Yes, and here's a bigger one.. It's a good thing.
Regardless of what you were taught in school, we do not live in a democracy and furthermore we do not wish to do so.
It seems unfair at first, and very Anti-American... till you think about what a pure democracy is.
A "pure" "perfect" democracy is Mob Rule.
The Representative Republic form of Government that we have now makes (or should make) our leaders accountable without being subject to the ever changing whims of our popular culture.
In a perfect democracy.. we would all vote on the bills before Congress and the Media scare machine would turn Americas stupid against us with fearmongering and lies to a much greater degree than they do now.
As it is, if a Congressman or a President wants to make a decidedly unpopular decision he is free to do so once in office.. And knowing that he will eventually have to answer for it at the polls.
In a perfect democracy.. we would all vote on the bills before Congress and the Media scare machine would turn Americas stupid against us with fearmongering and lies to a much greater degree than they do now
EXACTLY! Does the name Clinton ring a bell? 8 years of leadership(?) by polling, and look at what resulted.
As much as I may dislike PTR for China, the annual congressional show granting Normal Trade Relations was a joke anyway, and was a waste of taxpayer money and time since the result was inevitably going to be the same.
If our congress were ever to develop the backbone to deny NTR, they will likewise rescind PTR (since Permanent does not mean permanent)