Our government, looking at it very generously, is by the people through their elected representatives, of the elected representatives, and it is for people according to what the elected representatives think the people want. At this point, I shouldn't have to say more about the American political system, i.e., it should all be self-evident. But I will. The above statement of what I think the government is is an abstract one. However, in this case, elected representatives are humans.
Humans are prone to ethical and character flaws.
Further, politics has become motivated by self-interest rather than public interest. They seem to exist to serve their own self-interests, be it power, money, or getting votes to retain their positions. That is what I view the current governmental system as. The President, the Congress people, and other politicians in power are far removed, physically and ideologically, from the interests of the average person. That seems a bit incongruous given that we live in a republic .