A Constitutional Democracy, much along the lines of Athenian democracy, wherein the Athenian citizens were well-educated in the democratic process (unlike modern Americans) and where, instead of elections, political leaders were chosen by lottery, served for a limited term, and were then judged on their performance in office by a jury of some 501 citizens (also selected by lottery, too big to bribe, and an odd number to eliminate the possibility of a hung jury). On the basis of that performance judgement, the outgoing political office holder was either rewarded or fined--and if they really did badly, banished from Athens.

So it behooved them to keep their noses clean!

Their equivalent of Congress was--6,000 citizens! Again, too many to bribe. Or "lobby," which is the same thing.

Read First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea, by Paul Woodruff. Excellent book. Easy read and very revealing.

The major flaw in Athenian Democracy was that only men were citizens. Not women. But there were contemporary Athenian citizens who said that this was a major mistake, because Athens was wasting half of its intellectual power by excluding women from political deliberations.

The title of the last chapter in the book is (if I remember correctly) "Is America Ready for Democracy?"

Read it.

Don Firth