"For as long as there is power, there will be those who abuse it." --Very well put.

I think you are correct; populism can work if the people have the POWER to elect. As the system stands, the public has lost authority over democracy. Politicians can manipulate their audiences by obtaining information from analytics, launching targeted campaigns. It's all about money and information. I have not lost entire faith in the system--but there comes the point where we have to ask ourselves, does this work for us?

But we have now reached a point where the elected officials no longer purely represent the people. In my opinion, this is not the form of government the founders imagined.