Negative Side Of Democracy

As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once put it, “Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country” (Roosevelt 1938). In their book, Running from Office, Lawless and Fox argue that a “high-quality, well-functioning democracy demands that the next generations hears – and then heeds – a call to public service” (3). While this assertion is certainly true to some degree, the real problems of democracy will arise when young people disengage themselves from politics altogether. Despite having low interest in running for office, young Americans still show significant interest

Politicians throughout history inspired many to take an active role in their government by voting and even running for a political office. John F. Kennedy notably encouraged Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” (Lawless and Fox 138) in his inaugural address. These words inspired many to engage in the political system. Unfortunately, this inspiration is not nearly as common nowadays. Most young people currently only see the negative side of politics. Since the turn of the century, there has been significant economic downturn. Many young Americans have not lived to see the American government truly flourish and therefore are put off by being a part of a system that is in such a dysfunctional state. But as Clawson and Oxley argued, the public’s dissatisfaction is not embedded in the institutions, but in the members of the institutions (2016). Americans are fairly confident in the basic structure of American government, but are disappointed in the way it is functioning with current members. Lawless and Fox argued that none of the current members of Congress “grew up amid the gridlock and hyperpartisanship that characterize today’s politics” (23). Most modern politicians saw the government function well, unlike a large majority of today’s youth. Today’s youth is simply accustomed to a dysfunctional system, turning them off from wanting to be a part of it. Perhaps if the United States government became less polarized, and young Americans saw the system function well, they would want to run for