[hayst4ck]

Democracy does not work without a culture of responsibility and we no longer have a culture of responsibility.

I am incredibly atheist, but what we are seeing is Christianity, a clear pillar of American culture, malfunctioning on a societal scale. What used to be the major cultural influence on this country has been weaponized for political purposes. There is a quote about how separation of church and state is to protect the state from the church... but now we are coming to understand that that separation exists also to protect the church from the state.

People are very susceptible to politicians lying to them, especially when it's a lie they want to hear or prefer to the truth. Compulsory voting does not address that at all. Education is a hedge on it, but education requires effort, openness, and resources. There is also a media ecosystem which acts as a sort of central nervous system for a country, which is how a country understands itself.

Culture and institutions (such as church/media/academia/police training, etc.) are the foundation of societies operations, and government is largely a manifestation of prevailing culture. Authoritarian governments are a manifestation of a culture that promotes self interest and lack of empathy, rather than one that promotes loving they neighbor and treating others as you wish to be treated.