Politicians Mediate Voters' Contradictory Demands

America is more libertarian than the median voter's stated preferences because politicians facing reelection trade off between what voters say they want and the economic growth that actually helps them win, mediating voters' contradictory demands—'I don't want you to pull off the bandaid, but I want my wound to get better'—so delegating authority to elected politicians yields some benefits of elitism even within a democracy.