The abstract nature of the word "democracy" is captured in the following sentence.

The abstract nature of the word "democracy" can be captured in a sentence taken from President Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope". I paraphrase, " the problem is between the magnitude of the challenges and the smallness of our politics". Truly, the 'view' from above is always enormous. While the 'view' from below is always very small. The view from the Top is a general abstraction that should apply to the 'span' of the abstraction. While the view from the Bottom is generated in a specific manner, which arises from the trouble area, but should apply to each and every aspect of the general abstraction. There is too much 'wiggle room' between the two views. Nevertheless, 'politics should be tapered to fit the problem and should not leave out any areas of the 'trouble area'. That omission is what renders the politics "small". Even if the linguistic formulations address each specific area, the Parties get too caught up in preferences and selective politics. Hence, the problem may not be between the "magnitude of the problem and the smallness of our politics". The problem may be between the division into Parties and the different perception by each Party. How can both Parties be democratic and yet emphasize different aspects of the same political problem? Could it be that one of the Parties is not as democratic as they claim? If the "magnitude of the problem" is the issue of democracy, that should be simple. There's no room for disagreement. Both Parties need to see that the people at the Bottom who are effected by the problem are the key to its solution. The People are sovereign, period. Parties are too concerned with their own power struggles and pet policies. Hell, they wouldn't have positions of power if it wasn't for the People. Maybe its time for the people to 'assemble' and let them know the People are sovereign. The Top can divide into Parties, but democracy cannot be divided. The word may be an abstraction, but the reality is in the numbers at the Bottom.