By Zhang Zhou

　　In 2022,？the vicious cycle of democratic pretensions, dysfunctional politics？and a divided society continued in the United States.？Problems such as？money politics, identity politics, social rifts, and the gulf between the rich and poor worsened. The maladies afflicting？American democracy deeply infected？the cells of？US？politics and society, and further revealed？US？governance failure and？institutional defects.

　　--？American democracy in further decline

　　The functioning of American democratic institutions may look as lively as a circus, with politicians of all stripes showing off themselves one after another.？But？however boisterous the show is, it cannot hide the lethargy in addressing the long-standing, grave problems.

　　-- Political polarization intensified by partisan？fights

　　Amid the escalating political battles, politicians put the interests of their political parties and factions above those of the country and acted in an unbridled way to attack and pin blames on each other.

　　-- Money politics surged

　　In the US, money is the breast milk of politics？and elections increasingly morph into？monologues of the wealthy, while the public call？for democracy is made only？“a jarring note”.？With the？devil？of money lurking in？every corner of American politics, fairness and justice is naturally strained.

　　--“Freedom of speech”？in name only

　　The United States has always prided itself on free speech. In reality, however, freedom of speech in the United States is upheld according to self-centered “US standards”. Partisan interest and money politics have become the “two big mountains” that weigh on free speech. Any speech that is detrimental to the interests of the US government or capital is subject to strict restrictions.

　　-- The judicial system blind to？public opinion

　　As an？institution？undergirding the？country’s Constitution, the US Supreme Court, like the American society, has become deeply divided. Judicial power？is hijacked by public opinion, and partisan？struggle？has spread to the judicial system. Increasingly, Supreme Court decisions reflect the huge chasm？between “two Americas”—the conservatives？and liberals,？and have？been reduced to a tool of political warfare.

　　-- Americans？increasingly disillusioned with American democracy

　　Americans’？pride in their democracy has dropped sharply, from 90%？in 2002 to 54%？in 2022, according to a joint Washington Post-University of Maryland survey. A？poll by the？Public Policy Institute of California？shows that？Californian？voters have widespread concern that American democracy is going？off track, with 62%？saying the country is headed in the wrong direction.

　　Source: The State of Democracy in the United States: 2022

　　Background images are created by AI creator.