This article could benefit from an explicit definition of "democracy" from the author's perspective. It's one of those concepts that people don't really agree

This article could benefit from an explicit definition of "democracy" from the author's perspective. It's one of those concepts that people don't really agree on the meaning of, even though it's bandied about a lot (rather like 'freedom'). Are we talking about strictly representative democracy, i.e. the selection of individuals by the voting public to act on their behalf within executive, legislative and judicial branches of government? And if so, how is that pool of candidates itself selected, and by what interests? Or are we talking about direct democracy, perhaps a mixed system in which proposed laws are written by the elected representatives but then voted on by the general public, e.g. state and national referendums? Or are we talking about oligarchy masquerading as democracy, with puppets put up in show elections and with their actions controlled by the hidden hands of billionaires?