This is what happens when successive US governments fail to tackle inequality. While millions of people live in poverty, a handful grow unimaginably rich. Wealth begets wealth, and they acquire political power to match. It was inevitable that one of them – now the richest man on Earth – would launch what looks like a bid for world domination…
Free and fair elections, rule of law, stable governmental institutions, individual freedoms, and a free and independent press. Just to give a few academic measures.
Manipulated by advertising, marketing and propaganda paid by the wealthiest contributors to influence the population. Creating an environment where money and wealth get to decide who gets elected.
That can be side stepped, controlled or manipulated by those with wealth and used as a weapon against those with little or no money
That are heavily lobbied, influenced and controlled by those with wealth or corporations and seldom represent the actual will of the people
Which are constantly challenged or questioned by those with power in an effort to control and manipulate everyone into conforming into inequalitable classes of people.
My favorite on this list … free and independent press which are all owned and controlled by the wealthiest billionaires or corporations who allow their media to speak freely as long as they don’t affect their bottom line.
I strongly agree that all of these are under threat or direct attack in the U.S., if that’s your point. But these are some of the measures by which academics evaluate whether governments are “democratic” nonetheless. The U.S. in particular was much stronger on these measures twenty years ago than it is today.