Challenges Facing Democracy in the United States

Problems of Democracy
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Problems of Democracy
Democracy is an essentially political ideology that all people worldwide have embraced. All nations worldwide use democratic approaches in selecting their leaders and deciding how they should be ruled. Many people across the world acknowledge the desirability of democracy (Hanson, n.d.). It is vital to note that there are different forms of democracy depending on the masses' context, region, and expectations. Notably, the democratic systems applied in the United States are based on the country's values and can never be replicated in any other part of the world. While the United States has advanced itself as a model for democracy worldwide, many loopholes affect the people's engagement in the democracy. While there are aspects of the United States constitution that are great and beneficial, other components contribute to the dysfunctional political system. The paper aims to discuss the greatest challenges facing democracy in the United and how they can be addressed. Further, the paper will also explain these challenges, their causes, and contributing factors, identifying how they are problems to democratic participation and their solutions.
Challenges and Their Causes
In recent years, the United States has experienced different challenges from the democratic ideals being practiced. There are perceived threats to the democratic government entrenched in the constitution. Clearly, the country has entered a new era with novel threats that require an understanding of the challenges, their causes, and how to address them. The system of self-government advanced through the constitution has defined the United States for more than two centuries (Pilkington, 2020). Although many people perceived President Trump as the primary threat to democracy, his regime was a symptom of the underlying problems in the current system. The issues arising from immigration, globalization, automation, and other forces have caused disruptions and cultural pressures on many Americans. There have been ineffective policies aimed at dealing with these issues directly (Roth, 2020). Therefore, it is vital to curate measures that can support these incentives and ensure the sustainability of democratic ideals.
The first threat to the United States democracy is the problem of balancing presidential power. For many years, the United States president has been perceived as a symbol of effective governance and representation of the people's will. However, we have seen that Presidents are merely motivated by their legacies. Therefore, the policies that each president designs are based on their perceived needs and how they solve the social challenges of the people. However, the President's power is limited by Congress, which is controlled by individuals who focus on the interests of their states and districts. The President is not allowed to initiate any legislation, limiting his achievements in the nation's best interest (Feder, 2020). Moreover, the balancing of power, designed to limit power abuse, has birthed numerous challenges. The American political ideals have destroyed the primary intentions of the balance of power.
Another obvious problem is that there is outright antagonism between republicans and democrats. Therefore, instead of relying on legislation, the President uses executive orders to implement policies that can undermine the rule of law and justice and development and progress for all. People are more aligned as democrats or republicans instead of being American. These divisions have been entrenched into hate campaigns, where Republicans perceive democrats as enemies, which harms the social fabric in the society. Even politicians in Congress can only pass legislation and sign policies that are pro-Republican or pro-Democrat, instead of what is beneficial for the whole nation (Beckley, 2021). This is a challenge in the democratic practice that has undermined multipartyism and offered individuals two options.
Another challenge identified is the flawed electoral policies that undermine fairness and justice. Although the idea of democracy is advanced, the President and Vice President are not elected directly through popular vote. However, the Electoral College has 538 electors used. When candidates acquire more than 270 votes, they are announced as winners. While the system has been advanced for a long, there are clear flaws that do not represent the majority's true will. Mostly, the president-elect might never be the winner of the popular vote across the nation. Therefore, there is a lack of broader representation because of this aspect. Another component is that states are expected to create their own rules to govern voting. Another co...