To say that most of us today are purely expansive is only another way of saying that most of us continue to be more concerned with the quantity than with the quality of our democracy.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
But at the same time, I think we recognize we can't impose democracy from without, particularly American-style democracy. We need to work with those elements in the region that are moving towards a reformed process and there are a number of them.
Democracy may mean something more than a theoretically absolute popular government, but it assuredly cannot mean anything less.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
As leaders, we become whole when we see that our focused, singular commitment to making the numbers and the metrics cannot be effective on its own, but only when it is part of the whole picture - only when we see that it takes more than metrics to make up the whole.
Our democracy is not a product but a continual process. It is preserved not by monuments but deeds. Sometimes it needs refining; sometimes it needs amending; sometimes it needs defending. Always, it needs improving.
A large majority of Americans believe that corporations exert too much influence on our daily lives and our political process.
I think, as a general matter, clearly, the United States globally supports the development of democracy and the democratic yearnings of all people.
The Americans' position is clear: we promote democracy.
Democracy makes us articulate our views, defend them, and refine them.
Every democracy is constructed day-to-day. And the electoral process reduces and minimalizes every single aspect of human complexity. We're putting it into pamphlets. We're doing a publicity show. We're becoming symbols.