government. The lack of clear-cut responsibility yields a political class that has no personal stake in the consequences of their regulating and legislating. The most influential feedback they receive is from the lobbyists who may temper their concerns or disagreements in order to curry favor for the next issue that confronts their clients. Politicians, therefore, may assume that their actions and wisdom are infallible because there is very little clamoring discontent surrounding their decisions. They become arrogant….which is natural given the personality types that are attracted to stagecraft and self promotion. The political class begins to believe that it is entitled to rule because it knows best what is good for the nation and beneficial for the people. The system allows no one to get close enough to the would-be emperor to tell him or her that he or she is wearing no clothes.
For a time the people are contented with the greater democratization of their political process. They relish the opportunities to vote on issues large and small. Their sense of empowerment grows larger as they witness the various and numerous polls that test the temper of the people. They voluntarily join organizations and industry groups who share their views and goals. They sense that they may have an advantage over their lowly brethren who are not so actively engaged. Reality begins to ooze into the consciousness of the citizens as they begin to understand that the political system has become a never ending process of advantage/disadvantage. Just when a favorable rule or law is implemented that resolves their issue….a competing interest promotes another less favorable alternative. The stakes get higher with each round of favorable versus unfavorable governing and the citizen begins to detect that the process has spun out of control. He or she becomes uneasy and either becomes more active in the lobbying groups or totally withdraws from the dysfunctional process. The citizen begins to suspect that the essence of democracy is the ability to out maneuver the others who seek power and influence. The goal is to be a wolf and not a lamb when the dinner menu is discussed.
Because of the ratcheting demands of the various groups who see their power rise and fall, the various members of the constituent groups slowly begin to understand that the nation, its political class and its honor have all been corrupted. No one group is ever completely satisfied with its slice of the political pie and the slices tend to become increasingly smaller and less tasty. A sour and bitter sliver of a bloated impersonal polity does little to satisfy the gnawing hunger of unfulfilled dreams. Trading favors and buying votes are never permanent but are mere interludes until a better offer comes along. The discontented people discover others who share their views, and together they discuss new recipes for creating a better pie….large enough for all to share….tasty enough for all to enjoy. They meet, they study, they propose and they reject as they search for the ideal ingredients to create the perfect pie. And then……someone remembers that Grandma’s pie was the best they’d ever eaten. They found her recipe, and lo!, it worked.
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