Common Threads of Democracy: Brazil and the U.S.

 

Despite its dominant international position and ongoing claim to democracy, the United States has never been truly democratic. 

While the Western superpower has certain democratic characteristics, many authoritarian regimes, such as Russia and Egypt, do as well. 
The United States professes to be a representative democracy, which means that elected officials must consider their voters' ideas, interests, concerns, and welfare while making political choices. However, the reality is that US politicians feel obligated to the megadonors who fund their campaigns, and as a result, they choose to serve not the people who elected them, but the financiers who made their election possible. 
The wealthy keep US politicians on a leash. In 2017, the then-president, Donald Trump, was accused of meeting with his 2016 campaign megadonor, Sheldon Adelson, for advice on how to handle the mass shooting in Las Vegas, which killed 59 people and injured over 500 at a country music festival. That was two days before Trump arrived in Las Vegas to meet with the survivors and the relatives of the deceased. Trump has disputed the charges, claiming that the time of his meeting with Adelson was entirely coincidental and had nothing to do with Adelson's significant investments in Las Vegas.
The US electoral system is immensely corrupt, as evidenced by the recent election of the House Speaker, which will be remembered as one of the most infamous examples of American politics' inefficiency. The country appears to be ruled completely by two opposing political parties: Democrats and Republicans. As a result, the country has become very politically polarized, with many Americans experiencing daily frustration and fury over opposing political opinions. 
Economic disparities and prejudice disproportionately affect minority groups such as Native Americans, blacks, Latinos, and now Muslims. The rich-poor divide is significant and growing. Approximately 32% of all wealth in the United States is controlled by only 1% of the population, a disturbingly disproportionate figure. Even more disturbing is the fact that more than 11% of Americans live in poverty.
The New York Times' 2020 story properly described economic discrepancies in the United States, stating, "Americans may be equal, but some are more equal than others." Even when the US is in a serious deficit, the government's tax policy continuously benefits the wealthy, despite the fact that 60% of Americans feel the country's wealthiest should pay more taxes.
The United States government (USG) is inextricably linked to the wealthy, America's "deep state". A plutocracy is defined as a government in which a tiny group of rich constituents wields power, either explicitly or surreptitiously. Former US President Jimmy Carter famously referred to the US political system as "an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery."

The Incentives for Corruption

Because political politicians in America require significant cash to run their campaigns, they become dependent on the wealthy. To win a Senate seat, a contender often spends more than $10 million. According to The Washington Post, Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump spent more than a billion dollars on their political campaigns.
The affluent also utilize their influence to distort the media, inundating broadcasting outlets with polarized commercials and convincing the American public that only Democratic or Republican votes count. 
This type of advertising overwhelms and confuses many Americans about which candidate to vote for, and some even opt not to vote at all because they oppose both candidates. Many Americans are unaware that elections are a ruse designed to persuade people to consider having a role in governance. However, the final decision on who becomes president, congressman, or other official is largely left to the two political parties, who are at the mercy of the wealthy. 
Even at the state level, rich Americans influence political candidates and elected officials by contributing to their campaigns. The wealthy also utilize their financial power to marginalize specific populations through a process known as gerrymandering, which involves purposefully drawing electoral district borders to favor one political party over another. Minorities, the poor, and the least educated are frequently the targets of this unethical behavior.

A Call For Reform

Without ethical norms in place to promote equal opportunity and constitutional rights for all citizens, democracy can easily devolve into what John Adams referred to as "the tyranny of the majority." Thomas Jefferson also supposedly remarked that democracy can frequently resemble mob control, and this analogy rings true.
The United States government must reform. The country's current structure is corrupt and will not be viable in the long run, as proven by the 2021 rebellion at the United States Capitol. At the absolute least, actions must be done to ensure that campaign funding is democratic and fair, beginning with the elimination of all government funding to individual campaigns and political parties in favor of compelling the media to provide "equal air time" to candidates at no cost. Second, the government must enact and implement restrictions to limit political funding and prevent "megadonors" from influencing elections and government policies.
To reduce the power of megadonors, the US government might limit all contributions from all sources to the amount an average-income American is prepared to pay to a candidate. PACs, unions, and other organizations can multiply the sum by the number of active members. However, no member may double dip, either individually or as a group.
Only when the United States takes efforts to adopt these changes will the country begin its journey toward true democracy.