"crisis of democracy" question

[hoov]

Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington wrote 1975 Trilateral
Commission report arguing that 1960s 'democratic surge' of participation
was threatening 'governability of democracy' in US.  Huntington, whose
piece appeared with several other essays in book entitled _The Crisis of
Democracy_ (portions originally appeared in Irving Kristol's journal *The
Public Interest*, I think), argued that protests, demonstrations, social
movements were having adverse consequences for 'stable' democratic
politics.  Politicians were forced to respond by increasing level of
government activities, specifically higher expenditures for social
programs.  

Plus, according to SH - who had been on CIA payroll, was an adviser for US
'strategic hamlet' program in Vietnam, and whose penchant for order had
him supporting corruption as a mechanism for preventing Third World change
(_Political Order in Changing Societies_, 1968) - increased participation
constituted a challenge to government authority, preventing politicians
from imposing 'hard' decisions necessary to make government effective.
This 'democratic distemper' had 'overloaded' government with demands and
the only solution was to demobilize folks and limit democracy.

Above is a bit too long way of saying that 'crisis of democracy' concept 
is elitist bullshit.    Michael Hoover