One slight correction to your &quot;less idealistic view&quot;:  It&#x27;s not just (or at all) that one party believes they are the best to represent the whole, it&#x27;s that they believe the other(s) are HARMFUL.<p>Ergo, disempowering that other voice is in everyones best interests.<p>While people can often do &quot;evil&quot; things (manipulative, etc), they usually do them for &quot;good&quot; reasons, at least according to their internal rationalizations. [citation needed :) ]