The US was not intended to be a democracy. The founding fathers believed that a large number of states in a federation competing against each other would keep the masses under control. The last thing that any government wants is democracy: rule by the people. It was not until after the second world war when eastern countries began forming communist governments that western countries claimed to be democratic. It would have been unthinkable to allow socialists or communists undisputed claim to this title. Ironically this claim was made with the knowledge that advertising would control the masses. Corporations rule because they own the media.