gather round people and i'll tell you a story.............; 

 

Whenever a new US president is sworn in, media pundits and court historians gush about the supposed “peaceful transfer of power” that is taking place. This has become a key tenet of the mythology and ideology surrounding democracy—that governing elites willfully abandon their control over the machinery of the state in response to election outcomes.

Indeed, this narrative about democracy is absolutely foundational to the perceived legitimacy of democracy. The contention that elections lead to a “peaceful transfer of power” reinforces the idea that the governing elites are determined by elections, and therefore by the “will of the people.” If “we the people” vote for a new group of rulers, then the old leaders will step aside a new group will take over.

At least, that’s how the story goes.

The first problem with this myth is that there is no “will of the people.” This is a fantasy that not even mainstream political scientists believe. The notion of the “general will“ is simply a doctrine of a civic religion that is employed to claim that elections grant government officials a “mandate” to rule...........more..........