It only takes a few dozen wealthy individuals to basically buy the title as President of the United States and Commander in Chief as a gift for anyone they please.
What is "political participation"? It seems that the contention conflates "political participation" with "voting in general elections". Those things are very different though.
The parties are constructed around social issues that mean very little to the ruling class; while they both tend to agree on economic policy, if not in words, then by their own voting record and/or through their failure to pursue a course that might jeopardize the interests of the ruling class.
Cannabis legalisation. Even though they're going against politicians, corporations and law enforcement, it is increasingly successful and shows democracy can work.