What must happen to suppress democracy, but show a credible appearance of democracy? Confuse people into voting against their own interest. People who are in their right mind will not vote against their own interest. A "bad influence" is needed to move the people into believing the imaginary. History has demonstrated the power of persuasion - even mass persuasion. Politics is a messy game.
Well educated people are difficult to influence in a "bad way" because they are taught to think for themselves and avoid the lazy alternative of being influenced by the power of persuasion. If you are one who depends on the power of persuasion to acquire political power, you do not want to have an educated citizenry. That would be "bad for business."
Sites like Daily Kos provide a forum for evidence to be published and pointed out. It helps to educate those who want to learn. Many more people than those who read Daily Kos are lazy and would take the first reasonable explanation they hear and be influenced. They have no malice, but they simply don't see the value in putting the energy towards thinking. Dancing with the Stars is going to be on TV. Let's enjoy that! Thinking is boring.
Those who believe in capitalism are passionate about wealth and power. Some want political power for no more important reason than to have more wealth and power. Some have lost sight of the reason why they want more power and wealth, they just want to have more. An important idea of negotiation prescribes that we should make the pie bigger so that everyone can have more, but some of those who seek more power and wealth believe in taking power away from others so they can have more. Similar ideas have justified the concepts behind slavery. The concept that those lazy bums would have wasted their lives anyway. Let me tell those lazy bums what to do because I know better. After all I must be a better human. Why else would I have all my wealth and power?
Teachers in our public education system, before the people with wealth and power decided to make them out to be enemies, taught citizens not to be lazy. In fact, they still try to do their duty to teach skills and common human values, but they are under severe pressure from those whose purpose is to accumulate more wealth and power. There are enough people who believe in the ultimate value of wealth and power over any other value (e.g., justice, humanity, happiness) that the lazy people are being bought / bullied into supporting their agenda. Many diaries, commentaries, and arguments have explained the details here in this community. And I suspect, if you are reading here, you are probably keenly aware already.
I am writing here simply to admire the effectiveness with which these lovers of wealth and power have achieved their goals. How so thoroughly they have increased those who buy into the value of wealth and power for its own sake, and created the environment for producing an overwhelming number of bought / bullied lazy citizens. I am not resigned to the idea that lazy citizens should be enslaved, but perhaps the idea of democracy is an idea whose time has past.
