You could make an argument that the elites of the past didn't do the worst job. The media was surprisingly independent (i. e.Watergate), and even the candidates

You could make an argument that the elites of the past didn't do the worst job. The media was surprisingly independent (i. e.Watergate), and even the candidates for President were – for the most part – quite respectable even when they were decided on in smoke-filled back rooms. I know it's fundamentally undemocratic. But pragmatically it wasn't the worst. Another example would be the trust people (used to) have in the Supreme Court. For most of the 20th century, it was the most rigorous intellectual and moral institution, even though it's the least democratic.