Critics of Majoritarian Democracy claim that it threatens the Minorities. Proponents however, counterclaim that it does not.
In his book, "The Struggle for Democracy", Edward Greenberg said that "Democracy is increasingly regarded as the best form of government because a majority of the public has input in what is best for society. The legitimacy of the laws and governments in a democratic society rests on the belief that it best protects individual civil and human rights and provides an opportunity for economic growth and personal freedom." However, Greenberg also said that, "despite the tremendous progress that has been made in areas ranging from voting rights to the creation of discriminatory public policies such as Jim Crow segregation, democracy is still incomplete in the United States; the continuing struggle for democracy is a major feature of American political history." So, how Democratic is the United States government? Greenberg provided a framework for understanding American politics. He said, "the framework visualizes the world of American politics as a set of interrelated actors and influences (institutions, groups, and individuals) that operate in four interconnected categories: structure, political linkage, government, and government action.".
The Structure category includes more fundamental and enduring factors (such as the U.S. economy, American society, the constitutional rules, the political culture, and the international system) that influence government and politics. Structural factors, to a large extent, determine what issues become a part of the political agenda, how political power is distributed among the population, what rules structure how government works, and what values Americans bring to their political deliberation. Michael Parenti had been very critical of American democracy. In his book, "Democracy for the Few", he said, "real democracy is pure illusion.
