But they are joined by the voices of labor unions, organized interest groups, community associations, the news media, scholars and critics, religious leaders and writers, small businesses and large corporations, churches and schools. All of these groups are free to raise their voices and participate in the democratic political process, whether locally or nationally. In this way, democratic politics acts as a filter through which the vocal demands of a diverse populace pass on the way to becoming public policy. Democracy itself guarantees nothing. It offers instead the opportunity to succeed as well as the risk of failure.
Democracy is then both a promise and a challenge.
It is a promise that free human beings, working together, can govern themselves in a manner that will serve their aspirations for personal freedom, economic opportunity, and social justice. It is a challenge because the success of the democratic enterprise rests upon the shoulders of its citizens and no one else. Government of and by the people means that the citizens of a democratic society share in its benefits and in its burdens. It is true as well for the citizens of democracy who, finally, must take responsibility for the fate of the society in which they themselves have chosen to live. In the end, we get the government we deserve.