The basis of a democracy is that public opinion translates into government, the people's representatives, policy. In the US, this doesn't happen. It doesn't on the war, it doesn't on social spending (which is declining), military spending (which is increasing), it doesn't on healthcare (eg majority of US citizens want national healthcare and have wanted so for over twenty years), it doesn't on environment (with the now overt threat of environmental catastrophe spelling the end for future generations.
apologizing to a abos doesn't count.