How bad is the current crisis of American democracy‪?‬ St Anne's College

Professor Adam Smith gives a talk to alumni entitled "How bad is the current crisis of American democracy?" The current sense of crisis is driven by the anxiety about creeping authoritarianism and corruption, a dis-informed electorate and unaccountable social media giants. But American democracy has always been ‘in crisis’ ever since the idea of the US as a ‘democracy’ emerged in the 1830s. How does the current sense of crisis compare to those of the past, and does the US any longer have the resources to address the democratic challenges it faces?