How can Democracy NOT lead to Oligarchy?

[Pat Mustard]

The thing about the US is that it never started off as a democracy. It's ideology hewed very closely in most respects to those of its parent at the time, essentially that political power should be held only by and put only to the service of large land owners. Neither country over the course of the subsequent two hundred years has become democratic in actuality (though the UK isn't too far off, kill off the useless appendage of the House of lords and bring in a truly representative form of election and they'd be there).

And as recent events have shown (from 2000 onwards) what few moves made in the US to slowly bring the country to democratic norms are fragile and easily defeated.