by David Uberti

Created on: December 27, 2009

MAJORITY RULES

One of the main goals of the Constitution of the United States was to establish a pluralist form of democracy.  According to pluralist theory, the ideal government is one that divides power between numerous institutions with overlapping authority.  This was intended to produce a set of checks and balances for the fledgling American government.  But the most prominent belief of pluralists is that competing interest groups, representing the needs and wants of various citizens and organizations, should press the government for policy change.  This model has prevailed to this day; however, the increasing social stratification in the United States is churning out a very flawed version of pluralism.  The fundamental democratic flaw of this theory is that interest groups that are better organized have a better chance of successfully vying for policy change. 

In today’s world, better organized interest groups are generally those representing wealthy individuals or corporations, effectively making money one of the main driving forces of American politics.  The lack of representation of lower class Americans in interest groups has limited the country’s ability to sustain a true democracy.  The inability of the lower class to compete in the money-driven pluralist model has left them effectively disenfranchised.  Due to their lack of opportunity to push their needs on the government, this model of democracy has fostered the growth of social inequality in the United States.

Citizens without the means to support a well-organized interest group are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to pursuing policy change, leading to greater social inequality.  Dan Clawson, a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, argues that money is the primary driving force in the current political system.  He writes, “the individuals and organizations with the most money will exercise disproportionate influence both on election campaigns and the shaping of public policy” (Clawson 2001).  The ability of the wealthy to contribute more money to political parties gives them greater influence over policy.  William Domhoff, a research professor at the University of California, argues that the monetary contributions made by businesses have led to the creation of a power elite that plays a huge role in controlling policy.  Large businesses may lobby the government for specific

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