It was to tame the passions of factions that the Framers set up a representative democracy. They also made no provision for federal initiatives, and they made constitutional amendments difficult to enact. A third problem with initiatives is that they often amount to more intrusion into people's lives. Another good question is whether times have changed. Somehow, I doubt it.
Initiatives do allow a better tally of sentiment than opinion polls.
That might be a way to shame politicians into doing their duty in a representative democracy. But don't hold your breath. The writer is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.