Maybe in a perfectly functioning democracy, but the U.S. has been actively separating policy from politics maybe for my entire lifetime. Just for starters:

* The two-party system dominates the process, and actively excludes 3rd parties. Look into changing requirements for debate participation.

* The Democratic party argued in court that they have no obligation to use a "fair" primary to select candidates. This was in response to a lawsuit from donors claiming the party mislead them by tipping the scales against Bernie Sanders in 2016.

* Gerrymandering continues to enable parties to win large majorities in state legislatures while losing the popular vote at the state level.

* Many of our current troubles have been caused by the Supreme Court, which is not democratically elected.

* The Electoral College and Senate apportionment continue to give more power to voters in low-population states.