Odd, isn't it that most U.S. citizens think the U.S. is a democracy? And it is of course at the local and State levels. However when we get to the Federal level it is only one out of the three branches of government that is elected democratically. At the federal level India is a far more democratic nation than the U.S is. (Maybe that's part of India's problem -- too much democracy.)
I used to get a chuckle over young George Bush running around telling people we were bringing democracy to Iraq! In my mind I was always thinking: Well, George, don't you think you should try out democracy first, to see if you like it, before wishing it on others. -- To this day I'm not sure if anyone knows who really won the popular vote in the Bush v. Gore election.
Recall that electing the Senate democratically was a feature added later. So now at least we elect the entire legislative branch whereas, in the early days it was just the House. That's why I think it was Hamilton that argued the House should have the final say on matters. And to this day the House is from a Constitutional standpoint the most powerful body, eclipsing the power of the Senate, the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. But they have seldom made use of their real power and nowadays it seems as though they have sometimes a ring in their collective noses by which they can be led around. (Although since the most recent mid-term election they've been quite ornery and made quite a fuss.)
Of course the founding fathers never envisioned women or the riff raff voting. They would be shocked to find either Pelosi, or (speaking of Riff Raff) Michele Bachmann occupying a House seat!
