[WS:] One may also tell the story of an ancient philosopher Al Jahiz who died crushed by the falling books piled up in his library. In the end, it is not Platonic ideas but the material world that surrounds us that matters.
One can compare the US polity to the ideal democracy and reach the conclusion that the US politics is but a shadow on a cave's wall and the shades of that shadow do not really matter vis a vis the ideal. But then one may lose one's Medicare coverage and Social Security check as a result of Republican tax cuts catch a cold while sleeping under the bridge and perish.
I do not particularly care about Obamacare - it does not affect me one way or another. But politically I support it, because its overturn will have the domino effect on other social programs. I will be eligible for Medicare and Social Security in a few years and I want them to be there when I become eligible. That is why I root for Democrats and urge everyone to do likewise.
Wojtek