The federal democracy you learned about in school, where votes translate to representation, where representation shapes policy, where policy reflects majority will, has been replaced by something else entirely. Not through coup or revolution, but through methodical institutional capture.

The facts tell their story. In Wisconsin, Democrats win 54% of the statewide vote and get 36% of the legislative seats. In the Senate, states representing 41 million fewer Americans control half the chamber. Since 2000, Republicans have won the popular vote once but appointed five Supreme Court justices. These aren't anomalies or rough patches. They're features of a system working exactly as it's been redesigned to work.