There are, of course, many such situations. In contrast, also not a few that are sufficiently marked by public concern, such as national security, to make every politician jump into action whenever a flaw appears. Thus, we defend before we educate. This may be legitimate, but we still must educate and do it right. It is in the handling of these every-day ongoing governmental needs that the system fails most noticeably.
Democracies Differ All democracies have much in common, as do all people.
But each functions within its own circumstances, culture and history. American culture has, historically, heavily stressed competition, often with elaborate rule-making, but sometimes with few safeguards in place. Its political processes fall into the latter category. And this has considerably shaped the character and quality of American democracy. In our country the aspiring politician's first challenge is to win.