Alison Smith

SOCY 4027
Professor Downey
1 June 2012
Final Paper
Many countries claim to be democratic, but at a closer analysis one can see through the
facade and peek at the undemocratic values that many nations are comprised of. The degree of
democracy can be influenced by a number of factors including institutions, social influences, and
the organization of power within a state. Professor Downey defines the government system of
democracy and lists various conditions that are necessary to maintain a strong and genuine
democratic nation. I am unsure if all of these factors that create the perfect democracy has ever,
or ever, will be in use by a national government; however, nations and people should strive to
reach these specifications. G. William Domhoff in his articles Who Rules America? and The
Power Elite and the State: How Policy is Made in America analyzes the execution and
disobedience of the United States in following the definition and conditions determined by
Professor Downey. Domhoffs argument states that, in America, their are powerful elitist groups
that control the vast majority of decision making and information in the U.S. government.
Professor Downeys definition of democracy states that, every individual, group, and
organization has a relatively equal opportunity to influence political decisions and public policy,
and that, no individual, group, or organization has disproportionate influence on political
decisions and public policy, and in which those in the minority still have some influence on
public policy. Unfortunately, Domhoffs analysis of Americas current democracy does not
match the values outlined in this definition. In the United States, Domhoff states that our

government is run by the power elite, the upper class, and the corporate community. Many
people within one of these three categories are also a part of one or both of the other categories.
Therefore, United States civilians do not have a relatively equal sphere of influence on their
government because the minority wealthy and powerful group hold the greatest amount of
power.
The first condition stated by Professor Downey is that, citizens have to know what their
government and politicians are doing to have any control over them and over public policy. This
is an important condition because democracy requires transparency so that the citizens and
government can be on equal terms of understanding. If citizens of a state do not know what is
actually happening within the political sphere, then opinions and participation will not be
constructive in striving to create a more balanced democracy. In the readings on Domhoff, he
speaks about how the powerful and wealthy groups are able to have access and be informed of
government policies and decisions to a greater extent than the majority of citizens. Many of these
groups have leaders that came from the group into a government position; therefore, these groups
are able to influence these officials as well as be briefed on government deliberations.
The next stipulation Professor Downey gives is that elections need to be fair and free
and access to voting is simple and straightforward. These necessities of elections are crucial
because democracies need to have equal opportunities for all citizens, and the majority vote
should be represented in the government. Domhoff touches on campaigns for elections and how
candidates are not portrayed by their policy objectives, but instead are shown on a more personal
level (Who Rules America? 42). Therefore, candidates are competing in the political arena not
with politics, but with their supposed moral values to gain votes. This is an issue because voters
are unable to procure the candidates viewpoints of critical issues and decisions, but are instead

fed their social and ethical background that has nothing to do with their political goals in office
(Who Rules America? 43).
The next step towards democracy that Downey points out and Domhoff discusses is that
there needs to be a relative economic equality in a democratic nation. This is significant
because a true democracy promotes fair possibilities for citizens to succeed in their well-being.
Because there is a correlation between ones economic position and their political power, a
democracy needs to find a way to create an unbiased economic arena. Domhoff uses evidence
from democratic nations with a Social Democrat party, and how these nations are considerably
more equal than states without, for example the United States (The Power Elite and The State
25). America has high levels of economic inequality and poverty, which causes it to be less
democratic in the sense that this economic inequality translates into political inequality.
Next, Downey states that in order to have a healthy democracy, a state must have
freedom to assemble and protest. Since citizens are meant to participate and have their ideals
acknowledged, there should be an availability for them to organize and disagree with certain
policies or decisions of their elected representatives. Domhoff talk of how historically, employers
legally banned labor unions and strikes until the 1930s; however, corporations found other
means to ignore these unions, such as moving to a less democratic society (Who Rules
America? 46). This example portrays how the U.S. does in fact permit unions and protests;
however, there are still signs of employers or corporation scheming through these regulations.
The next condition is that citizens of a democratic nation should not feel intimidated by
their government in forms of harassment, spying, or other means. If a person feels intimidated by
the leaders of their state, then they are more likely to not express their opinions, organize in
dissident groups, or participate in various other forms within their government. The connection

to this stipulation with the readings on Domhoff would be that corporations and capitalists
control much of the social and political aspects that shape our government; and therefore, many
individuals could feel intimidated by the powerful nature of this superior minority. This could
lead to a complete disregard of citizens, outside this top group, of politics if they feel as if their
voice will never be considered.
The next issue that a Downey believes a democracy must value is that there needs to be a
freedom to dissent without fear of censure, reprisals, ridicule, or demonization, especially
during times of crisis, including war. This requirement is vital for citizens because they should
not endure condemnation if they disagree with government actions, especially when something
as costly and consequential as warfare is taking place. If citizens do not agree with, or unwilling
to bear the effects of, their governments actions, then they should feel free to challenge this
verdict. Domhoff mentions evidence in which citizens have exerted change in the political
system when they are able to disrupt the system, but this power of dissent usually only works
whenever the state is facing other dilemmas or grave issues such as high unemployment rates,
tight economies, or in conflict (The Power Elite and The State 260). Therefore, this condition
is prevalent in the democratic functions of the United States, but only succeeds in certain
circumstances.
Professor Downey states that democracies should allow citizens to have equal access to
elected representatives which is valuable because a democracy should be a political system for
the citizens, by the citizens. Each representative needs to know his or her voters interests and
concerns; and therefore, must be available to these citizens so that policies match their values.
Unfortunately, Domhoff states that the capitalists in the U.S. have more access to the elected
officials because many of these representatives were often placed from this upper group into

their office. These officials continue to apply the values of the elitist group they came from, and
continue to fill their surrounding councils with members from this group. Also, capitalists are
able to obtain greater information and knowledge from the political sector from their peers in
office and those that run the business, social, and economic world.
Another term that Downey believes must be followed in democratic societies is that there
must be a press that is free from the influence of government and powerful economic actors
and that it portrays a variety of perspectives. Without a wide range of positions and viewpoints
within out media, citizens will not be fully informed on all issues or all aspects of issues. Many
of the news outlets are owned by capitalists or funded by them, which unfortunately means that
our media is greatly biased, in that is greatly only portrays the opinions of this minority, and
influenced by the capitalists, in that it must be sympathetic towards this minority in order to keep
its funding from its investors. These capitalists are also a part of foundations, think tanks, and
policy-discussion forums that have the ability to produce various types of media that can
influence public opinion. Therefore, our media outlets are oftentimes narrow minded which sets
the boundaries for debate and discussion of politics. In William Hoynes article Political
Discourse and the New PBS he describes his analysis of PBS and how their sources were
predominantly individuals apart of the capitalist groups Domhoff speaks of (Hoynes 34). This
portrayal is evidence that our media outlets are being used strategically by the wealthy and
corporate elitist minority to affect control over viewers and listeners by depicting biased opinions
and ideologies. This limitation of sources and news restrains others interests which weakens the
standard of democracy.
Finally, Professor Downey states that there must be open access to government records,
government decision making, and records concerning government decision making. Though

openness and accountability are some of the pillars that make up a democracy, the United States
has always had trouble maintaining these conditions. We have recently been surprised by the
recent organization WikiLeaks that has opened many citizens eyes to the secrecy of our
government. This new revelation led many to wonder if policies and actions would not have been
implemented if citizens had had prior access to this information. There is a fine line between
withholding information for national security purposes; however, it seems as though the U.S.
government has exploited this reason as means to act on its own behalf. Domhoff speaks about
the institutions, networks, and organizations controlled by the upper class, power elite, and
corporate community, that shape public and government policy debates (Who Rules America?
32). Domhoff states the difficulty for ordinary citizens to access their government officials; yet
capitalists reduce this by placing individuals from their own group into administrative
positions(Who Rules America? 33; The Power Elite and The State 21).
Domhoff argues that three groups: the power elite; the upper class; and the corporate
community, have the greatest control and power over the government because they are able to
organize (because of their small size and distinction); own the majority of the nations wealth;
have the greatest access of officials, and often times are the officials; have or buy the expertise
for policy planning; have similar interests; and have the means and resources to greatly influence
the candidate selection process. The power elite is a combination of individuals from the upper
class and corporate world that are the leaders of these groups, the upper class is a social group
that holds the greatest amount of wealth within the state, and the corporate community is a circle
of executives and business people. These three groups have many individuals that are intertwined
and develop similar interests and values together. There is a type of revolving door system in
the United States that consists of capitalists rotating positions and information with political

figures (The Power Elite and The State 21). This minority group is proactive in the political
sphere in order to maintain their authority and influence by staying involved in debate and
institutions with their peers. These three groups that together form a united group of capitalists
have the greatest amount of power over the actions and decisions within the government because
they have various forms of resources that allow them to control the political arena. These
capitalists are either raised with similar interests, or learn to accept these values in order to
succeed in this circle. In these ways, this union of the utmost wealthy and powerful individuals
succeed in getting what they want more often times than not; and even when they dont win, they
still have set limits on social, economic, and political discourse and activity, which means they
dont ever really lose.
I agree with Domhoffs argument that our government in greatly influenced and
controlled by the capitalist minority. America has great economic and social inequalities that
relate to who has political power in our government system. The less equality our nation has, the
less democratic it becomes. Domhoff shows vast amounts of analysis and evidence that portrays
how greater wealth, and those that control the wealthy organizations seem to have a greater
realm of influence in the social and political spectrum, as economic power translates into
political power. I believe Domhoff is correct in his argument because the lower classes do not
have the resources, such as time or money, and they are too large of a group to be able to
organize themselves. The capitalists do have these resources, are proactive, and have created
institutions and frameworks that allow them to dominate the political system. Finally, it is
evident that Domhoffs argument is true because this capitalist minority would seem likely to
lose, or lose more often, if we had a true democratic political system, for they are a voting
minority that would be less represented than current trends show.

Democracy is a kind of an utilitarian system, in that the greatest good for the greatest
number of people should reflect the governments actions and representation. Currently the U.S.
government appeals to the minority and uses the ideals and values that benefit the capitalist
minority. This is because of the power dynamic of our nation that stems from those that have
money, are small enough, and similar enough to organize and therefore, have the most political
power. There is a great need for a change in social and economic inequality in order to transform
political inequality, or the U.S. will not be able to become more democratic. We are not the
example or ideal democracy we think we are. In order to be this model, the middle and working
class must be able to organize and push for equal access, representation, and influence in the
government. For once this group can diverge itself from the power of the capitalists, it may
conquer.